Easter Island, which belongs to the state of Chile, is famous for its magnificent and mysterious moai statues. These giant figures were created by the indigenous people of Rapa Nui and are believed to represent ancestors, tribal leaders and other important figures in their culture.
But in addition to
Moai statues, artifacts covered with texts written in Rongo-rongo, a unique language that is extinct and as mysterious as the giant statues, have also been found on the island. Experts believe this writing system - or proto-language - is one of the few in history that was invented independently of other cultures.
In the 19th century, several wooden objects with inscriptions in the Rongo-rongo language were collected from this isolated island, and today they can be seen in various museums around the world, including Rome, Paris, New York and Hawaii. There are none left on Easter Island.
The true message of these symbols is unknown, and aside from providing some fragmentary information that apparently has to do with genealogy, no one can read them.
At first texts were inscribed on palm leaves using shark teeth, later Rongo-rongo inscriptions appeared on pieces of wood.
Several petroglyphs were also discovered. The texts were written in different directions, in the style of reverse boustrophedon. According to one interpretation, the text was read from left to right, starting from the bottom, and after a line was read, the wooden tablet had to be turned 180 degrees to read the next line.
The fact that these lines are written "upside down" only adds to the confusion. To read, the plaque must be steered like the steering wheel of a car. Glyphs depict animals, people and plants, as well as geometric shapes. One of the most common symbols is the
bird. The bird is believed to be related to the supreme god of Makemake Island, as it resembles his symbol, the frigate.
There are several obstacles that make the Rongo-rongo language difficult to decipher: because some tablets have been damaged, linguists have faced a shortage of characters. Another reason is the limited number of wooden tablets. Some historians believe that Rongo-rongo is a form of proto-writing, which means that the symbols have no linguistic content, but are used to convey objective information.
The first person to discover and document this writing was Eugene Eyraud, who arrived on Easter Island on January 2, 1864, and spent several months there. In his notes, Eyraud recorded that each symbol had a name and originally represented important figures and ancestors.
Photo: dzen.ru
But after a while, the Rapanui people began to use the hieroglyphs in a different way, the practice losing its deeper meaning. It is also assumed that Rongo-rongo inscribed figurines were used as ornaments rather than as part of the writing system.
In the 19th century, new wooden tablets were discovered after Etienne Florentin Jossin, the bishop of Tahiti, received a small wooden board covered with Rongo-rongo inscriptions from islanders who had converted to Catholicism. The bishop was surprised by the gift and told the priest on the island, Hippolyte Roussel, to collect as many of the plaques as he could and try to translate them. But Roussel could not find anyone who could read them.
It is believed that in the last two centuries, those who knew this writing system were sold into slavery, died of disease or left the island. Another hypothesis is that the Rongo-rongo script was sacred and only the elders knew it.
One of the first linguists to study writing was Thomas Barthel. He argued that symbols represented ideas and objects and that a single symbol could contain an entire phrase, making translation even more difficult. Many historians, archaeologists, art historians, and linguists have individually or collectively tried to decipher the writing, but the Rongo-rongo simply proved to be a "too tough a nut".