Issyk Inscription

The oldest inscription in the Türkic alphabet, the Issyk Inscription, written on a flat silver drinking cup, was found in 1970 in a royal tomb located within Balykchy ( Issyk), a town in Kyrgyzstan near Lake Issyk, and was dated by 5-th c. BC. What was the world in the 5-th century BC? We have archeological discoveries, where dating is almost always somewhat speculative, and reconstructions of the ancient Greek maps, and the views of the Mesopotamian and Chinese records. From the Mesopotamian, Chinese, and Greek texts, from the archeological discoveries of the kurgans, from the written monuments, we get a glimpse of the nomadic nations of the Central Asia in the 5-th c. BC. The various interpretations of the graphics and contents of the inscription witness the paucity of the finds and the potential for the studies. Issyk Inscription started as the first supernova, bright and unique. Not any more. The “Issyk script” was rediscovered in numerous inscriptions: on fragments of pottery and stone from southern Uzbekistan, in southern Tajikistan, and northern Afghanistan. Unlike the positive radiocarbon dating of the Issyk kurgan, the other “Issyk script” inscriptions are eyeball dated by ca. 1st — 4th cc. AD based on dogmatic beliefs and other methods of scientific prudence. Not a small role in the presumed dating plays the tag of war between the beliefs postulated as authoritative truths on the Iranist side and the tendency of the artifacts to demonstrate distinctly Türkic traits on the Turkological side. J. Harmatta, for example, declared the “Issyk script” to be a Türkic-infected Karosthi, and thus the C¹⁴ dating invalid, since the Karosthi appeared centuries later. Some other crusades extend from ridiculous to unethical.

Practically every expert recognizes the affinity of the “Issyk script” with the Türkic scripts, some in disbelief, and some then proceed to ignore that: we are looking for the evidence of Iranian presence, do not bother us with alternate ideas. The biggest mental hurdle is the postulation that Türkic scripts appeared in the 7th - 8th cc. AD. Some, like I.M. Diakonov, V.A. Livshits, and S.G. Klyashtorny, recognize that in a hard disbelief, and then link the script with the ethereal Iranian tribes of Central Asia. Others, like G.G.Kotovа, refer to an IE “Saka” script and language. The third, like I.S.Kuznetsov, simply find it to be a Russian script and language. Still others, like V.A.Chudinov, find it to be a mixture of generic “runic script” and “proto-Cyrillic”. Since the Futhark and Türkic runiform scripts graphically are nearly identical, the V.A.Chudinov's idea allows almost unlimited flexibility of reading in any desired language. Some decoders, like A. Abilasan and O. Bekzhanubiri, transliterate the inscription, leaving to others to make a sense of it. Others, like J. Harmatta, I.Kuznetsov, and A. Gandaburov, skip on transliteration and go directly to the reading. Things are boiling like in a communal kitchen where from one common bag of potatoes every one is cooking his individual dish from a list of 400 tasty potato meals.

To say that everything is clear, it is absolutely not. We have numerous readings in Türkic, one (1) reading in Hotanese, more than a few readings in some borsch languages collected from all IE linguistic heavens, and nearly all readings are different. It seems that should we give a linguist an inscription in any enigmatic script, it would be read in all languages dear the hearts of the linguists. For geologists, engineers, economists, and other disciplines this method does not work, but for linguists it is working as a clockwork, the dead are stubbornly silent, linguists do not understand the lingo of each other, and each creates a product in his own private universe.

For the Issyk Alphabet table by Dr. Selahi Diker, the author of the AND THE WHOLE EARTH WAS OF ONE LANGUAGE (1996, 1999) click here.
For a complete analysis of inscription by Prof. A.S.Amanjolov in his book HISTORY OF ANCIENT TÜRKIC SCRIPTT click here

Fifth-century B.C. Issyk Inscription (1) (Pl. 24), written on a flat silver drinking-cup (nowadays called "piala" in the local lingo), was found in 1970 in a royal tomb located within Esik, a small town in Kazakistan near Lake Issyk (Issiq) in Kirgizistan in Central Asia. In the tomb were found a body of a man dressed from head to toe in magnificent attire with his clothes, jacket, pants, socks, and boots all made of attached pieces of pure gold, amounting to 4,800 in numbers, greatest ever found in a tomb excepting that of Pharaoh Tutankhamon. His tall cone-shaped crowning hat extending down to his ears and neck contained golden arrows on top. On his belt he carried a sword on the right side and on the left a knife, both in their shields. Beautiful reliefs of animal design ornamented the shields, the belt and the front of the hat. Radiocarbon tests dated the age of the finds to the fifth century BC. (2)

Issyk drinking-cup (Pl. 24)

Publications:

Amanjolov Altai S., "History of ancient  Türkic script", Almaty, "Mektep", 2003
Akishev, Kemal. A., "Issyk Kurgan", Moscow, 1978, Tracing, p. 55
Erçin M., "Esik Yazıtı, Türk Runik Yazısı" (Issyk Inscription, a Turkish Runic Text) in Harf Devrimi'nin 50. Yılı Sem­pozyumu (Symposium of the 50th Anniver­sary of Alphabetic Revolution), TTK Yayınları, Ankara, 1981 (HD50 S p. 225)
Diker S., And The Whole Earth Was Of One Language (1996, 1999)
Martynov 1996: 224, figure 8
Mirşan, Kazim, Prototürk Bilginlerine Göre Astrofizik ("Astrophysics According to the Proto-Turkish Scholars"), 1990, Ankara
Musabayev
Ryabchikov, Sergei V., 1999, A Saka (Scythian) Record Reads in Slavonic http://public.kubsu.ru/~usr02898/sl6.htm
Süleymеnof O. (Kazakhstan) (Олжас Сулейменов), 1970, Oljas Suleimenov, Issyk Inscription // Komosolskaya pravda. 31/10/1970 (Иссыкское письмо//Комосольская правда. 1970. 31 октября)

Attempts to read:

Amanjolov Altai.S., 2003, "History of ancient  Türkic script", Almaty, "Mektep"
Diker S., 1999, And The Whole Earth Was Of One Language (1996, 1999)
Harmatta J., 1999, An unknown language in an unknown script. Languages and literature in the Kushan Empire//History of Civilization of Central Asia, Puri B., Etemadi G. (ed.)  Vol. 2. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999
Rjabchikov, Sergei V., 1999. A Saka (Scythian) Record Reads in Slavonic http://public.kubsu.ru/~usr02898/sl6.htm
Erçin M.,, 1981 "Esik Yazıtı, Türk Runik Yazısı" (Issyk Inscription, a Turkish Runic Text) in Harf Devrimi'nin 50. Yılı Sem­pozyumu (Symposium of the 50th Anniversary of Alphabetic Revolution), TTK Yayınları, Ankara, 1981 (HD50 S p. 225)
Mirşan, Kazim, 1990, Prototürk Bilginlerine Göre Astrofizik ("Astrophysics According to the Proto-Turkish Scholars"), Ankara
Akishev, Kemal A., 1978, "Issyk Kurgan", Moscow, Tracing, p. 55
Süleymеnof O. (Kazakhstan) (Олжас Сулейменов), 1970, Oljas Suleimenov, Issyk Inscription // Komosolskaya pravda. 31/10/1970 (Иссыкское письмо//Комосольская правда. 1970. 31 октября)
Musabayev
Cəlilov (Jalilov), Firudin Ağasıoğlu “Issiq Yazisi”.

At a glance Summary Table (Anybody's missing?)

No	Author	Language	Pos. Direct.	Transcription	Transliteration	Normalized Transliteration	Translation
1	Hasanov 2015	Türkic	Straight LTR		*Dört *bul Küz Sïnglïyï ïr Uş yüz yïğ anta ïçïr	–	(Of the) Four Corners (cardinal directions) (the) tribes Syngly sing (acclaim). Three hundred mourners oath drink (give an oath).
2	Hamori 2013	Hungarian	Straight RTL		I R J Nu A SZ a N N - aK: Y-SZ SZ- A- T - aK: Ti ZH, eSZ T-é Re SZá TO B a J ZS aTa P>Vi SZ >Zé T :: C/S- aK : Tá- R - SHa- S- SZá- G eGé–S-éG Jó? I CAK:	Eréj(es) nő asszonynak iszátok tiszte(let)ére (az) ös-atya vizét. Csak a társaság jó egészségére iszuk	Drink to the honor of the virtuous-woman (the) queen, (the) water of god. Only for (the) health/wholeness (of the) society/community we drink
3	Alili 2012	Türkic	Upside RTL		OĞA ​​SeN ANg İÇ SaK SöZ eReNg öGüNç SƏS-üNİ eRiR ÜZƏ	–	Sak (Saka), imbibe your oath in the name of the people! Word would carry voice and glory of praising the Eren to the heavens i.e. Sak (Saka), swear by the name of your people! The solemn word is ascending the voice of praise and Eren's glory to the heaven
4	Amanjolov 2003	Türkic	Upside RTL		аγа sаηa očuq! bäz čök boqun ičr(?)ä uzuq ...i	Aγa, saηa očuq Bez, čök! Boqun ičrä [r?] azuq! ...i	Senior brother, (this) hearth is for you! Stranger, kneel! Progenies [shall have] food!
5	Harmatta 1999	“Hotanese”	?	?	?	za(m)-ri ko-la (m) mi(m)-vam vam -va pa-zam pa-na de-ka mi(m)-ri-to ña-ka mi pa-zam vam -va va-za(m)-na vam	The vessel should hold wine of grapes, added cooked food, so much, to the mortal, then added cooked fresh butter on.
6	Diker 1999	Türkic	Straight (Dir.?)	?	?	han o-ng er çarık siz çirik bar gıl er-ni içigig ketir oz gıl	The King Ong-Er, Charik, You (are) soldiers Set out! Volunteer heroes, rise to the heavens, To reach (the eternal) peace!
7	Ryabchikov 1999	IE cumulus	Upside LTR	?	p(i)-u-r-u v(e) n-r v(e) l-e-sh s-e v(e)-e-r A-n-i p(e)-u-t n-b-e-u	?	Fairytale horse; in, into, at fury; aspiration Fire, the path though the sky; to turn round and round; this is fire/top; sky i.e. fragment reports about the solar horse
8	Mirşan 1990	Türkic	?	?	?	ögün an onuy a öcü ok ub oz uç esitis oz ötü onuy oy ekiç ekil aliz at	One whose Majesty you praise became an arrow belonging to the cosmos He is Zeus ascending to the leadership like winning a race, (to achieve) cosmic seat (is) the appellation of adopted name
9	Erçin 1981	Türkic	?	?	?	Agân er / anga er iç / arak Esiz iç / erik baruk / arakı E iç itkir / az ök	Single (lone, lonely) man / drink of useless man / arak (milk vodka) Alas, to drink / evil, wild / arack Be obedient to drink / moderately
10	Suleymеnof O. 1970	Türkic	?	?	?	Han uya üç otuzu (da) yok boltı, utıgsı tozıltı	?King's son died (at) twenty-three (thirty-three), (His) name and fame (turned to) dust
11	Jalilov	Türkic	?		?	Koçu añısı ağ ebi Oquz ər içiñ Uqusgü çizib or Koçu añısı ağ ebi Oquz ər içiñ oqu bəgü çizib	In memory of Koch white house Ugushgu for Oguz chieftain (lit. man) depicted or In memory of Koch white house Bek of clan (or tribe) for the Oguz chieftain (lit. man) depicted
12	Abilasan	Iranian	?	?	?	?	Reportedly untranslatable
13	Bekzhanubiri	Iranian	?	?	?	?	Reportedly untranslatable
14	Chudinov	Cyrillic	?	?	?	?	?
15	Gandaburov	Iranian	?	?	?	?	Albanian zones of sudden invasions: Urartu, Elam, Media, Aria, the Saxons
16	Hurshudyan 2011
17	Kerimkulov	Iranian	?	?	?	?	Farewell, tigrahauda, eat this oil, now hunger
18	Kotova	IE	?	?	?	?	God is grieving and misses the dead Aksahane
19	Kuznetsov	Russian	?	?	?	?	The gods favor war master Peshuru, who protecting our kind, is calm
20	Musabayev	Türkic	?	?	?	?	Honestly hold high the banner of a father. Be a worthy ruler. Your horses, your soldiers will bring you fame. Stay healthy
21	Suleimenov T.	Iranian	??	?	?	?	The ruler Ashan, you took the people. There are three thousand one hundred thirty-one of them. Warriors of the two heroes of the thirty-two clans on six ash stay in hundred banners

Transcription:

Amanjolov Altai.S.

Others - Not available

Transliteration:

Amanjolov Altai.S.: (with translation)

(1) ^аγа s^аηa očuq = Aγa, saηa očuq!
"Senior brother, (this) hearth is for you!"
(2) b^äz čök boq^un ičr(?)ä ^uz^uq ...i = Bez, čök! Boqun ičrä [r?] azuq! ...i
"Stranger, kneel! Progenies [shall have] food!"

Diker S.: (ommited vowels in bold) (In respect to Amanjolov's transcription, text is read upside down)

Olças (Oljas) Süleymеnof: (In respect to Amanjolov's transcription, text is read upside down)

Han uya üç otuzu (da) yok boltı, utıgsı tozıltı

M. Erçin, generally based on Akishev's phonemes:

Agân er / anga er iç / arak
Esiz iç / erik baruk / arakı
E iç itkir / az ök

Kazım Mirşan:

ögün an
onuy a
öcü ok .
ub oz
uç esitis
oz ötü
onuy oy ekiç ekil
aliz at

Sergei V. Rjabchikov: (reading left-to-right, presumably using Minoan Linear A alphabet, distorted tracing of the inscription, and Slavono-Indo-Palestinian-Sinaian-Byblian-Indo-Arian-Old Indian etc language)

p(i)-u-r-u v(e) n-r v(e) l-e-sh
s-e v(e)-e-r A-n-i p(e)-u-t n-b-e-u

Translation

Diker S.:

Diker S. Translation Dictionary: