Archaeologists in Spain made a remarkable discovery when they uncovered an ancient rock slab, approximately 400 years older than the Rosetta Stone, with the alphabet inscribed on it. The find, made in southwest Spain, is believed to be connected to the ancient Paleo-Hispanic civilization of Tartessos, marking the third piece of evidence of an alphabet inscription, according to a Fox News report. Tartessos was an ancient civilization that thrived across the southern Iberian Peninsula over 3,000 years ago.
Experts consider this civilization “lost” due to the very few remnants that survive
Experts consider this civilization “lost” due to the very few remnants that survive. The slate was unearthed as part of the “Building Tartessus” project. “[The study’s] main objective is to characterize the Tartessian material culture through the architectural analysis of the large adobe buildings excavated in recent decades and introduce the concept of architecture as an integrated element in the territory,” stated the Spanish National Research Council’s (CSIC) website. According to experts, the stone tablet contains inscriptions of “what appears to be a sequence of 21 signs drawn within the framework of the tablet on which figures were also found of warriors.” The tablet, discovered at an archaeological site in Casas del Turuñuelo of the Badajoz province, is believed to have been chiselled as early as 600 BC. Commenting on the find, University of Barcelona researcher Joan Ferrer i Jane noted that “other strokes compatible with signs of a known sequence [were also seen].” “This alphabet has 27 signs and is the only complete one we know to date,” he said, adding this “would provide a lot of information.”
However, the artifact appears incomplete as it lacks a triangular shard on one of its sides. “At least 6 signs would have been lost in the split area of the piece, but if it were completely symmetrical and the signs completely occupied three of the four sides of the plate it could reach 32 signs, so the lost signs could become eleven or perhaps more if a possible sign, ‘Tu’, isolated in the lateral quarter, were part of the alphabet,” Ferrer explained.