Luwian by A. Zhurinsky (English adaptation by Valentin Vydrin)
Introduction
In the early 20th century, archeologists had collected a large quantity of inscriptions presumed to be in the ancient Hittite language. Unfortunately, these writings were totally incomprehensible until one scholar discovered the key. Many of the words in the inscriptions were names of regions, cities or kings. This key allowed the scholars to unlock the secrets of this ancient writing system. However, it was also discovered that the language was not Hittite! Rather it is an Anatolian language called Luwian (or Luvian).
The Problem
Some of the important names for Luwian speakers were the following
- Regions: Khamatu, Palaa
- Cities: Kurkuma, Tuvarnava
- Kings: Varpalava, Tarkumuva
The Questions
- The following are the inscriptions that correspond to these names. Your job is
to match each inscription with the name that it represents. The process you use
to solve this puzzle is very similar to what archeological linguists actually do
when they discover writings and inscriptions in unknown languages.
- Now, the next step is to use what you have just learned to determine what the
Luvian inscription would probably be for each of the following names:
- Kings: Parta, Armura
- Regions: Tarmu, Tuva, Narva
Acknowledgements
Original puzzle by A. Zhurinsky. English adaptation by Valentin Vydrin. English version copyright (c) 2007. Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon.