A pottery vessel with an inscription in the Bactrian language has been discovered at the Khalkajar archaeological site in Tajikistan. The inscription reads: “This water jug belongs to the woman Sagkina.” It dates to the Kushan Empire, ca. 1st century B.C. to 3rd century A.D.
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 B.C.) 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 was an ancient fortified settlement of the Kushan Empire. A team of archaeologists from the National Museum of Tajikistan began excavating the site in May. They have so far uncovered the remains of structures in good condition. Some of the clay and brick walls still have traces of whitewash. Most of the architecture and artifacts date to the peak of the Kushan Empire (1st-3rd century A.D.).
The two-handled pottery jug was found in one of the structures. It was broken into fragments and there are missing pieces, but in a stroke of archaeological luck, all of the fragments of the inscription were found and puzzled back together. Bactrian language inscriptions are exceptionally rare in Tajikistan. The museum enlisted the aid of Iranian language experts Professor Nicholas Sims-Williams and numismatist Joe Cribb to decipher the modified Greek script of the inscription.
This simple phrase is of considerable linguistic and cultural significance. It offers a rare glimpse into everyday life and personal property practices in the Kushan period, shedding light on literacy, gender, and identity in ancient Central Asia.
The name “Sagkina” provides valuable material for onomastic studies and enriches understanding of female naming conventions in the region during the Kushan era. The presence of such inscriptions suggests a relatively advanced level of literacy and a societal norm of marking personal belongings, an important insight into domestic life and social organization at the time.
Experts note that finds of this nature are vital for tracing the evolution of writing systems in Eastern Iran and for better understanding the intersection of language and material culture in ancient societies.
When conservation and study are complete, the jug will go on display at the National Museum of Tajikistan.
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