The Phaistos Disk, Elamite Script and the Steve Burdic Solstice and Equinox Patterns - LexiLine Journal 508

Steve Burdic wrote:

I enjoyed reading your presentation on the Phaistos Disk. As usual you raised many interesting points and undoubtedly many eyebrows. I found it interesting that you have held on to the simple diagram of the solstice and equinox patterns that I sent you so many years ago. In the intervening years I have discovered many intricacies associated with that diagram. They deal with measurement, surveying, calendaring, timekeeping, astronomy, geometry etc. I will endeavor to send some of those to you.

For now I would like to comment on the Elamite script. The letters are so geometrical and have so many diamond, triangle and square elements that (in my mind) are derived from the concepts behind the simple diagram I sent you so long ago. I know you have a sense of humor and when I say we see what we are interested in-- you know it is true. The elements that have two opposing triangles with a line between them is the same X figure I wrote of. The x is the solstice angles and the line is the equinox angle. When these x's are duplicated across the countryside through observation the x's turn into diamonds (surveying using triangulation). The diamonds can be truncated into triangles symbolically. The equinox line can also represent the north south axis when the diagram is rotated. Eight sided constructions have the four elements of the solstice lines (x's) and the north/ south /east/ west lines (the flower in the Phaistos Disk). There is a play between the six sidedness of the solstice lines with the eight sidedness of the solstice lines with the N/S lines and equinox lines. This is the genesis of geometry, astronomical observation and surveying (squaring of the circle).

The circle with three dots tells volumes about the eventual adoption of the Star of David as the symbol of Israel. Connecting the three dots gives you an equilateral triangle in a circle. The sixty degree angles of the triangles represent the angle of the solstice at these latitudes. Duplicating the figure and turning it 180 degrees gives us the hexagram with its triangles pointing at each other. Doubling that figure gives you a twelve pointed star--the basis of counting and measurement of time and distance. More on this later.

I have a question about the Elamite script being written in Greek. It seems really old-predating the Greek language in Greece. Is your argument that Crete or Greece was settled by Elamite people bringing ancient Greek or that it was a parallel development?

Were you able to clear up any questions with the Phaistos Disk decipherment you did in 1980 with the discovery of the Akkadian/Elamite side by side translation and your translation of the Elamite script using the Phaistos Disk alphabet.

Keep up the good work.
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A later posting by Steve Burdic:

My previous posting was somewhat opaque without the accompanying drawing. Almost all of the Elamite script characters can be derived from this simple diagram

[The drawing is found at Elamite 4.doc at the LexiLine Files.]

Even though the characters are not exact replicas they are very evocative of the shapes in the diagram. To do it justice each character should be pulled out of the diagram separately. I have simply indicated some of the more interesting shapes in the diagram with colored marker. Others can be made out by tracing them in the light lines of the geometric figure.

To me the diagram represents the movement of the sun across the horizon indicating the solstices and equinox. The north south line is also indicated. The diagram represents a calendar as the sun in its motion takes a year to move from one solstice to the other and back again. At the latitude of Elam this angle of the solstices is close to 60 degrees. The angle decreases as you move south to the equator and increases as you move to the north pole (Stonehenge is nearly 90 degrees). The 60 degree angle was important to be able to draw hexagons and right angles.

The relationship of the parts of the geometric diagram, thus the time of year or festival day and their relationship to the meaning of the script characters we may never know. The teasing out of parts of the diagram and assigning phonetic values to them may have been arbitrary. The use of these script characters means to me that the writer was saying "I know the workings of the sun and stars, I control the return of the sun to the place of warmth, I know the length of the year and when to plant and harvest, I know how to design, build and measure, I know how to survey and divide up the land.

Tell me if these concepts need a more clear or spelled out explanation. Thank you for sharing your insights on the Phaistos Disk and the Elamite script connection.
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Andis Kaulins replied:

I have made Steve Burdic a moderator of this group so he can upload the
files he refers to in his last three postings. Ordinarily, I would ask
members to first send files to me for approval, and I would then upload
them myself for you, but Steve is a long-standing trusted member of this
group who is entitled to moderator status. The group can have only one
owner - that's me - but multiple moderators, so if any other
long-standing members have important files to upload to LexiLine, please
let me know and we will see what we can do.

The reason for this action is that attachments do not upload to this
group. I don't think they upload to any Yahoo group but I do not want to
expressly allege that as a fact since I do not know personally if it is
true.

The way to "upload" files to this group is to upload them to the "Files"
menu item in the left column of our Group website Menu, where they can
be viewed by group members only.

Such uploads can only be done by moderators.