This is one of the greatest linguistic mysteries. A peculiar artifact may help to explain it.

Archaeologists claim that an ancient bronze hand, featuring enigmatic inscriptions, could be the oldest example of Basque script. The artifact is around 2000 years old.

The ancient bronze artifact in the shape of a human hand was discovered in 2021. Archaeologists found it during excavations on Mount Irulegi near the Spanish city of Pamplona. Researchers determined that the relic dated back over 2000 years and was located on the door of one of the ancient dwellings. This is why it was considered an amulet, especially since mysterious inscriptions were found on its surface.

Mysterious Bronze Hand

The bronze hand has been the subject of research for several years. Just a year after its discovery, scientists realized they were dealing with something exceptional. It was then concluded that the amulet could help solve one of Europe’s greatest linguistic mysteries: the origin of the Basque language, whose genetic affiliation remains undetermined.

However, researchers were certain it wasn’t an Indo-European language. It’s usually regarded as an isolated language. There are speculations that it might be related to Kartvelian or Caucasian languages, but it has also been classified into hypothetical language families such as Vasconic or Dene-Caucasian.

On February 20th, an article dedicated to the Irulegi artifact was published in the journal “Antiquity.” Researchers stated that the inscription visible on the artifact’s surface was actually written in the Basque language, which was used in a large part of western Europe before being displaced by Indo-European languages.

Key to Unlocking the Greatest Linguistic Mystery

“Relatively few examples of paleo-Hispanic writing have been found in Basque territories, i.e., present-day Navarre. For years, this led to the assumption that the Basques were a non-literate society,” wrote researchers from the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao.

The Basques were a people who inhabited the Iberian Peninsula in pre-Roman times. After the arrival of the Romans in the 1st century AD, they occupied territories between the upper Ebro River and the Pyrenees. Basques are often considered the ancestors of modern Basques, from whom they also derive their name (Vascones in Spanish is pronounced like “Baskones,” and in Spanish, the Basque Country is País Vasco).

The first mentions of the Basques appear in the texts of Roman writers from the 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD. They were mentioned by Titus Livy, Strabo, Pliny the Elder, and Ptolemy, among others.

“The Basques were a cultural group of the late Iron Age that inhabited the western Pyrenees, approximately in the area of present-day Navarre. Communities inhabiting this area in the late Iron Age remain poorly known,” emphasized Basque scientists.

One word from the inscription is related to the Basque language.

“Very little is known about the language, writing, identity, and beliefs of these pre-Roman Basque communities. Epigraphic examples are particularly rare, and their precise identification and linguistic interpretation are the subject of debate,” the authors added.

A detailed linguistic analysis suggests that the script represents a graphic subsystem of the paleo-Hispanic language, rooted in the contemporary Basque language and constituting the first example of Basque epigraphy.

“The text appearing on this artifact, found at the entrance to a residential building, is interpreted as apotropaic, or protective against evil,” wrote the authors.

Researchers also suggest that the words written on the artifact may be related to the contemporary Basque language. This connection is confirmed by the identification of a Basque term meaning “happiness” on the artifact. The researchers admitted that this is new evidence that may point to the origin of the language used today in the Basque Country.

“The results of the latest study are further evidence suggesting that ancient Basques at least to some extent knew writing and used it in their daily lives,” the scholars asserted.

“The discovery of the Irulegi Hand has provided a new opportunity to learn about the history of the most enigmatic language still alive in Europe,” said Mikel Edeso Egia of the Aranzadi Science Society, who participated in the study. “The artifact should be considered as an element well integrated with the cultural context of the settlement inhabited by the Basques,” said Mattin Aiestaran of the University of the Basque Country, the lead author of the study.

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