Bar-Burgazy III (A-22)
Description
It is an inscription on the reversed side of a belt end decoration from the kurgan 9 of the burial place Bar-Burgazy III, situated in the upper reaches of the river Bar-Burgazy on its right bank. The kurgan has a round form; its diameter is 10m, its height 0,5m. This Old Turkic burial kurgan was discovered in 1979 by V.D. Kubarev. Gleb V. Kubarev partially published the finds made in that kurgan: rests of the belt with belt decorations, and rests of the shoes, silver medalions, etc. All these finds are preserved in the Museum of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The photo and the copy of the inscriptions published here were given to us by G.V. Kubarev.
A short runic inscription should paid a special attention to. It was made on the reversed side of the decoration for the end part of the belt. Kubarev counted 7 (?) signs; the line is 2,3cm long, the height of the signs is 0,8–1 ,0cm. The left part of the inscription can be hardly seen. Above the inscription, there is a tamga deeply cut into the metal in the form of «a nose and eyebrows», it reminds of the stylistics of Old Turkic stone sculptures (Kubarev 1997).
According to I.L. Kyzlasov, the inscription consists of 4 signs, and not 7 as by G.V. Kubarev. They are cut, and, consequently, should be read from right to left.
Reading of I.L. Kyzlasov
Transcription: (e)rs(i)g; or, less probable, (e)rč(i)g.
Translation: brave, glorious (warrior) (Kyzlasov 2001)
Reading of L.N. Tybykova, I.A. Nevskaya and M. Erdal
Runic transliteration: <
Transliteration: r2 č g2 s2 I
Transcription: (ä)r č(i)gši
Translation: The man – a District Magister.
Comments
1. The word čigši denotes a title. It was documented 4 times in Yenisei inscriptions, compare I. V. Kormushin (1997): E68 kara bars ïnanču čigši bän, E19 kutlug čigši bän, E70 külüg čigši uruŋu čigši.
V. Томсен also read bagatur čigši on one of Old Turkic manuscripts written in the runic script. Clauson considers this word to be a Chinese borrowing tz’ŭ shih (after Джилсу 12,412; 9,893; a Middle Chinese for according to Pulleyblank is ts’yek ṣyi). In Chinese, this word has the meaning of a district administrator (Clauson 1972). In Old Turkic, this title means a statesman with special functions ‘особоуполномоченный’ (Kormushin 2008: 302). According to CLuason, this title was given by the Chinese emperor to some Turks who could have it as a part of their names (Clauson 1972).
2. The second sign is most problematic. The deepest lines could be parts of the tamga, not of the sign. The sign itself is cut with thin lines and is not clearly seen. This could be č. The fourth sign is shorter than the rest and is written lower the line of writing.