help identifying writing system

ham · 27th September 2005, 09:25 PM

Hm. Looking at the image right way 'round, one can (very weakly) argue that at the far left, there are some squiggles which if pressed, could be read as a date, 1220, or about 1806 in the Muslim calendar-- however these are interspersed with another character which could be taken as a 5, though I think that is just a diacritical mark, perhaps a "sukuun." Gads, what a mess. This fellow's Arabic instructor would have rapped his knuckles bloody if he ever saw it.
The primary concern here however is that this piece does not likely date so early. Possibly the barrel and lock do, suggesting they were restocked in the latter 19th century. A feasible, if circuitous, path to the present.

Sincerely,

Ham

27th September 2005, 09:25 PM	#11
ham Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 190	Hm. Looking at the image right way 'round, one can (very weakly) argue that at the far left, there are some squiggles which if pressed, could be read as a date, 1220, or about 1806 in the Muslim calendar-- however these are interspersed with another character which could be taken as a 5, though I think that is just a diacritical mark, perhaps a "sukuun." Gads, what a mess. This fellow's Arabic instructor would have rapped his knuckles bloody if he ever saw it. The primary concern here however is that this piece does not likely date so early. Possibly the barrel and lock do, suggesting they were restocked in the latter 19th century. A feasible, if circuitous, path to the present. Sincerely, Ham