Specialists led by the Prehistory Research Group of the University of the Basque Country (Spain) revealed the meaning of a mysterious four-line inscription engraved on a 2,000-year-old bronze hand. The results of the epigraphic study of the strange symbols were published this Tuesday in the academic journal Antiquity.
The intriguing object was found in 2021 at the Iron Age site of Irulegi, in the Aranguren valley, in Navarra.
Paleo-Hispanic language
Since the Basques, who occupied this area at the time the hand was forged, left very few signs of writing, they were believed to be a pre-literate people (without a written language). However, now researchers claim that the object, called the ‘Hand of Irulegi’, “constitutes the first example of Basque epigraphy.” “The new inscription presented here supports the increasingly widespread idea that the ancient Basques knew and used writing, at least to some extent,” the researchers maintain.
Furthermore, they point out that a detailed linguistic analysis of some words that could be identified “suggests that the writing represents a graphic subsystem of the Paleo-Hispanic language that shares its roots with the modern Basque language.” The first word in the hand, ‘sorioneku’, turned out to have a key link with the Basque word ‘zorioneko’ (good fortune, in Spanish).
Attract good luck
According to experts, the inscribed text is considered “apotropaic”, that is, “a sign to invoke good luck.” In this sense, researchers suspect that the hand had some type of ritual or religious meaning.
The fact that it was found at the entrance to a domestic building, as well as the orientation of the writing, together with the position of a small hole in the object, suggests that it was nailed to a wooden support at the entrance of the property, for safekeeping. display and reading. Such elements also indicate that the hand had to hang with the fingers down.
Writing technique
The team adds that variations in letter size and some inconsistencies in letter strokes suggest a rather careless and unplanned approach to writing. Likewise, he explains that bronze is a common material in the area, so it is very likely that the object was made in the place where it was found. The signs were inscribed using the sgraffito technique to create the lines, which were then followed by larger perforated dots.
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