A Czech friend sent me a link to an interesting article (in Czech) about a mysterious inscription found on a rock in the village of Plougastel-Daoulas in Brittany in the northwest of France. Verisons of the article in English and French are also available.
[source]
The writing is in the Latin alphabet, but the language is unknown – people have suggested that it’s an old form of Breton or Basque.
Parts of the inscription are “ROC AR B … DRE AR GRIO SE EVELOH AR VIRIONES BAOAVEL… R I” and “OBBIIE: BRISBVILAR … FROIK … AL”, and there are two dates 1786 and 1787.
It looks most like a form of Breton to me, although the word VIRIONES looks more Gaulish.
A reward of €2,000 is being offered to anybody who can deciper this. If you take part, you have until November 2019 to submit your decipherment. The most plausible entry will receive the prize. You can contact veronique.martin@mairie-plougastel.fr to register for the competition, find out more and to receive photos of the inscription.
“roc’h ar b…”, “dre ar (grio?) se eveldoc’h ar (viriones?) ba avel…”
And I don’t even know Breton.
My curiosity is piqued by the dates given from the 1700’s. I guess I wonder why those are there. Could this be some sort of hoax done then? How is it possible to date the inscription and when it was made? I have in the back of my mind the Kensingto Rune Stone from Minnesota I think it was.
Hard to see any Basque there.
I don’t either, but whenever there’s a mystery language, someone will usually suggest a connection to Basque.