20 Lost Languages That Have Never Been Deciphered

These are the world’s most baffling lost languages, ancient tongues that still defy translation despite decades or centuries of study.

Alyana Aguja
November 17, 2025
7 min read

20 Lost Languages That Have Never Been Deciphered — Towfiqu barbhuiya from Unsplash

Across continents and millennia, humanity has left behind written records whose meanings remain sealed. From the spiraling symbols of Crete’s Phaistos Disc to the intricate glyphs of Easter Island, these scripts testify to cultures that thrived without leaving a readable voice. Scholars have tried every tool from linguistics to artificial intelligence, yet none have cracked their code.

1. 1. Linear A (Crete)

Linear A, discovered on the island of Crete, is one of the most mysterious scripts of the ancient world. It was used by the Minoan civilization around 1800 to 1450 BCE and remains undeciphered despite decades of study. Scholars believe it may record an early Aegean language unrelated to Greek. The symbols suggest a syllabic system, but their meaning continues to elude linguists.

2. 2. Proto-Elamite (Iran)

Used around 3100 BCE in southwestern Iran, Proto-Elamite is one of the earliest writing systems ever discovered. Found mainly on clay tablets, its signs resemble early cuneiform but represent an unknown language. Despite its age, it shows an advanced sense of numerical and administrative notation. The language disappeared as the region transitioned to the later Elamite script, leaving no known descendants.

3. 3. Rongorongo (Easter Island)

Rongorongo is a system of glyphs inscribed on wooden tablets from Easter Island. The Rapa Nui people may have developed it independently before European contact, making it one of the few isolated inventions of writing. The script runs in a unique reverse boustrophedon pattern, alternating directions line by line. Despite numerous attempts, no one has yet determined how it conveys meaning.

4. 4. Indus Script (Pakistan and India)

The Indus Script was used by the ancient Indus Valley Civilization around 2600 to 1900 BCE. Found on seals, pottery, and tablets, its symbols are concise and repetitive, suggesting a functional writing system. However, the brevity of inscriptions makes translation nearly impossible. Without a bilingual text like the Rosetta Stone, the language behind it remains unknown.

5. 5. Phaistos Disc Script (Crete)

Discovered in the Minoan palace of Phaistos, the Phaistos Disc is a fired clay tablet featuring spiral symbols pressed into the surface. Dated to around 1700 BCE, its 241 impressions represent one of the earliest examples of printing. The script appears distinct from Linear A or B, implying another language or code. Its single example prevents any consistent decipherment.

6. 6. Iberian Script (Spain)

The Iberian Script was used in ancient Spain before the Roman conquest. Found on coins, ceramics, and stone inscriptions, it reveals both semi-syllabic and alphabetic elements. Scholars have identified some phonetic values, but the language itself is unclassified. It is neither Indo-European nor related to Basque, leaving its vocabulary largely mysterious.

7. 7. Etruscan (Italy)

The Etruscan language, spoken in ancient Italy before Rome’s rise, has been partially understood but not fully deciphered. Its alphabet is known, but the meanings of most words are not. Only short religious and funerary texts survive, offering limited context. The lack of bilingual inscriptions prevents the complete translation of this once-influential culture’s tongue.

8. 8. Cypro-Minoan (Cyprus)

Cypro-Minoan writing emerged on the island of Cyprus around 1550 BCE and is thought to have been inspired by Linear A. It was found on clay tablets and pottery and used for nearly five centuries. The script’s signs suggest a syllabic system, yet no bilingual texts exist. Despite connections to later Cypriot Greek scripts, its language remains unreadable.

9. 9. Meroitic (Sudan)

Used by the Kingdom of Kush from around 300 BCE to 400 CE, the Meroitic script shows both hieroglyphic and cursive forms. Scholars can read its sounds, but the language behind them is lost. Without a clear understanding of its vocabulary or grammar, meaning remains ambiguous. It is one of Africa’s great linguistic enigmas.

10. 10. Olmec Script (Mexico)

The Olmec civilization, flourishing around 1200 BCE in Mesoamerica, left behind carved symbols that may represent one of the earliest American writing systems. Found on monuments like the Cascajal Block, these glyphs appear structured and deliberate. Some suggest it influenced later Maya and Zapotec scripts. The meaning of the Olmec symbols has never been verified.

11. 11. Byblos Script (Lebanon)

The Byblos Script, or pseudo-hieroglyphic script, was used around 2000 BCE in the Phoenician city of Byblos. It appears to blend Egyptian and local elements. Despite over a hundred discovered inscriptions, no definitive translation exists. Its position between pictographic and alphabetic writing makes it especially hard to categorize.

12. 12. Cretan Hieroglyphs (Crete)

Before Linear A, the Minoans used a system of pictographic signs now called Cretan Hieroglyphs. Found mainly on seals and clay tablets, it dates back to around 1900 BCE. The symbols suggest a mix of ideograms and phonetic signs. Although likely ancestral to Linear A, its precise meaning has yet to be understood.

13. 13. Zapotec Script (Mexico)

The Zapotec people of Oaxaca developed one of the earliest Mesoamerican writing systems. Carved on monuments around 500 BCE, their symbols depict heads, calendar dates, and abstract signs. Scholars believe it recorded names and historical events, but the language’s structure remains unknown. It represents a bridge between picture writing and phonetic systems.

14. 14. Khitan Large Script (China)

The Khitan people of northern China created two scripts during the Liao Dynasty in the 10th century. The Large Script combined Chinese-style characters with original symbols. Though partially deciphered, many signs remain mysterious. Its hybrid nature and limited surviving texts make full translation impossible.

15. 15. Khitan Small Script (China)

Developed soon after the Large Script, the Khitan Small Script used a more systematic, phonetic approach. It was written vertically like Chinese but with distinct grammar. Fewer than two hundred inscriptions survive, mostly on tombstones. Its close relation to the Khitan language, now extinct, makes it even harder to interpret.

16. 16. Linear Elamite (Iran)

Used around 2300 BCE, Linear Elamite appeared briefly after Proto-Elamite. The script features line-based signs distinct from cuneiform. Some scholars claim to have partially deciphered it, but consensus is lacking. Its brevity and limited corpus prevent a full understanding of the Elamite language’s earliest phase.

17. 17. Isthmian Script (Mexico)

Also called Epi-Olmec, the Isthmian Script appears on stone monuments and stelae in southern Mexico. It dates between 500 BCE and 500 CE, showing complex signs arranged in columns. While similar to the later Maya script, its structure remains unclear. Scholars have proposed phonetic readings, but none are widely accepted.

18. 18. Vinča Symbols (Serbia and Balkans)

The Vinča symbols, carved on pottery and figurines in southeastern Europe around 5000 BCE, may represent the world’s oldest proto-writing. The signs are too short and inconsistent to confirm as a true language. Yet, their repetition suggests communication beyond mere decoration. Whether linguistic or symbolic, their purpose remains unsolved.

19. 19. Libyco-Berber (North Africa)

Before Arabic spread across North Africa, the Libyco-Berber script was carved into rocks and monuments from Morocco to Tunisia. Used between 300 BCE and 300 CE, it may be an ancestor of modern Tifinagh used by the Tuareg. While some letters are identified, much of its content is indecipherable. Its inscriptions may record ancient tribal or funerary traditions.

20. 20. Rongo Rongo Variant Tablets (Easter Island)

Several variants of the Rongorongo script differ enough from the main corpus to form their own puzzles. Some tablets contain symbols that do not appear elsewhere, hinting at specialized or ritual use. Without a key to the original system, these variants are doubly mysterious. Each discovery deepens the enigma of Easter Island’s lost literacy.