TRACING THE SCRIPT AND THE LANGUAGE OF THE ANCIENT MACEDONIANS

A b s t r a c t: This study presents the results of research realized within the project “Deciphering the Middle Text of the Rosetta Stone.” It is concluded that a syllabic script of the type consonantvowel was used for the middle text of the Rosetta Stone. Symbols for 25 consonants were identified. By using the procedure of mirroring and rotation in the writing surface (plain), a monosemic (unambiguous) way was determined for connecting the symbol of consonant with 4 or 8 vowels. Although rarely used, the symbols for writing isolated vowels and some consonants were identified. In the analyzed text, the syllabic signs were not only written next to each other, but also they were often written one above the other in the form of what are known as ligatures. A small number of pictographic symbols were also identified. The wiring for sound of the identified syllable signs, isolated consonants or vowels and ligatures is was achieved by using archaisms from the dialects of the contemporary Macedonian language. In the text, which was written from right to left, without space between the words and without separation of sentences in an infinite series, more than 160 words were identified which have kept their meaning in some dialects of the contemporary Macedonian language. A certain number of grammatical rules were also identified which are discerned in the contemporary Macedonian language, such as the formation of superlative of the adjectives with the prefix naj_ [nai] (equivalent to the English the …… _est/ the most ……); the plural of nouns by adding i [i] (equivalent to the English _s); the occurrence of definite and indefinite form of nouns, as well as the frequent use of the preposition na [na] (equivalent to the English prepositions on, at,). With these identified syllables and their wiring for sound and the definite rules for writing, a monosemic (unambiguous) methodology was generated in order to make out certain words and to read what was written.