3,000-Year-Old Fired Clay Disk Inscribed With Symbols From Crete Continues to Baffle Archeologists, Never Been Able to Decipher

Phaistos Disk remains an enigma years after its discovery in Crete, Greece. The clay artifact is inscribed with several symbols whose meanings researchers have yet to decipher, stated Live Science. As per examinations, the item belonged to the ancient Minoan civilization based on the Mediterranean island of Crete. The design features 241 signs made out of 45 symbols in no particular order on the disk.

The artifact was located in 1908 by an Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier, according to Atlas Obscura. The disk was unearthed from a Minoan palace at Phaistos, on the south coast of Crete. Initially, people doubted the authenticity of the disk, but now it is considered a historical item by most experts. The disk is six inches (15 centimeters) in diameter and has two spirals of symbols on each face. Researchers believe that symbols are part of an unknown script. Despite multiple efforts, this script has not yet been deciphered.

Examinations have estimated the artifact to be around 3,000 years old, as per Live Science. Some symbols feature humans, while others likely depict objects like animals, plants, weapons, and tools, as per experts. Analysis has unveiled that the symbols were possibly grouped into words with the help of vertical strokes. Further examinations need to be conducted to understand how these 'words' sound and what exactly was their function.

Early on an interpretation was made that the symbols represented an ancient Greek script and was describing an animal sacrifice taking place in a temple. In 2004, another theory suggested that the symbols were part of a document written in the Luwian language of ancient Anatolia regarding a land dispute. Researchers have yet to conclusively determine if these interpretations are correct. Other popular claims are that the inscription could be written in Hittite, a prayer dedicated to a goddess, or a funeral hymn in an unknown language.

Gareth Owens, a linguist, archaeologist, and coordinator of the program Erasmus of Crete Technological Institute, recently claimed that he has solved 99% of the inscription on Phaistos Disk, as per Greek Reporter. According to his analysis, some of the writings could be linked to the Minoan goddess of love, Astarte. "There is no doubt that we are talking about a religious text," Owens added. "This is clear from a comparison made with other religious words from other inscriptions from the holy mountains of Crete. We have words that are exactly the same."

Owens further states that the words on the disk were found on Minoan offerings. In his opinion, one side of the disk features a pregnant goddess and the other side represents Astarte. In the Minoan culture, Astarte was considered to be the goddess of love, war, and the mountains. The archeologists believe the disk could have been used for prayers concerning any of these areas. "As with today’s offerings, people pray when they are troubled, because of health problems or personal reasons," he explained. "Man doesn’t change, after all."

Researchers understand that the ancient culture that the coin belonged to and its complex nature make it difficult for everyone to come on the same page regarding any interpretation. "If King Minos himself were to reveal to someone in a dream the true interpretation, it would be quite impossible for him to convince anyone else that his was the one and only possible solution," philologist John Chadwick stated. Currently, the disk is on display at the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion.