Mysterious Ancient Water Jug Discovered in Tajikistan Reveals Hidden Secrets of Its Owner’s Identity
The Ancient Water Jug Inscribed With Its Owner’s Name Found In Tajikistan
National Museum of TajikistanThe inscription on the jug is faint but still visible.
The discovery of this ancient clay water jug, a “rare two-handled” variety, was announced by the National Museum of Tajikistan.
It was discovered during excavations at the Khalkhajar archaeological site near Sarband, which has also recently revealed ancient structures, including clay and brick walls, as well as other artifacts from the Kushan Empire (30 to 375 C.E.).
The jug was discovered in fragments and reassembled, and experts were then called in to decipher its text. The inscription, written in the ancient Bactrian language, reads: “eiado gō(l)z[o ]sido finzo sagkino ol(o) mo(.)” Experts translated it to: “This water jug belongs to the woman Sagkina.”
The inscription is simple, but contains valuable information about the Bactrian language and how women were named 2,000 years ago. It also suggests that literacy was relatively widespread, and that writing was used by ancient people for something as simple as claiming ownership of an everyday object such as this one.
National Museum of TajikistanAnother view of the Bactrian inscription on this Kushan water jug.
“Notably, this marks the second Bactrian inscription of global significance discovered by National Museum specialists,” the museum noted. “The importance and scholarly value of this artifact lie in its exceptional preservation — the inscription has survived in a complete and legible form.”
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