Ancient Scripts from Cyprus and Japanese Language（キプロスの古代文字と日本語）

　 On the strength of my conclusions that ancient script from the Minoan civilization recorded the Japanese language, in 2022, I turned my attention to ancient script from Cyprus, considered to be offshoots of Linear A. My intuition was that they, too, could be written in the Japanese language. Now I believe there is strong evidence that texts in Cypro-Minoan and the Cypriot syllabary can be read as Japanese.

　 However, it may not be easy to convince people that this is true, for the common bias that, an ancient script should reflect a language native to the country or to that region from where the text was found.

　 In the case of Egyptian hieroglyphs, the Rosetta Stone played a key role in decipherment, and the written language was found to be closely related to Coptic, spoken within Egypt.

　 For Linear B, the texts were found on Crete, Pylos, and other places in Greece, and the background language was determined to be a dialect of ancient Greek.

　 Accordingly, conventional thinkers may conclude that, by analogy, ancient texts from Cyprus must be written in a language native to Cyprus or the eastern Mediterranean.

　 In fact, in 1979, J. Chadwick, one of the decipherers of Linear B, saw similarities between ancient script from Cyprus and Japanese writing. However, he dismissed any connection, citing it as mere coincidence, given the lack of geographical proximity. (Source: G. Owens)

I. Stability of the Japanese Language

　One of the most intriguing aspects is that, with certain tenacity as a native Japanese speaker, I was able to decipher ancient texts from Cyprus as Japanese, with the simple knowledge of modern Japanese and Japanese classics that date back to the Nara period. This is attributable to the following factors:

1. Following decipherment of these texts, the resulting Japanese messages are almost consistently in the literary form of the language, that is said to be unchanged since the early 8th century CE.

2. If ancient and modern Japanese are compared, there has been no significant change in word order or grammar. The main differences are primarily in pronunciation and vocabulary.

　In fact, according to Shichiro Murayama, in "The Origin of the Japanese Language" (1973), the Japanese archipelago did not experience any dramatic invasion by other ethnic groups and, consequently, change in the Japanese language has been gradual, with no major discontinuity between modern Japanese and Japanese from the 8th century (Nara period). Even the Japanese from around 2000-2500 years ago (Late Jomon - Yayoi period) can be reconstructed.

II. Common Features

1. Syllabic Systems

　 In ancient scripts that can be deciphered as Japanese, whether they originate from Cyprus or Crete, the symbols basically represent open syllables (Consonant + Vowel).

2. Combined Symbols

　 In Linear A, symbols representing 2 syllables frequently appear; in Indus script, there are symbols that represent 2 to 4 syllables. The same applies to the Cypriot syllabary, where combined symbols have been encountered during decipherment.

3. Reversible Reading

　 The ancient texts of Cyprus can be read from right to left and vice versa to tell a story in Japanese, and this provided a form of entertainment. Such texts, written to make sense in both directions, may have been customary in Japan too, as inner-circle amusement.

　Even today, it is entirely possible to write sentences that can be read in both directions using Hiragana alone, and this is popular among students to this day.

4. Manga

　 Visual clues, such as accompanying cartoons and the odd shape of objects, provide the most convincing evidence on the correctness of text interpretations as Japanese. The frequent use of such “manga” suggests a connection with Japanese culture and traditions.

5. Vowels and Consonants

(1) Vowels and Consonants

　 According to Western researchers, the vowels in Cypriot syllabic scripts are A, E, I, O, U. The consonants consist of the following:

　J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, W, X, Z

　 L and R are not distinguished in Linear A, but in the Cypriot syllabary, they are separate, perhaps for the purpose of writing Greek.

　 Additionally, in the Cypriot syllabary, the symbol for T also serves as D.

　Cf. In modern Japanese, the vowels are, A, E, I, O, U, and the consonants, H, K, M, N, R, S, T, W, Y.

　 During the Nara period, the H sound was pronounced as F/P, so if H is replaced with F/P and Y is written as J, this becomes:

　J, K, M, N, F/P, R, S, T, W

　 This basically matches the consonants of the Cypriot syllabary, albeit without the L, X, and Z sounds that were added, presumably, to record the Greek language.

(2) Absence of NG

　 In ancient scripts from the eastern Mediterranean, such as the Cypriot syllabary, there is no symbol for ん (NG), and for decipherment, it must be appropriately supplemented.

6.　I, YA, SI, NO, Rule

　 For the ancient scripts from Cyprus, the word separator "・" is often shorthand for I,YA,SI, or NO. This rule is extended to bars or line segments, purposefully added on to standard symbols.

(Supplement)

　 The ancient scripts of Cyprus, in comparison to other ancient scripts, are particularly effective and convenient for the purpose of decipherment and verification as Japanese. The following points highlight their utility:

1. Bilingual Text

　 Among the ancient scripts decipherable in Japanese, only the Cyprus syllabic script has a bilingual text, written in Greek and the Cypriot syllabary. When deciphered as Japanese, the inscription in Cyprus syllabary proved to be a much-shortened version of the content in Greek.

2. Lengthy Texts

　 The ancient texts from Cyprus tend to be longer than those from Crete or from the Indus Valley. Consequently, once the context is understood, decipherment into Japanese is facilitated and proof reading becomes easier. (The challenge may lie in the lack of standardization, with unique styles from different scribes.)

3. Evidence in Cartoons

　 Both the Cypriot-Minoan script and Cypriot syllabary can be deciphered as Japanese and, in many cases, the context can be checked against visual evidence including cartoons (manga).

(1) Cypriot-Minoan Script

　 The cylindrical seal discovered in Enkomi (No. 19.10) describes a stay in Alashiya. The setting is a health resort endowed with forests of trees of different varieties, and where one can enjoy casino games at night. The cylindrical shape of the seal is in the likeness of a cross-section of a tree trunk; it could also represent a tool used in a casino game, such as a basket for mixing dice or balls, marked with symbols.

(2) Cypriot Syllabary

(a) Among the ancient scripts of the Mediterranean that record the Japanese language, the Cypriot syllabary is the one that survived longest, until the third century BCE, marking the beginning of the Hellenistic age. Hence, there should likely remain the most evidence that the background language is Japanese.

(b) A limestone object in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, with a projection to one side (search images with, Met Art Cypriot Syllabary), reveals two comic faces when turned 90 degrees counterclockwise, taking a hint from the words in the inscription, "vertically, drop."