Lands of Asia layouts (Eng) 26.11.21

3.1
sources have survived with even a single word in the Yuezhi language. It may be fair to
argue then that since the Yuezhi, and primarily the Kushans, played a major role in the
history of the Kushan state, and since the unknown script in the Dasht-i Navur trilingual
inscription appears to be official, along with Kharoshthi and Bactrian, the unknown
script may convey the Yuezhi-Tokharian language, although it is not yet proven.
Identifying the language of the unknown script would finally settle the argument.
At any rate, identifying it as Yuezhi would explain both its widespread distribution and
the diverse range of its use. Judging by inscriptions on pottery from rural settlements in
Bactria, it was not only the script of an official language, but also used in everyday life.
However, we should emphasise that our main task now is to collect material and
compile a full alphabet of the unknown script.
Yet another local script used in Central Asia was Khorezmian, which, unlike
Sogdian and Bactrian was prevalent mainly in ancient Khorezm.
Examples of ancient Khorezmian script were discovered in the 1930s, and their
discovery is wholly to the credit of the Khorezm archaeological and ethnographic
expedition headed by S. Tolstov. He was also a key figure in deciphering legends on
coins executed in this script. A true understanding of the script itself became possible
after an archive of Khorezmian documents on leather, wooden sticks and plaques was
discovered during excavations at Toprak-Kala in 1948–1949. However, many of the
documents on leather were decayed, leaving only fragments with faint traces of letters
or imprints on clay. Only eight documents on leather remain available for reading.
Also, more than 20 complete and fragmented documents on wooden sticks and
plaques survived. They were first deciphered by S. Tolstov, and the interpretations
were later amended and corrected by W. Henning. Still later, V. Livshits published
them in full, together with a reading and translation. A number of other Khorezmian
inscriptions on pottery and ossuaries from Tok-Kala were discovered in the following
years. At the same time, work continued on clarifying the Khorezmian legends on
coins. V. Livshits made an outstanding contribution to their reading, translation and
interpretation. Analysis of the legends has shown that they reflect the Khorezmian
language, which belongs to the Eastern Iranian group of languages.
The study of the language of these inscriptions was facilitated by the fact that
Khorezmian words and phrases survived in Arabic texts dating from the 12th to the
13th century, especially in the book by the Khorezmian jurist al-Zahidi al-Ghazmini,
The Acquisition of the Object of Desire, for the Completion of the Sufficiency (about 3,000
words in total). Further, The Chronology of the Ancient Nations by al-Biruni (973–
1048 ad) records Khorezmian names for days, months, constellations and holidays,
and some Khorezmian words are mentioned by Arabic and Persian geographers of
the 10th century, namely Mukaddasi, Istakhri and Ibn Fadlan.
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