1, Some General’ Remarks on Languages and Writing Systems. 11. Languages. 1.2., Writing Systems, 2. Decipherment and Interpretation of Ancient Inscriptions. 2.1. Some Introductory Remarks. 2.2, Some Short Case - Studies - or How They Did 2.3. Generat Remarks on My Method. 3. The Decipherment and Interpretation of the Inscription on the Phaistos Disk. 4. The Reconstruction of ‘the Basic Formula of Greek Writing Systems. 5.-Dhe Origin of Alphabet. 6. ‘The Decipherment and Interpretation of Cretan Hieroglyphs. 7. The Decipherment and Interpretation of the Proto-Byblian ine~ criptions. Chapter 8. What Is to Be Done? Chapter 9. Palaeography and the CETI Problem. Bibliography. Summary (in Polish and German). ‘ 6 7 e ® 20 87 eo. 72 107 109 312 116Preface Within the compass of thousands of years the knowledge of many-ancien! lan guages and writing systems has completely died out. All that remains are vo- Flows objects covered with enigmatic, inscriptions. They contain certain infor mation concerning old cullures and civilizations. In order to learn this infor= ‘mation. the iriacriptions have to be properly deciphered and interpreted. This work presents some problems connected with the decipherment and interpre- {ation of ancient inscriptions in unknown scripts and languages. But the main reason of this study is the presentation of my research (1966 - 1982) in the field of palacography: 1. the decipherment and interpretation of the inscription on the Phdistos Disk, 2. the reconstruction of the basic formula of Greek writing systems, 3. my theory concerning the origin of alphabet, 4. the decipherment and interpretation of Cretan hieroglyphs, 3. the decipherment and interpretation of the proto-Bybllan inscriptions. ‘There is not much space af my disposal - merely 120 pages, whereas the presentation of my research, at full length, would require ebout 1 000 pages. So it J understandable that this work gives something like a general outli- ne of my research. My theories have to be discussed in the open. If they ‘tt prove erroneous, then it” be possible for. other palaeographers to use, at least, the anelytical - till now unpublished - part of my work. This study die cusses one more problem the case of an ET! messagesrom the viewpoint of palaeogrephy.RS aR ££ Ris wa a S 8 8 Boy Oi Ss fie e & = ID el = & os > B® = RA ; dees ome @ ' i i Fig. 5. List of signs on the Phaistos Diska = Ja aaan dears {EO K— Hf HK RKAD D Gisstitiesas Ww Sige .ocky $32 2248 have analogies in some Old Cypriot inscriptions (see 15). The ‘of the inscription (1700 B.C.) resembles the “assumed rules of orthography" discovered by M. Ventris (see 6) and the rules authors of Old Cypriot inscriptions. The deciphered and given below: 1. syllables of the deciphered text, 2° Greek basic form, 3. English trensiation. Side 2. 2 [ARKTE Diwour-s | KTALWwo xKTe| KA swo-re-s| 2 AL KE DIOS TALOS KE KAI SAOD 3 IF THE DINES =TALOS. | AND THE RED! COVERED WITH BRONZE a [ALKre potwom |ew-swo-re re | ew-PE4| 2. ALIKE DOLOPES(?) SACS KEEP I0s 3.IF TO THE DOLOPES(?) THE REDEEMER | KINDLY 2. [ARKTE PAE~? | PLSWA-SWI 2 [ALKE = PAIBGN? PEITHO, PITHES 3. IP THEY THE PAEAN? WILL HEAR 1, |ALKTE DU-NE-SwI | wio-DU-RWo TE | ALKTE 2. Al KE DUNASIS —«ODOROS.-« —> AI KE TELEO 3. IF THE MIGHTY 1oD0RCs = —> IF You wi 1. [AI EMELKO-Lede | memos | ALKTE PLSWA-5| 2. EUKELOSIEUKHE G6 AL KE PEITHOPITHES 3. THE REQUESTS © OF MINE IF YOU WILL HEAR 2. Jankre ew-ew-swrpranu| wie |ALKre puswas| 2. Al KE EPHAISTOS(?) PHILOS AI KE PEITHO 3. "IF YOU HEPHAISTOS(?) GRACIOUS IF YOU WILL HI 1. |mEwo-s |ALKTE PLewa-s| 2 £65 AL KE PEITHO.PITHES 3. OF MINE IF YOU WILL HEAR2 [ALKTE EWALERTHie-ew | PAtEWO-NE | PLSWA-KTE| 2. AL KE ELEITHUE Aen peITHd, pues) 30F EMerrHuE THE PAEAN WILL HEAR! sJALKTE DiWiO | RE-NE-SWLS | Ko-RI-Po| 2ALKE DIOS PHREN KHRES, KHREIS 3.IF THE DIVINE WILL PROCURE THAT I GET WHAT I AM ASKING ALKTE EW-EW-SWEPTANY | DLwvIO | Ko-I-Po| 2. Al KE EPHAISTOS(?) DIOS: KHREO, KHREIO aor HEPHAISTOS(?) THE DIVINE WILL PROCURE Site 2. 1 [ARKTE we-RWO TE|EW-Swo-7E-swi|ALPrALe-zo-s| we-erew| 2 ALKE Eros sA0d APALEXS pronom, 2. IP YOU HEROS OF THE REDEEMER WiLL DEFEND YouR 1. |WLKTANO KTE|PTO-LEIE-s| 2. ITANOS Prous 3 IPANOS ‘Town PLWio-oLw |PTLTE DEWioIe| WE-PTALLA-E!|TE KTA-LWO-swi| 2 DIOS. TETTA DIOS APALEXO —> TALOS 3, TO THE DIVINES AND TO THE DIVINE FATHER THE DEFENDING —> TALos 1.|ALSWA-SWE-RWO| EW-EL-PO-WIO |KA-KTA-KTA-NO-Sw1|PTO-LELIE| 2, AISA EIPON KATASTANOS PTOUS 3 THE FATE FDaNG over rranos TOWN 2.|KA wewio|pa-swenrorm|ar su-ewawo |ka-swe-re-1s| 2. KAI IPHIOS PAS4THEOS BoUs ESTOS 3. AND STRONG TO ALL THE GODS BULLS IN YOKE 2.|kA upi|Ka swo-re-s|we-ka-swewre-+s| 2 KANDE KAISAQS = AKESTOS, EKESTOS. 3. AND IN THE SAME WAY THE REDEEMER 700 BULLS WITHOUT YOKE 1. |Ew-KE-LE-£1| 7E-1E-Swi] 2. WEIKELOS «= TYTHEML 3 AUKE THE OFFERED50 TELEIOS © AKESTOS, EKESTbS ‘SOUS | __> OTHE REDEEMER THE BEST wiMHOUT YOKE US > 2 [Al sxcwte Te] KAKEREE | swo-ne-s(>) 2 Al BASILEUS —*KHALKERES SA0d 3. a ME’ THE ENG =0 GiALKERES wa yep ‘The whole Inscription resembles some Homeric invocations (bulls and all that). There Is no space for a detailed discussion of this interpretation. Sub ‘ce it to say, thet it is possible to identity the above - mentioned names. ‘Palos (Ktarwos, rai) A famous detender of Crete (Argo). 1 may be, interesting to notice, that the pame of this divinity means "bull" (Greek “auros") and that there is @ very strange similarity of this divinity with a Celtic god Tervos ‘Trigarancs (a bul with three cranes). The same about the Heros (Werwo) and Gerion (Pher Heron Trikarenos). Ranos (Wiktanos). A town Jn Crete (eastern coast) In the vicinity of Dikte ond Palaicastro (see 25 42: @ big temple of Zeus (Divios?) and Hephaistos 7). According to Ap tonios of Rhodes (3rd century B.C.) the ship "Argo" with 50 (to be compared wih the hoop = see shove) Argonauts met Talos at the easier codsi ot Col fer brite vicinity of Dilcte:: A, Evans ‘staten (iee-25,'j"204))" dis “bone early coins of Itanos were covered with the image of a Feninds of the spiral on the "Phaistos" Disk. horse, and its tail Ewewswiptans in the first version (1977) of my interpretation 1 assumed thie name io be Hephaistos (Eph - estios, belon ging to the hearth, ther was ¢ Zeus Ephestios - @ defender of the hearth; © Greek goddess Hes took care of the hearth and defended towns) . Some ancient euthors believed that Talos was father of Hephaistos. Maybe Ewews- ‘wiptanu DivioseZeus Ephestios?53 syllable Greek name English ow onis ram do doenros, captive ba bathuzonos Low girdled wi wikhthus fish 2 Aer Wio w togo lo lo band to take inhand Disk eS q g i Tat 5 ie wi pipes A K J 8 ke kephen drone Fig. 12, Greek names of signs on the Phaistos Disk54 PD sulloble 1B KR om % “phere: BE ope nih de BE Fig. 13. Some Linear B signs seem to be pure simplifications of signs on the Phaistos Disk (D) Goi oN > Fig. 14. Phonetic values of pottery signs on the Phaistos Disk (D) and in Lneer B (LB)ye > Sylloble SO— SwO $- pto ta ne ru te a 15. Graphic conventionalities in Linear B (LB) and their relationship to #46 0 the Phaistos Disk (D) 8 ¥ 9 eda aT 4, A ke, D: syllable: i le Rohe Rilke, SW Greate Fig. 16. Some more graphic conventionalities in Linear B (LB) and their re= lationship to the Phaistos Diskpidlbeis:. ee 3 P97 ol Fig. 17. Signs with the same phonetic values oa tie syllable: de abe \ tL. re be Greek name: doewros belos z5gres rhoia bathuzonos LB: fe ee English: captive pains Seperdon ome: lou mir ee 2 100d) Fig. 18. Pregnancy, pains, birth, man and woman in Lineer B and on the Phaistos Disk4 Chapter 4. The Reconstruction of the Basic Formula of Greek Writing Systems (see 48, 50, 51). Alter heving deciphered and interpreted the inscription on the Pheistos Disk in 1977, 1 was persuaded that, with regard to this script, there was not- hing more to be done. However, after some time (January 1978) I began to contemplate the results of my work: 1. phonetic ‘values of the pictorial signs on the disk corresponded with the first syllables of Old Greek words describing the signs (i.e. Gree’ sign names), 2 the script appearing on the Phaistos Disk s: med to be constructed by some Greek speaking people, 3 Linear B med to be some kind of @ simplified version of thé pictiorial script appearing on the Phaistos Disk, 4. the set of signs on the Phaistos Disk could be completed thanks to its relationship with Linear B. However not all signs bearing the same phonetic values in both scripts were similar in shape (Fig. 19). This indicated, in my opinion, thet the linearize tion and simplification of pictorial signs could have been based on Greek-wor- ds (sign-names) of double meaning, allowing two graphic interpretations of one sign-name (Fig. 20). DL sulfate U8 V me afi ag Fig. 19, Xo! all signs Hearing the same phonetic values in both scripts ere simciar66 ——_— -—o i ———- ant signs translation names D LB alphabet sign vtomes alpha FA AG @) canvas (sail) betha & ge) (ongicdted sere sorcerer oe delta i ¢ PD fective epiton J 1 1A torn ita OL 0 tow lambdo PLL OL ‘to take in hand pe Ln to mix ni NY a gms 8 OAM -WE of tose, omikron Y i O to open hes BT seat Bla: 24 5GbRaRG na atpvalns cigeanin aicna> cape auenee67 ie ath ec ee ot Pig, 25, Thé use of $ in Linear B bee Fig, 26. The use of T in Lincar B a i pti ais ae | A) eh. GB 206 rho 0 Ai Al koppa = ko ] g oF kappa —kut ry 7 Pig. 27. Probable fillation of Greek pi, theta, rho, koppa and kappa signsoueBenen axe snemBun Kuen oydsep sopanoos(p s1y us Tees Bungowos st 2104) “AUmciny {99 “d'or 208 ‘sone soveH) uISeTTeL 30 ores 9M Jo sTSATOUS PerTS}OP OL wrume sanvin -w Aq peerep oqo) sues joni o1seq samnouy “sermosd 1a © st uopeyesdsequy sry senemoy *(creraa” Au ut eroudry) oMudry SePPO 49935 7 exoadde yerata sna ur “(te “d ‘oz 998) UOIN=sMrued ieqvude YsTT jusoUT 4 Umm jerps 278eq setnO euio® unc} sxvy o} suIsaS SAADID -Y useSomuy ewos suBje yeern snoren jo uoRNIOA® ous “6z “BLE co we oS Sine = ¢ G 8 } h fzecmuew = a | oe eee 4 a paoudyo ——_sydtare angoniis +62 Ba UT pewasMM st SUuBIS yeesr snoLmA Jo VORA eno uz," SyouosUCD UssiNA pue sTeMOA aAf] wos) posTes SwM "TOPO FouBoud © IU UBeID B UO peseq ‘ieqUUdre Yeesy e YeLH SKOTIO} Ht “O10ID UT pereuS1z0 sepewered 0) perros suonuaAuy ety Te YA ‘sn Orsay Hse fe neoue et oF MO sew coms Jo o39m oun onsen’ Bumone adios onsqeudn vore Amues “B30 ssopar eID SH sovwoipur *(w: Hees ota 7 uw ex0m ouag aqkoy em yeqeudreojese 009 snoge Jo ew Surkord au ut seer