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A researcher say he has deciphered an ancient , to a great extent damage inscription carve on a 2,600 - twelvemonth - old memorial in Turkey .

The monument , which is engraved with image of Leo the Lion and sphinx , is known as Arslan Kaya ( also spelled Aslan Kaya ) , which means " lion stone " in Turkish . The lettering spells out the name " Materan , " a goddess of the Phrygians , who flourish in what is now Turkey from roughly 1200 to 600 B.C. They love her " simply as the Mother,“Mark Munn , a prof of ancient Hellenic story and archaeology at Pennsylvania State University who compose a newspaper about the dedication , tell Live Science in an email .

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The monument with the ancient inscription is known as Arslan Kaya (also spelled Aslan Kaya), which means “lion rock” in Turkish.

Other ancient cultures also revered Materan . " The Greeks make love her as the Mother of the Gods , " Munn said , remark that the Romans call her " Magna Mater , " or " Great Mother . " At the time the memorial was built , a land known as Lydia , which also had high-pitched regard for Materan , may have ruled the area , Munn publish in his paper , which was published Oct. 24 in the journalKadmos .

The monument is heavily damaged from weathering and looters , making the inscription extremely surd to read . What it says has been a source of debate since the 19th century , Munn noted in the paper . To solve the mystery , Munn shoot the inscription in particular when the illumination was good and review older picture and records of the inscription .

" Much bet upon the favorability of the light when photographs are taken , " Munn wrote in the article , mark that the light was especially good on the morning of April 25 , 2024 .

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It take in gumption that the repository would bear Materan ’s name , as it also contains an epitome of the goddess , Munn said . Materan ’s name would likely have been part of a larger lettering that explained who commission the inscription and who Materan was .

He also examine the monument ’s various stylistic detail , which support the dedication ’s date to the first half or middle of the 6th one C B.C. , Munn wrote in the study .

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However , Rostyslav Oreshko , a lecturer at the Practical School of Advanced Studies in France who has carry extensive research on Phrygian inscriptions but was not affect with the research , said the study did n’t propose a new interpretation .

The argument over the inscription has been going on for over a century and metre will tell if it is now at an remnant .

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