The woman’s name is engraved on the Kushan boat

Pottery with Bactrian language inscriptions were found in the archaeological site of Khalkajar in Tajikistan. The inscription reads: “This kettle belongs to the woman of Sagkina.” It can be traced back to the Kushan Empire. 1st to 3rd century BC

What would become the Kushan Empire was founded by Indo-European nomadic Yuezhi people who invaded the former territory of the Hellenistic Greco-Bactrian kingdom (256-120 BC) and adopted several elements of the culture, including using an adapted Greek alphabet to write their language, minting coins on the Greek model, integrating Greek gods into a syncretic pantheon that also combined features of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Hinduism.

The Khalkajar site is an ancient fortified settlement of the Kushan Empire. A team of archaeologists at the National Museum of Tajikistan began excavating the site in May. So far, they have discovered structural remains in good condition. Some clay and brick walls still have traces of whitewashing. Most buildings and artifacts can be traced back to the peak of the Kushan Empire (1-3rd century AD).

Two pottery was found in one of the structures. It was broken down into pieces, with missing works, but in the harshness of archaeological luck, fragments of all the inscriptions were found and confused. In Tajikistan, Bactrian inscriptions are unusually rare. The museum invited the assistance of Iranian linguistic expert Professor Nicholas Sims Williams and coinist Joe Cribb to decipher the inscription’s modified Greek script.

This simple phrase has considerable linguistic and cultural significance. During the Kushan period, it provided a rare glimpse of daily life and personal property practices, illuminating literacy, gender and identity in ancient Central Asia.

The name “Sagkina” provides valuable material for female naming conventions in the Kushan era and enriches the understanding of female naming conventions in the region. The existence of this inscription shows that the level of literacy is relatively high and has social norms that mark personal property, which was an important insight into family life and social organizations at the time.

Experts point out that the discovery of this nature is crucial to track the evolution of the writing system in eastern Iran and to better understand the intersection of language and material culture in ancient societies.

After the protection and study is completed, the water tank will be exhibited at the National Museum of Tajikistan.