Not So Mysterious Script After All

I was interested enough in the “mysterious script” discovered in Iceland recently that I wrote to the Árni Magnússon Institute asking if there would be any more information forthcoming.

It turns out that the details of its discovery got out before it had been properly investigated. The document had been purchased in Kenya in the 1980’s. The document’s alphabet is in fact Amharic and it’s written in the Ge’ez language, which would make its origin Ethiopia.

Sample of the Ge’ez language

Ge’ez is a “dead” language that is used in religious texts similar to the way Latin is used today. The document itself may be put on line pending agreement by the owner. Ah well, I was hoping this would turn out to be something a bit more interesting…