2,600-year-old inscription decoded in Türkiye

A badly damaged 2,600-year-old inscription decorated with lions and sphinxes in Türkiye has finally been deciphered, and it is believed to refer to the "mother of the gods".

Mark Munn, professor of ancient Greek history and archaeology at Pennsylvania State University, USA, said he had decoded this inscription in an article recently published in Kadmos magazine.

The monument has an ancient inscription called Arslan Kaya (also spelled Aslan Kaya), which means "lion rock" in Turkish. (Photo: Daphnusia)

The monument, engraved with images of a lion and a sphinx, is called Arslan Kaya (also spelled Aslan Kaya) , which means " lion rock" in Turkish. The inscription spells "Materan", a goddess of the Phrygians who flourished in what is now Turkey from about 1200 to 600 BC. They knew her "simply as Mother".

Other ancient cultures also revered Materan . "The Greeks knew her as the Mother of the Gods," Munn said, noting that the Romans called her "Magna Mater," or "Great Mother ." At the time the monument was built, a kingdom called Lydia , which also revered Materan, may have ruled the area.

The monument was heavily damaged by weather and looting, making the inscription extremely difficult to read. To solve the mystery, Munn took detailed photographs of the inscription in good lighting and reviewed older photographs and records of the inscription.

It makes sense that the monument would be named Materan, Munn said, since it also contains an image of the goddess. The name Materan may have been part of the inscription and would have had greater significance than explaining who commissioned the inscription and who Materan was.