The ancient world left behind many mysteries, including scripts that remain undeciphered. Here are 24 enigmatic ancient scripts that continue to baffle researchers and linguists.
Linear A
Linear A is a script used by the Minoan civilization on Crete from around 1800 to 1450 BCE. Despite numerous efforts, it remains undeciphered. Unlike its successor, Linear B, which records Mycenaean Greek, the language represented by Linear A is unknown, adding to its mystery.
Rongorongo
Rongorongo is a system of glyphs found on Easter Island, used by the Rapa Nui people. Discovered in the 19th century, the script has resisted all attempts at translation. Its purpose and the exact period of its use remain unclear, but it’s believed to record important historical and ritualistic information.
Indus Script
The Indus Script was used by the Indus Valley Civilization from around 2600 to 1900 BCE. Found on seals, pottery, and other artifacts, this script has not been deciphered. Its short inscriptions and lack of bilingual texts make it particularly challenging to interpret.
Epi-Olmec Script
The Epi-Olmec script, also known as Isthmian script, is found on monuments in Mesoamerica dating from around 500 BCE to 500 CE. While some progress has been made in understanding this script, it remains largely undeciphered. It’s believed to represent a Mixe-Zoquean language.
Proto-Elamite
Proto-Elamite is the earliest known writing system from Iran, used around 3100 to 2900 BCE. The script, found on tablets, remains undeciphered. It is considered one of the earliest examples of writing, yet its language and content are still a mystery.
Cypro-Minoan
Cypro-Minoan script was used on Cyprus from around 1550 to 1200 BCE. Despite its apparent connection to Linear A, it remains undeciphered. The script appears on clay tablets and other artifacts, but the language it represents is unknown.
Phaistos Disc
The Phaistos Disc, discovered on Crete, is a clay disc with stamped symbols dating to around 1700 BCE. Its 45 unique symbols are arranged in a spiral, but their meaning and the language they represent remain a mystery. The disc is one of the most famous undeciphered artifacts from the ancient world.
Byblos Syllabary
The Byblos Syllabary, found in Byblos (modern-day Lebanon), dates to the second millennium BCE. This script, found on various inscriptions, has resisted decipherment. It’s thought to be a syllabic script, but the language it records is unknown.
Libyco-Berber
Libyco-Berber script, used by ancient Berber-speaking peoples in North Africa, remains largely undeciphered. Found on inscriptions and monuments, the script is believed to date back to at least the first millennium BCE. It may represent an early form of the Berber language.
Tujia Script
The Tujia script, used by the Tujia people in China, is an ancient writing system that remains undeciphered. Found on ritual objects and pottery, the script’s origins and meanings are still unknown. It’s one of several undeciphered scripts from ancient China.
Khitan Scripts
The Khitan people of northern China used two scripts, the Large and Small Khitan scripts, from the 10th to 12th centuries. Both scripts remain largely undeciphered, though they were used for official documents and inscriptions. They are believed to record the now-extinct Khitan language.
Wadi el-Hol Script
The Wadi el-Hol script, discovered in Egypt’s Western Desert, dates back to around 1800 BCE. Found on rock inscriptions, this script remains undeciphered. It’s considered a precursor to alphabetic writing, but its exact origins and meaning are unknown.
Anatolian Hieroglyphs
Used by the Luwian people in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) from the 14th to 8th centuries BCE, Anatolian hieroglyphs remain partially undeciphered. While some progress has been made, many symbols and their meanings are still unclear, making it difficult to fully understand the texts.
Linear Elamite
Linear Elamite, used in ancient Elam (southwestern Iran) around 2200 to 1800 BCE, is distinct from Proto-Elamite and remains undeciphered. It appears on various inscriptions, and its relationship to other scripts is still debated. The language it represents is also unknown.
Rapa Nui Tablets
The Rapa Nui tablets, inscribed with Rongorongo glyphs, remain one of the most mysterious undeciphered scripts. These wooden tablets, found on Easter Island, contain glyphs that seem to record historical and genealogical information, but their exact meaning and language are still unknown.
Cretan Hieroglyphs
Cretan hieroglyphs, used in ancient Crete around 2000 to 1650 BCE, are one of the earliest writing systems in Europe. Found on seals and tablets, this script remains undeciphered. It predates Linear A and may have influenced its development, but its language is unknown.
Etruscan
The Etruscan script, used by the ancient Etruscans in Italy from around 700 to 100 BCE, is partially deciphered. While many Etruscan words and their phonetic values are known, the language itself remains poorly understood, making complete translation difficult.
Iberian Script
The Iberian script, used by ancient Iberians in Spain from around the 4th to 1st centuries BCE, is partially understood. Found on inscriptions and coins, this script represents a language that remains undeciphered, with only limited knowledge of its phonetic values.
Meroitic
Meroitic script was used by the Kingdom of Meroe in what is now Sudan from around 300 BCE to 400 CE. Despite being partially deciphered, the language it represents is still not fully understood, making complete translations difficult.
Olmec
The Olmec civilization of Mesoamerica used a script that remains undeciphered. Found on monuments and artifacts dating from around 1200 to 400 BCE, this script is believed to be one of the earliest writing systems in the Americas, but its meanings and language are unknown.
Zapotec
The Zapotec script, used in ancient Mexico from around 600 BCE to 800 CE, remains largely undeciphered. Found on monuments and pottery, the script is believed to represent the Zapotec language, but its exact meanings and phonetic values are still unclear.
Proto-Sinaitic
Proto-Sinaitic script, dating to around 1800 BCE, is one of the earliest alphabetic scripts. Found in the Sinai Peninsula, it remains partially deciphered. While it’s considered a precursor to later alphabetic scripts, its exact meanings and phonetic values are still debated.
Voynich Manuscript
The Voynich Manuscript, discovered in the early 20th century, is written in an unknown script and filled with bizarre illustrations. Despite numerous attempts, it remains undeciphered. The manuscript’s purpose, origin, and the language it represents are all mysteries.
Pictish Symbols
The Picts of ancient Scotland used a series of symbols carved into stones from around the 4th to 9th centuries CE. These Pictish symbols remain undeciphered. Their meanings and the language they might represent are unknown, making them one of Scotland’s greatest historical mysteries.
These enigmatic ancient scripts remind us of the vast, untapped knowledge of our ancestors. Each script holds the potential to unlock new understanding of ancient cultures and histories, challenging us to continue our efforts to decode the past.
Ellen has been obsessed with logic puzzles, jigsaws, and cryptograms since she was a kid. After learning she was taught how to play chess wrong by a family friend (so they could win), she joined her school chess club and the rest is history.
