Vinča symbols
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The Vinča symbols or Vinča–Turdaș signs, Old European script,
Discovery
In 1875,
The discovery of the
The
Corpus
Although a large number of symbols are known, most artifacts contain so few symbols that they are very unlikely to represent a complete text.
Most of the inscriptions are on pottery, with the remainder appearing on ceramic
A database of Vinča inscriptions, DatDas, has been developed by Marco Merlini:
DatDas organizes a catalogue of 5,421 actual signs. These are recorded from a corpus of 1,178 inscriptions composed of two or more signs and 971 inscribed artifacts (some finds have two or more inscriptions).[14]
Dating
These findings are important because the bulk of the Vinča symbols were created between 4,500 and 4,000 BC, with the symbols on the Tărtăria clay tablets possibly dating back to around 5,300 BC (controversially dated by association).[15] This means that the Vinča finds predate the proto-Sumerian pictographic script from Uruk (modern Iraq), which is usually considered to be the oldest known writing system, by more than a thousand years. Analyses of the symbols showed that they have little similarity with Near Eastern writing, resulting in the opinion that these symbols and the Sumerian script probably arose independently.[citation needed]
Interpretations
The nature of the symbols is unknown. Attempts to interpret the symbols have been made, but have not led to any agreement among scholars. It is unlikely that they represent a writing system. However, use of
Property
Some researchers, such as
Numerals
Some of the "comb" or "brush" symbols, which collectively constitute as much as a sixth of all the symbols so far discovered, may represent a form of
Religious symbolism
The symbols may have been used for ritual or commemorative purposes.[19] If this was so the fact that the same symbols were used for centuries with little change suggests that the ritual meaning and culture represented by the symbols likewise remained constant for a very long duration, undergoing little further development during that time. However, the use of the symbols seems to have been abandoned (along with the objects on which they appear) at the start of the Bronze Age, suggesting that the new technology brought with it significant changes in social organization or population, and beliefs.[citation needed]
The anthropologist Marija Gimbutas interpreted the inscribed objects as votive offerings.[20] One argument in favour of the ritual explanation is that the objects on which the symbols appear do not seem to have had much long-term significance to their owners – they are commonly found in pits and other refuse areas.[citation needed] Certain objects, principally figurines, are most usually found buried under houses. This is consistent with the supposition that they were prepared for household religious ceremonies in which the signs incised on the objects represent expressions: a desire, request, vow, etc. After the ceremony was completed, the object would either have no further significance (hence would be disposed of) or would be buried ritually.
Proto-writing
It is unlikely that the Vinča symbols represent an early writing system. It is not likely that the
Some researchers, such as Marija Gimbutas and archaeo-semiologist Marco Merlini, have argued that the Vinča symbols belonged to a wider tradition of literacy in Old Europe, which they referred to the "Old European script" and the "Danube script" respectively.[14] Gimbutas reconstructed a hypothetical pre-Indo-European "Civilization of Old Europe", defined as having occupied the area between the Dniester valley and the Sicily-Crete line.[22] She incorporated the Vinča markings into her model of Old Europe, suggesting that they might either be the writing system for an Old European language, or more probably a system of proto-writing. This view has been generally been met with skepticism.[4] The symbols themselves have not been discovered outside of an area comprising Serbia (ie Vinča itself), southeastern Hungary, western Romania, and western Bulgaria.[23]
See also
- Banpo symbols, located in Shaanxi, China, not far from site of Jiahu discovery; also claimed as proto-writing.
- Dispilio Tablet, located in Greece
- Gradeshnitsa tablets, located in Bulgaria
- Jiahu symbols, located in Henan, China, an even older example sometimes claimed as proto-writing.
- Kamyana Mohyla, Ukraine, petroglyphs from caves used as early as 20th century BC.
- Gumelnița–Kodžadermen-Karanovo VI complex
- List of inscriptions in Serbia
- Undeciphered writing systems
- Old European cultures
- Phaistos Disc
- Prehistoric Romania
- Prehistoric Serbia
- Trojan script
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ (http://www.prehistory.it/ftp/winn.htm)
- ^ (https://www.archaeomythology.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/2008-vol4-intro1.pdf)
- ^ Haarmann (2010), 10: 5300–3200 BC.
- ^ a b c Kruk & Milisauskas (2002), p. 236.
- ^ Owens (1999).
- ^ Lazarovici & Merlini (2016).
- ^ Torma (1879).
- ^ Vasić (1932), Vasić (1936a), Vasić (1936b), and Vasić (1936c)
- ^ Tasić, Srejović & Stojanović (1990).
- ^ Merlini & Lazarovici (2008).
- ^ Qasim (2013).
- ^ "The Gradeshnitsa Tablets". www.omda.bg. 4 November 2007.
- ^ Mäder (2019).
- ^ a b Merlini (2009).
- ^ Haarmann (2002), p. 20.
- ^ Kruk & Milisauskas (2011), p. 267–269.
- ^ Starović (2005).
- ^ Haarmann (2020).
- ^ Kruk & Milisauskas (2011), p. 269.
- ^ Gimbutas (2007), pp. 85–88.
- ^ Kruk & Milisauskas (2011), p. 268–269.
- ^ Gimbutas (2007), p. 16-35.
- ^ Winn (1981), p. 15.
Bibliography
- ISBN 9780520253988.
- ISBN 3-406-47998-7.
- ISBN 978-3-87548-555-4.
- ISBN 9783843806466.
- Kruk, Janusz; Milisauskas, Sarunas (2002). "Middle Neolithic, Continuity, Diversity, Innovations, and Greater Complexity, 5500/5000–3500/3000 BC". In Milisauskas, Sarunas (ed.). European Prehistory: A Survey (1st ed.). Springer. pp. 193–246. ISBN 978-0-306-46793-6.
- Kruk, Janusz; Milisauskas, Sarunas (2011). "Middle Neolithic/Early Copper Age, Continuity, Diversity, and Greater Complexity, 5500/5000–3500 BC". In Milisauskas, Sarunas (ed.). European Prehistory: A Survey (2nd ed.). New York: Springer. pp. 223–292. ISBN 978-1-4419-6632-2.
- Lazarovici, Gheorghe; Merlini, Marco (2016). "Tărtăria Tablets: The Latest Evidence in an Archaeological Thriller". In Nikolova, Lolita; Merlini, Marco; Comsa, Alexandra (eds.). Western-Pontic Culture Ambience and Pattern: In memory of Eugen Comsa. Warsaw, Poland: De Gruyter Open Poland. pp. 53–142.
- Mäder, Michael (2019). Ist die Donauschrift Schrift? (in German). Budapest: Archaeolingua. ISBN 978-615-5766-29-9.
- Merlini, Marco; Lazarovici, Gheorghe (2008). "Settling discovery circumstances, dating and utilization of the Tărtăria tablets" (PDF). Acta Terrae Septemcastrensis. 7. ISSN 1583-1817.
- Merlini, Marco (2009). Altip, Alba Iulia (ed.). "Neo-Eneolithic Literacy in Southeastern Europe: an Inquiry into the Danube; Introduction to the Danube script". Biblioteca Brukenthal. 33 – via Academia.edu.
- Owens, Gareth A. (1999). "Balkan Neolithic Scripts". Kadmos. 38 (1–2): 114–120. S2CID 162088927.
- Qasim, Erika (2013). "Die Tărtăria-Täfelchen – eine Neubewertung". Das Altertum (in German). 50 (4): 307–318. ISSN 0002-6646.
- Starović, Andrej (2005). "If the Vinča script once really existed who could have written or read it?". Documenta Praehistorica. 32: 253–260. doi:10.4312/dp.32.19.
- Tasić, Nikola; Srejović, Dragoslav; Stojanović, Bratislav (1990). Vinča: Centre of the Neolithic Culture of the Danubian Region. Belgrade: Centre for Archaeological Research Faculty of Philosophy.
- Torma, Zsófia (1879). "Neolith kökorszakbeli telepek Hunyad megyében" [Contribution to the Prehistory of Hunedoara county]. Transylvanian Museum (in Hungarian). 5, 6, and 7. Cluj: Transylvanian Museum Association : 129–155, 190–192, and 193–211.
- Vasić, Miloje (1932). Preistorijska Vinča I [Prehistoric Vinča I] (in Serbian). Belgrade: State Printing House of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
- Vasić, Miloje (1936a). Preistorijska Vinča II [Prehistoric Vinča II] (in Serbian). Belgrade: State Printing House of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
- Vasić, Miloje (1936b). Preistorijska Vinča III [Prehistoric Vinča III] (in Serbian). Belgrade: State Printing House of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
- Vasić, Miloje (1936c). Preistorijska Vinča IV [Prehistoric Vinča IV] (in Serbian). Belgrade: State Printing House of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
- Winn, Shan M.M. (1981). Pre-writing in Southeastern Europe: the sign system of the Vinča culture, ca. 4000 BC. Calgary: Western Publishers. ISBN 9780919119093.
Further reading
- Chapman, John (1981). The Vinča culture of South-East Europe: studies in chronology, economy and society. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. ISBN 9780860541394.
- Palavestra, Aleksandar (2017). "All Shades of Gray: the Case of "Vinča Script"". Архаика. 5: 143–165.
- Wu, K.; Solman, J.; Linehan, R.; .
External links
- 2008 Symposium The Danube Script: Neo-Eneolithic Writing in Southeastern Europe. Held in Romania
- Vinca-Tordos symbols at omniglot.com, including a font created by Romanian linguist Sorin Paliga
- The Old European Script: Further evidence – Shan M. M. Winn