An archaeologist has deciphered a mysterious inscription on the "Mother Goddess" in Turkey. Photo

Mark Munn, a professor of ancient Greek history and archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania, first visited the Arslan Kaya ("Lion Rock") monument in Turkey to simply see it before it was completely destroyed. However, thanks to the good lighting at the time of his visit, the researcher was able to take photos that read the word "Materan."

The Phrygian inscriptions on this monument have been studied for many years. But thanks to Munn's photos and comparing them with the best photos taken by previous visitors from the 1890s and 1950s, it can be confirmed that the name of the Mother of Gods – "Materan" – can be accurately read in the center of the inscription, News Week writes.

According to the study, published in the journal for the study of early and pre-Greek languages Kadmos, the random timing of the visit allowed Munn to ensure the correct reading of the inscription.

Experts generally date carved monuments associated with the goddess in the Phrygian Highlands between 700 and 550 B.C. Although for stylistic reasons, Munn said he believes most of them, including Arslan Kaya, date from 600-550 B.C.

Arslan Kaya's monument was ornately decorated with an image of a Phrygian mother goddess standing in a doorway, two lions flanking her, figures of sphinxes on a pediment above the door, and a giant lion carved into the rock. However, these elements have suffered from weathering, and in recent years they have been severely damaged by treasure hunters who have blown up part of the face of the monument and the frame of the doorway, and completely cut down the image of the goddess. The surviving inscriptions in Phrygian Owl can only be partially understood today.

When the monument was first described in the 1880s, the inscription that is the subject of the latest research, located above the doorway, was already badly worn.

The scholars who studied the inscription were not sure that it contained the word "Materan," the name of a Phrygian goddess in the accusative case, because it was impossible to read and essentially illegible. However, Mark Munn managed to see new details.

"I didn't expect to discover anything new, I just wanted to see this monument, which has already been heavily damaged by treasure hunters, before it collapses completely. But fortunately, I was able to see certain details that had not been seen before or definitely not reported," he said, adding that he came to the monument in the morning light, when the sun was shining on Arslan Kaya's face, and was able to see the traces of the letters of the Phrygian inscription.

"If the light is wrong, these traces cannot be distinguished from cracks in the rock," the archaeologist explained.

The scientist's photographs can confirm that the word "Materan" is readable there. A few other letters can be read, but not enough to form whole words. Therefore, Arslan Kaya preserves the name or title of the goddess Mater in the accusative case, according to Munn's study. The word "Materan" seems to be the object of a phrase or sentence, coming after what might be a verb. Judging by the well-preserved Phrygian inscriptions, this prominent inscription probably refers to the name of the person responsible for creating or dedicating this monument to the mother goddess.

"The name of the Phrygian Mother can be read on at least two other large Phrygian facades, but Arslan Kaya is the only one with both her name and her image carved," Munn says.

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