New Analyses on Some Kalbak-Tash Inscriptions

Abstract

This paper focuses on Kalbak-Tash Inscriptions Nos XX, XXI and XXII which belong to the group of the Mountainous Altai Inscriptions. It provides an analysis of the problematic issues of these three inscriptions having emerged in previous studies, as well as to some new reading proposals for some parts of the inscriptions. The words kara and egil in Inscription No. XXI are interpreted as "commoner, an ordinary person"; and the word igen "deer" (< Old Turkic ingen "she-camel") in Inscriptions No. XX and No. XXI is explained with the correspondence of Old Turkic teve "camel" = Yakut taba "reindeer". In addition, the study lays emphasis on the fact that the antepenultimate sign of Inscription No. XXII could be s(1), and the word asnar-which includes this sign could be interpreted as "(he) stopped (work) on the affair and sat down". Another proposal which is put forward for Inscription No. XXII is that the signs g(2)t(2)r(2) are explained as egeter "servant, retainer".