Help me to identify this language.

Hey all.
My dad collects stamps from around the world (without concentraiting on a single topic) as a hobby. Nothing too serious.

For some time now (I don't know how long), we got this weird stamp with some hieroglyphs which I can't identify. It's a pink stamp with a white bird on it. The stamp is in bad shape, and I don't know where my dad got this from (and he doesn't remember).

Anyway, we were once trying to find out the origin of this stamp by searching the internet, but I couldn't find anything.

I drew several of the hieroglyphs in MS Paint and I just hoped some one of you might be able to help identify this language.

Here it is:


Some of those hieroglyphs are not exactly accurate because it wasn't very easy to draw them, but they are about the same. There are more hieroglyphs on the stamp, and I will draw them too if you'll need it.

Thanks a lot.


[edit on 14/6/04 by Transc3ndent]

[edit on 14/6/04 by Transc3ndent]

Could you possibly scan the stamp and post an image?

That would be a lot better.

You say there is a bird. What type of bird. Does it look like a dove? And what decade and country is the stamp from?

Some of the symbols there look a little Celtic, but I can't be certain unless I see the image.


Nutzo

[edit on 14-6-2004 by nutzobalzo]

I don't have a scanner so I can't scan the stamp.

About the country, this is exactly what I'm trying to find out. I don't know where this stamp is from. There is only this white bird (looks like an albatros) on a pink background, those letters, and the something that looks like the number 2 (probably the price of the stamp).

Other than this weird language and the number there is nothing written on the stamp.

Linear A or Linear B Perhaps? kinda looks like it.

Originally posted by D
Linear A or Linear B Perhaps? kinda looks like it.

Well, it isn't Linear B for sure. As for Linear A - I wasn't able to find a picture of it, so I can't tell.

Anyway, if it's written on a stamp - it supposed to be the language of the country where the stamp is from, so although it does look like some encient language which is not used today, maybe it's not the case.

Hello Transc3ndent :

The second Sigil (image) on your postage stamp drawning, counting left to right, seems to be a so called "M-S-S Triliteral" (three lettered) Egyptian Heiroglyph, one that would have been used in a cartouche for, say, Ra-Moshe (Ramses) and denotes "son of" (Ramses = Son of Amun Ra)

The Fifth sigil on your drawing seems to be a representation of the socalled "Khephera Beetle" [demonstrative Heiroglyph] commonly used during the c. 12th to the c.18th Dynasties in Egyptian Inscriptions to denote the various idea of the Creator god[s] (Kephr = to create; Khephera = dung beetle) e.g. Amun Ra etc.

The Third sigil on your drawing may be the "Snake Heiroglyph" used for the mono- literal "Djeh" sound (e.g. found in the name for the Scribal Ibis Headed god Djechuti, or Tehuti/Thoth)

So at least three of these sigils seem be be Egytpian Heiroglyphics/ or characters based on Egyptian writing styles.

Can you copy it out/trace the stamp a little more carefully accurately and re-post them, so we can have another look?

I just noticed that the first Sigil in your drawing (counting left to right) may be the so called "geh" monoliteral letter (supposed to represent a girdle or waistband), but the top dome shaped line should be completely closed (i.e. continued to the two sides without a break) and the upside down triangle in the center should be completed)

So we have yet another Egyptian mono literal (single letter sound) in your series.

Sounds like the designer of the stamp, even if he/she made up the design, was using Egyptian Heiroglyphics to imitate.

But it's hard to say without having a look at the original: can you post a photocopy of it on line please?

Is this the picture of the bird on the stamp?

check out this site...could have your answers:

www.bird-stamps.org...

It looks like a "figure-ground" issue... you don't actually have the letters there, but you have the outlines of some of the letters. Quadricle has a good idea -- look for it by type of bird.

These hieroglyphs are silmilar to Chinese ones. Please compare the sixth hieroglyph in your graph to the Beijing Stamp for the 2008 Olympics,which is the Chinese word �� or ��.









[edit on 22-6-2004 by devmim]

I'd be willing to bet the stamp is Japanese.

See if you find any of your hieroglyphics on this commemorative sheet.
www.postage.dk...

[edit on 22-6-2004 by Raphael_UO]

I��ve just asked a Chinese about these hieroglyphs hieroglyphs who know a little Chinese culture. As he said, these hieroglyphs are Chinese characters but are written in the form of seal cutting, which ordinary Chinese hardly understand. These hieroglyphs are the seal cutting of these Chinese characters: ���£�����ӛ����. Unfortunately, as he said, your stamp is probably unvalued for collection.

As for the Japanese evidence (Raphael_UO, www.postage.dk...) , that is all the following Chinese characters: ���ʱ㴴ʼ��ʮ�������� and ���ձ��ʱ㡱, you know, the Japanese characters consist of a lot of Chinese characters.


[edit on 23-6-2004 by devmim]

Those characters are Korean. I can tell by the strokes etc., I'd be willing to bet it is Korean.

I'm from Hong Kong... those characters look ancient Chinese or Chinese-derived to me.
I certainly recognize some of the stroke 'movement' in it.

The symbols, although imperfect, appear to be those of ancient Egypt. These hierglyphs represent no modern language.

Researcher 02A
www.onealclan.com

Here's another possibility: It could be Ethiopian script, which is still being used today. I first saw it on the sign of an Ethiopian restaurant, and it looked like nothing I had seen before.

www.ancientscripts.com...

Good luck!

My original thoughts were also Egyptian, but this would have to be some sort of transitional form between hieroglyphic and hieratic? Making the Egyptian theory unlikely. However, as I am certainly not an expert on Egyptian hieroglyphs I'll leave this evaluation to those that are.

I think the obvious correspondence between those characters and some posted in the stamps by Raphael_UO make the Chinese origin theory far more viable. Although this is certainly not Korean.

According to my cantonese friend those "look awfully like very old chinese character". So I'm going to go with the Japanese theory on this one as well.