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A clay disc from Crete holds a message no one can read.

UnexplainedDebated

The Phaistos Disc, found in 1908, is covered in a spiral of 241 stamped symbols on both sides. It is thought to date from around 1700 BCE. Nothing else with the same script has ever been found.

Truth label: Debated. Serious people disagree. You get both sides.

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The first printing?

The symbols were pressed in with stamps, making it an early example of movable type.

Is it real?

A few scholars have questioned whether it is a forgery, since it is one of a kind.

Learn

  1. Why it cannot be cracked. With so few symbols and no other examples, there is not enough text to decode.

Test yourself

How were the symbols made?

Pressed with stamps. They were stamped into wet clay.

Sources

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