Archaeologists unearth ancient hand that could unlock secrets of language [View all]

Story by Catherine Shuttleworth • 3d

A2,000 year old bronze hand has been discovered in the north of Spain by researchers, and the most intriguing aspect about it is the strange symbols that cover the hand.

Across the top of the hand, researchers noticed four lines of strange symbols are inscribed. With a new study suggesting the symbols are related to ancient Paleohispanic languages, and may have been part of the language that has developed into Basque in contemporary Spain.

The hand was discovered in an area populated by a tribe called the Vascones at the time the hand was likely to have been made. Previous assumptions about the tribe believed them to be pre-literate as little writing samples have been found before. But this hand could change that.

"Detailed linguistic analysis suggests that the script represents a graphic subsystem of Palaeohispanic that shares its roots with the modern Basque language and constitutes the first example of Vasconic epigraphy," write the researchers in their published paper.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/archaeologists-unearth-ancient-hand-that-could-unlock-secrets-of-language/ar-BB1iHuFN