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Ancient Kushan Script Deciphered After 70 Years

Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Ancient Kushan Script Deciphered After 70 Years

Approximately 60% of the characters in the Kushan script have been decoded, and the researchers are continuing their efforts to decipher the remaining characters.

A team of researchers from the University of Cologne's Department of Linguistics have partially deciphered the enigmatic "unknown Kushan script after more than seven decades of linguists failing to translate it.

The Kushan Empire, a powerful and influential state in Central Asia between 200 BCE and 700 CE, has left behind inscriptions that have long puzzled linguists. Now, thanks to the work of Svenja Bonmann, Jakob Halfmann, and Natalie Korobzow, new light has been shed on this ancient writing system.
The results of their peer-reviewed study have been published in the journal Transactions of the Philological Society, in an article titled "A Partial Decipherment of the Unknown Kushan Script."