Issyk Inscription

Introduction

The oldest inscription in the Türkic alphabet, the Issyk Inscription, written on a flat silver drinking cup, was found in 1970 in a royal tomb located within Balykchy (Issyk), a town in Kyrgyzstan near Lake Issyk, and was dated by 5-th c. BC. What was the world in the 5-th century BC? We have the archeological findings, where the dating almost always is somewhat speculative, the reconstructions of the ancient Greek maps, and the views of the Mesopotamian and Chinese records. It is from the Mesopotamian and Chinese texts that we get a glimpse of the nomadic nations of the Central Asia in the 5th c. BC.

This Issyk Alphabet table is by Dr. Selahi Diker, the author of the AND THE WHOLE EARTH WAS OF ONE LANGUAGE (1996, 1999). For the Dr. Selahi Diker reading, comments and interpretation, see Issyk Inscription. For historiography, interpretations, and prior attempts see Codex - Issyk Inscription.

Links

http://www.lostlanguages.com/saka.htm

Issyk Alphabet
By Dr. Selahi Diker

Photo of Issyk Inscription
http://www.lostlanguages.com/saka.htm