Why the oldest written language in sub-Saharan Africa remains a mystery
In short: Claude Rilly discusses the ongoing challenge of translating Meroitic, the ancient language of the Kingdom of Meroe. Despite the script being deciphered over a century ago, the language itself remains largely untranslated, offering a unique look at a lost civilization.
Meroitic was the language of the Kingdom of Meroe, a civilization in the land of Kush—modern-day Sudan—that flourished between 270 BC and 330 AD. Influenced by Pharaonic Egypt, the Meroitic people developed an alphasyllabic script to record their speech. While roughly 2,000 texts have been recovered, the language vanished in the early Middle Ages, leaving no modern descendants.
Although the script was deciphered in 1911, full translation has eluded scholars for over a century. Recent breakthroughs in identifying the language's linguistic family have provided new momentum, raising hopes that we may soon unlock the secrets contained within these ancient sub-Saharan records.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Decipherment of Meroitic | Claude Rilly, Sorbonne
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/history-the-decipherment-of-meroitic-claude-rilly-sorbonne.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Archaeology · More in History · Latest · A–Z · All topics
