From: Philippe Verdy (verdy_p@wanadoo.fr)
Date: Wed Sep 26 2007 - 08:36:43 CDT
John Hudson wrote:
> Envoyé : mercredi 26 septembre 2007 07:52
> À : verdy_p@wanadoo.fr
> Cc : mike.sanders@ancientcultures.net; 'Mark E. Shoulson';
> unicode@unicode.org
> Objet : Re: Needs help identifying script
>
> Philippe Verdy wrote:
>
> > Your second image confirms to me that there are at least two scripts...
>
> Note that the second image shows a different plate.
I've seen that of course. But they share common features: the same kind of
material, the same decoration on the border, the same general layout, the
same candelabre and stars at the top, the same subdivision of the page by a
row of dots separating at least two parts in the text.
This is this clear subdivision of the page by the row of dots that makes me
think that there are at least two scripts, and that the scripts are
identical between the two plates sharing the same layout. (And this is the
main reason why I thought that these plates may be a sort of "Rosette
stone", something extremely precious for studying old unknown scripts and
extinct languages).
I am not sure however if there is actual text in the top part of the plates,
on the left of the candelabre and stars: if there are symbols, they may be
some numeric system, or astrologic symbols, or some other heraldic or
religious symbols. It's hard to tell given that the top part of these two
images are not enough readable due to: the poor resolution, the many JPEG
compression artefacts, the glares, the poor contrast, and other lighting
conditions.
The decorations on the borders are also interesting: I think they represent
branches of olive tree, or some other plants. If we know where the plates
were discovered, and their probable origin and datation (Carbon-14, natural
pollutions by pollens or insect eggs or by stone and sediment fragments),
this may give indication about the culture that produced them.
That's why it would be best to publish better images within an external
website, and post here a relevant link to this site. For now the samples
we've seen here are not really usable.
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