Käymäjärvi Inscriptions
Encyclopedia
The Käymäjärvi Inscriptions refers to inscriptions on a stone approximately 52.5 cm high and 105 cm wide, engraved with characters similar to those found in runic alphabet
s. The Käymäjärvi Inscriptions are located near Lake Käymäjärvi, about 26 km northeast of Pajala municipality
, Northern Sweden
.
The stone is today so degraded, it is no longer possible to compare it with other scripts such as Orkhon script
or the Kharosthi (Hashtnagar Pedestal) script that uses repeated numerals.
The Käymäjärvi Inscriptions were first reported by Olof Rudbeck, Sr. (1630–1702) in the second volume of Atlantica (1689). The local inhabitants, especially the Saami
, considered the stone to carry a very important message from their ancestors.
The second author to report the inscriptions is Eric Brunnius (1706–83) of Uppsala University
in a discussion about the town of Tornio
(De urbe Torna; 1731). Brunnius states that the stone has rune characters and the engraving of a triple crown but which by that time had been degraded and is now absent. The physicist
Anders Celsius
(1701–44), also an early runologist, concluded that the inscriptions were not of runic character.
Celsius and Pierre Louis Maupertuis
(1698–1759) visited the stone around April 11, 1737, during their Earth meridian measurement expedition. Celsius and Maupertuis both sketched the inscriptions in their diaries of the journey. The tale of this travel and stone, at that time considered to be very exotic in nature, was presented in his application to the Académie des Sciences
, and may have influenced the Academy's decision to elect him to the academy.
Runic alphabet
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter...
s. The Käymäjärvi Inscriptions are located near Lake Käymäjärvi, about 26 km northeast of Pajala municipality
Pajala Municipality
Pajala Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden, bordering Finland. Its seat is located in Pajala.In 1884 Tärendö was detached from Pajala Municipality, forming a municipality of its own. In 1914 Pajala Municipality was once again split when Junosuando broke away...
, Northern Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
The stone is today so degraded, it is no longer possible to compare it with other scripts such as Orkhon script
Orkhon script
The Old Turkic script is the alphabet used by the Göktürk and other early Turkic Khanates from at least the 7th century to record the Old Turkic language. It was later used by the Uyghur Empire...
or the Kharosthi (Hashtnagar Pedestal) script that uses repeated numerals.
The Käymäjärvi Inscriptions were first reported by Olof Rudbeck, Sr. (1630–1702) in the second volume of Atlantica (1689). The local inhabitants, especially the Saami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
, considered the stone to carry a very important message from their ancestors.
The second author to report the inscriptions is Eric Brunnius (1706–83) of Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
in a discussion about the town of Tornio
Tornio
Tornio is a town and municipality in Lapland, Finland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. The population density is , with a total population of . It borders to the Swedish municipality of Haparanda...
(De urbe Torna; 1731). Brunnius states that the stone has rune characters and the engraving of a triple crown but which by that time had been degraded and is now absent. The physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
Anders Celsius
Anders Celsius
Anders Celsius was a Swedish astronomer. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting notable observatories in Germany, Italy and France. He founded the Uppsala Astronomical Observatory in 1741, and in 1742 he proposed the Celsius...
(1701–44), also an early runologist, concluded that the inscriptions were not of runic character.
Celsius and Pierre Louis Maupertuis
Pierre Louis Maupertuis
Pierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis was a French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters. He became the Director of the Académie des Sciences, and the first President of the Berlin Academy of Science, at the invitation of Frederick the Great....
(1698–1759) visited the stone around April 11, 1737, during their Earth meridian measurement expedition. Celsius and Maupertuis both sketched the inscriptions in their diaries of the journey. The tale of this travel and stone, at that time considered to be very exotic in nature, was presented in his application to the Académie des Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
, and may have influenced the Academy's decision to elect him to the academy.
Sources
- Tobé, Erik, "Maupertius' "Berättelse om en färd till det inre av Lappland för att finna ett gammalt minnesmärke"", Oknytt No. 1-4, 1999, Vol. 20