A mysterious inscription carved into a free-standing spire of volcanic rock has been deciphered for the first time.
An archaeologist discovered that etching on the 2,600-year-old stone monument, known as Arslan Kaya, featured the word ‘Materan,’ which means ‘mother goddess’ in ancient Indo-European.
The message was left by the Phrygians, who inhabited the region from roughly 1200 to 600 BC.
The ancient tribe was also made famous for their legendary King Midas, who was said to have turned everything he touched to gold.
About 52 feet tall, the monument was carved to resemble a building façade and engraved with images of lions and sphinxes.
It also bears an image of the mother goddess standing in the doorway with the newly deciphered inscription above.
Arslan Kaya is one of eight similar stone façades located in the Phrygian Highlands.
These ornate statues are believed to represent shrines or temples of the mother goddess.
Arslan Kaya is one of eight similar stone façades located in the Phrygian Highlands. These ornate statues are believed to represent shrines or temples of the mother goddess
The Phrygians practiced a polytheistic religion, meaning they worshipped multiple deities.
But none were held in higher esteem than the mother goddess, known as Cybele.
‘The Phrygian Mother is considered to be a powerful goddess ruling the natural world,’ study author Mark Munn, a professor of Ancient Greek History and Archaeology at Pennsylvania State University, told Newsweek.
Munn visited Arslan Kaya for the first time this year in April, and accidentally made a ‘fortuitous’ discovery.
The timing provided excellent lighting to take clear photos of the inscription, allowing him to capture a correct reading of the mysterious message.
‘If the light is not right, these traces cannot be distinguished from cracks in the rock,’ he said.
‘With my photographs, and comparing them to the best photographs taken by earlier visitors from the 1890s and 1950s, I could confirm that the name of the Mother – ‘Materan’ – can definitely be read in the center of the inscription,’ he said.
‘A few other letters can be read, but not enough to make whole words.’
Though he could not translate the entire inscription, he was able to glean some new information about its grammatical structure.
The word ‘Materan’ is the accusative form of ‘Mater,’ which means it is likely the object of a phrase or sentence following what may be a verb, Munn explained.
The newly deciphered inscription is located above the doorway and decorated with carved sphinxes
If similar to other, better-preserved Phrygian inscriptions, this one likely gave the name of the person who created or dedicated Arslan Kaya to the mother goddess.
‘The name of the Phrygian Mother can be read on at least two of the other great Phrygian facades, but Arslan Kaya is the only one where her name and her image were both carved,’ Munn said.
He was also able to provide a more accurate estimation of the monument’s age, confirming that it dates back to the early or middle 6th century BC based on the style of the carvings.
‘I did not expect to discover anything new, only to see this monument, which is very worn and had been badly damaged by treasure seekers, before it was further damaged or destroyed,’ Munn said.
When Arslan Kaya was first described in the 1880s, the mysterious inscription was badly worn.
‘But I was luckily able to see certain details that had not been seen or accurately reported before,’ Munn added.
This wasn’t the first time the inscription had been sighted and photographed. But previous scholars struggled to visualize it in detail.
Though some thought the word ‘Materan’ could be read, others concluded that the carved message was illegible.
Munn’s reexamination of this mysterious inscription has settled a long debate about its meaning, confirming that Arslan Kaya was created in honor of the Phrygian mother goddess.
