A mysterious stone tablet with an unknown ancient language has been discovered in Georgia’s Bashplemi Lake, leaving experts baffled.
The basalt tablet was found in 2021 by fishermen during a dry season and contains 60 carved characters in seven rows.
Of these, 39 symbols are unique and don’t match any known writing system.
Experts believe the tablet could date back to the late Bronze or early Iron Age, about 14,000 years ago, though it has not been chemically dated.
The inscriptions were made using a detailed two-step process.
Archaeologists explained that ancient craftsmen first drilled notches to outline each symbol and then used a rounded tool to smooth them, creating intricate shapes, lines and dots.
Dr. Giorgi Tsirekidze, one of the researchers studying the artifact, said: “The technique used shows a level of skill and refinement that was advanced for its time.”
Some symbols on the tablet resemble Proto-Kartvelian, a language spoken in the fourth millennium BC, and others match seals used by officials in pre-Christian Georgia.
However, no exact matches have been found, leaving its origins a mystery.
The region of Dbaniskhevi where the tablet was discovered has a long history of settlement.
Archaeologists have previously found stone tools and evidence of burial mounds, ancient houses and religious sites near Bashplemi Lake.
The tablet’s purpose is also unclear. Researchers think it could record military spoils, document a building project, or serve as an offering to a deity.
The repeated characters suggest it might include numbers or important details.
The discovery has also sparked speculation about its links to Greek mythology.
The area corresponds to the ancient land of Colchis, known from the tale of Jason and the Argonauts.
Greek sources mention a “Golden Script” used by the Colchian people, but no evidence of this writing system has survived.
Byzantine scholar St. Eustathius of Thessalonica wrote in 1115 AD: “The purpose of the Argonautic expedition was to learn the method of the Golden Script.”
Researchers think the Bashplemi tablet could be connected to this legendary script.
The experts also said the find could change what we know about early writing systems.
In a paper published in the Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, they wrote: “Deciphering this tablet could lead to a significant breakthrough in understanding ancient scripts and their development in the Caucasus region.”
