Abstract
In 2013 two interesting fi nds were discovered on the territory of the Kurgan Region. A stone plate with runic inscriptions and tamga-like signs were discovered on the bank of the Alabuga River. A bronze plate (tablet) with fi ve lines of graphic signs, estimated as the Brahmi script, was found on the left bank of the Iset River near Shadrinsk. Based on the accompanying material and the conclusion of professional linguists, these fi ndings can be associated with the early Middle Ages (the 5th to 8th centuries) and represent samples of the written traditions of the Western Turkish Кhaganate.
It is believed that the broad interpretation of the given artifacts explains to some extend the complexity of a formation process of written traditions in a barbaric society of civilization province in the Central Asia. It is of importance to note that such situation was quite common for nomadic confederations during early nation-building. Facts of multilingualism among Attila’s Hunnic nobles and courtiers (Priscus of Panium) so as multilingualism and multiculturalism in Khazar society (Ahmad ibn Rustah, Abu Sa’id Gardezi) are well known. Such situation is believed to take place among a polyethnic population of the Western Turkish Khaganate. As long as the dynastic leaders were Turks-Apins, polyethnic tribes (Sogdians, Ferghans, Bactrians etc.) populated South Kazakhstan and Central Asian cities, nomadic confederations of Ural- Kazakhstan steppes comprised the Hunnic-Bolgar population (Dulo, Nushibi). Certainly, such polyethnicity caused a search process of both a common speaking language and some generally understood written tradition. Most likely the tradition of the runic scripture became the most rational in this case, as geometric runic characters turned out to be the best to be depicted on any material (wood, stone, birchbark, fabric, leather) due to their simplicity. They virtually represent combinations of straight, slanting and curve lines. Such symbols are easy to remember and reproduce. All ancient writing systems, including Biblical and Phoenician, were created to be simple and convenient. This may explain a wide spreading of the runic scripture across Eurasia, and not exclusively among Turkic peoples. It appears that the runic scripture had a diffi cult process of establishment due to subsequent universalization of existing cocurrent written traditions in the Central Asia macroregion. In this regard given artifacts refl ect to some extend existed written traditions of the Ural-Kazakhstan population during the late Antiquity and early Middle Ages.
Keywords
Turkic runs, tamgs, brakhmi system of writing
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