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Discovery of ancient inscriptions adds new story to beginning of Batak script
Three ancient inscriptions found in North Sumatra show the possible transition from the ancient Sumatran script to the currently known Batak script.
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Archeologists found the Datu Ronggur inscription in Toba regency, North Sumatra in 2021. The inscription was carved on a cave wall and contains advice for its people to pray, which would be granted by 'opung' (ancestors in the Batak language). (Courtesy of BRIN/-)
T
hree ancient inscriptions found in North Sumatra in recent years have brought scholars a step closer to discovering how the province’s native Batak, one of the oldest cultures still recognizable in Indonesia today, developed its own script.
Famed as fierce warriors during the colonial era, Batak people have left their mark on Indonesian history, with known figures including Sisingamangaraja XII who was declared a national hero in 1961. A main road in South Jakarta was named after the Batak king.
While Batak culture can be traced as far back as 1500 BC, the discovery of three ancient inscriptions has led researchers to conclude that the Batak began to use their own script as recently as 300 years ago.
Two inscriptions were found in Central Tapanuli regency, with the Bongal inscription found in 2020 and the Liyang Gorga inscription found most recently in 2023. A third inscription, the Datu Ronggur inscription, was found in Toba regency in 2021.
The findings were disseminated in an online seminar by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), on Nov. 28, 2023.
BRIN researcher Churmatin Nasoichah told The Jakarta Post on Feb. 27 that researchers faced difficulties in reading and identifying the inscriptions as they were very faded when discovered.
