1 year ago
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Archeologists have been digging at the Irulegi Castle in Spain, where they discovered an Iron Age settlement and fort that’s about 2,000 years old. The blockbuster find of the dig came in June 2021 when a 2,100-year-old bronze plate shaped like an extended right hand emerged from the soil. It’s been dubbed La Mano de Irulegi, or the Hand of Irulegi, and is a hugely significant find for linguists, historians, and especially the Basque people.
That’s because of the 40 symbols etched into it, the earliest record the Basque language. The word etched into the bronze that cracked the code is sorioneku, which closely resembles the word zorioneko in modern Basque, meaning “good fortune.” But here’s the cool part: Until now, everyone assumed that the Basques were illiterate until the Romans showed up and taught them how to write in Latin. This find predates the Romans in the area by 2,150 years or so.
Edurne Arostegui, education specialist at the Basque Museum in Boise, told Boise State Public Radio just how significant this is to the culture.
“I have a lot of friends and family in the Basque country, I lived there, and my phone blew up,” she said, “I mean, everybody was just ecstatic.”
