Old European / Vinča / Danube script

Origin

These symbols have been found on many of the artefacts excavated from sites in south-east Europe, in particular from Vinča near Belgrade, but also in Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, eastern Hungary, Moldova, southern Ukraine and the former Yugoslavia. The artefacts date from between the 7th and 4th millennia BC and those decorated with these symbols are between 8,000 and 6,500 years old.

Some scholars believe that the Vinča symbols represent the earliest form of writing ever found, predating ancient Egyptian and Sumerian writing by thousands of years. Since the inscriptions are all short and appear on objects found in burial sites, and the language represented is not known, it is highly unlikely they will ever be deciphered.

Symbols dating from the oldest period of Vinča culture (6th-5th millennia BC)

Oldest Vinča symbols

Common symbols used throughout the Vinča period

Common Vinča symbols

Other Vinča symbols

Font created by Sorin Paliga (sorin_paliga@mac.com) of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature at the University of Bucharest, Romania

Download Vinča font (TrueType, 55K)

Links

Information about this script
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube_script
http://www.prehistory.it/ftp/winn.htm

Other undeciphered writing systems

Linear A, Proto-Elamite, Old Elamite, Rongo Rongo, Vinča

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