Sitovo sign continues to puzzle
Less than 20 miles from Plovdiv, near the village of Sitovo on the northern slopes of the Rhodope mountain range, a narrow patch of smoothed rock bears a set of "letters" that no one has ever deciphered. Two great stone cliffs rise from a rocky ledge to form a right angle. Above them, a pyramid-shaped rock sits like a roof over the whole structure. One of the natural pillars supporting it has a strikingly human-like shape. Locals call it the Keeper.
The "inscription" runs along the south wall, about two metres from the ground – high enough that you need to stand on a boulder to see it properly. The author, the date, the language and the meaning are all unknown.
Since its discovery by woodcutters in 1928, the Sitovo sign has attracted the full spectrum of Balkan historical enthusiasm. Under Communism, Slavic authorship was the favoured theory: if the inscription could be proven pre-Cyrillic, it would refute ancient historians who claimed the Slavs had no written language and anchor Bulgaria more firmly to its Soviet "Big Brother." After 1989, the Proto-Bulgarians and Thracians came into fashion as the possible authors. The most ambitious researchers merged both traditions, arguing that a single ancient people had been living in the Balkans since the emergence of Homo sapiens and had established the world's first civilisation on this very soil – sometime between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago, depending on who you ask.
The Sitovo sign also produced Bulgaria's most remarkable spy story. Dr Alexander Peev, the archaeologist who first brought the site to scholarly attention, became a Soviet intelligence agent during the Second World War. When he was arrested in 1943, prosecutors presented a copy of the Sitovo signs he had transmitted to Kiev as evidence of coded communication. Peev insisted he had simply sent it for academic consultation. The court disagreed. He was executed.
The sign remain unread. Some geologists suggest it is but a natural formation – scratches in the rock that the human eye, ever hungry for pattern and meaning, has dressed up as language. Whether a pre-Cyrillic inscription or a geological accident, Sitovo offers something rarer than a solved mystery: a reminder of how much the past withholds, and how willingly we fill the silence.
-
COMMENTING RULES
Commenting on www.vagabond.bg
Vagabond Media Ltd requires you to submit a valid email to comment on www.vagabond.bg to secure that you are not a bot or a spammer. Learn more on how the company manages your personal information on our Privacy Policy. By filling the comment form you declare that you will not use www.vagabond.bg for the purpose of violating the laws of the Republic of Bulgaria. When commenting on www.vagabond.bg please observe some simple rules. You must avoid sexually explicit language and racist, vulgar, religiously intolerant or obscene comments aiming to insult Vagabond Media Ltd, other companies, countries, nationalities, confessions or authors of postings and/or other comments. Do not post spam. Write in English. Unsolicited commercial messages, obscene postings and personal attacks will be removed without notice. The comments will be moderated and may take some time to appear on www.vagabond.bg.
Vibrant Communities: Spotlight on Bulgaria's Living Heritage is a series of articles, initiated by Vagabond Magazine and realised by the Free Speech Foundation, with the generous support of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, that aims to provide details and background of places, cultural entities, events, personalities and facts of life that are sometimes difficult to understand for the outsider in the Balkans. The ultimate aim is the preservation of Bulgaria's cultural heritage – including but not limited to archaeological, cultural and ethnic diversity. The statements and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the FSI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the America for Bulgaria Foundation or its affiliates.
Подкрепата за Фондация "Фрий спийч интернешънъл" е осигурена от Фондация "Америка за България". Изявленията и мненията, изразени тук, принадлежат единствено на ФСИ и не отразяват непременно вижданията на Фондация Америка за България или нейните партньори.
Add new comment