NEW ANCIENT SCOTTISH WRITTEN LANGUAGE IDENTIFIED

Scotland’s Pict society, which existed between 300 and 843, created elaborate rock engravings, known now as Pictish Stones. The engravings, once thought to be a form of art, have recently been identified as a written language.

"We know that the Picts had a spoken language to complement the writing of the symbols, as Bede writes that there are four languages in Britain in this time: British, Pictish, Scottish and English," said Rob Lee, who worked on the report in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. "We know that the three other languages were -- and are -- complex spoken languages, so there is every indication that Pictish was also a complex spoken language.”

Lee and his colleagues Phillip Jonathan and Pauline Ziman, of the University of Exeter, studied the engravings using a mathematical process in order to analyze order and direction in each stone. The data was compared with various other written languages, including Egyptian hierolgyphs, Chinese, and Old Norse; the results showed that the Pictish Stones contained characteristics of writing based on a spoken language.

"It is unclear at the moment whether the [other surrounding] imagery, such as the knots, form any part of the communication," Lee said. He also added that what they have discovered so far "does not amount to deciphering” the ancient Pictish writing. "We will have to wait for the discovery of what would be the Pictish equivalent of the Rosetta Stone, which made possible the cracking of the Egyptian hieroglyphic code," he said. "This may or may not ever happen."

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ANCIENT PETROGLYPHS AT ARIZONA'S "PICTURE ROCKS" VANDALIZED

Ancient petroglyphs at Picture Rocks, a Hohokam Indian site northwest of Tuscon, have been damaged by vandals over the last three years, the Arizona Star reports.

"People have been seen vandalizing petroglyphs. There has been some damage - defacing of the rocks," said the site’s assistant director, Peter Tran. The damages also include added graffiti and modern drawings meant to resemble the ancient pictures. “The recently added designs and graffiti can be seen from some distance away, which greatly detracts from the overall view and contextual integrity of the prehistoric rock symbols," Tran said. "Vandalism incidents at Picture Rocks and other petroglyph and pictograph sites also cause problems for native peoples, anthropologists and art historians who study rock art and its archaeological context."

Picture Rocks is currently open free to the public. Warning signs have been recently posted threatening prosecution for vandals.

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BOOK ON MAYAN LITERATURE DRAWS SCHOLARLY AND LITERARY PRAISE

Dennis Tedlock's 2000 Years of Mayan Literature has drawn wide acclaim since its recent publication in January. The book explores the growth and evolution of literature in the Mayan world from stone carvings to paper documents. It has been praised for its "highly readable" presentation and its sound scholarly research. Tedlock is a recognized authority on Mayan writing and culture.

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