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		#1 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				Location: Greensboro, NC 
				
				
					Posts: 1,093
				 
				
				
				
				
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			I believe the two following inscriptions are in Georgian.  Can anyone make them out?  Many thanks in advance.
		 
		
		
		
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		#2 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				Location: Greensboro, NC 
				
				
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			I wanted to bump up.  I thought we might have a couple of folks that might could translate.
		 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
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		#3 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				
				
				
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			The signature is almost incomprehensible, so I had to ask around. Something like Dato Tikia S... (looks like it's all a name)
		 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
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		#4 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				
				
				
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			No one really knows that the signature is, but the latest version is: 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	"To Tirkia, so he would grow" - it seems to explain all the letters (Tirkia Dato was leaving unexplained sr in the middle). Tirkia sounds to me like Abkhaz/Apsua name, basically more of a circassian than georgian. Would really interesting to see the niello...  | 
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		#5 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				Location: Greensboro, NC 
				
				
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			Rivkin 
		
		
		
			Thank you for the translation assistance thusfar. The niello work is quite interesting with some unusual "motifs". Here are two pics of said motifs on the hilt.  | 
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		#6 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				
				
				
					Posts: 655
				 
				
				
				
				
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			Oh. It seems that the inscription suggests that it was something like a sweet sixteen gift to Tirkia, so he would grow with a sword. The motiff is puzzling. 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
	One more thing - a short google searched revealed that Tirkia is actually a megrel name.  | 
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		#7 | 
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			Join Date: Dec 2004 
				Location: Greensboro, NC 
				
				
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			The motifs are quite unusual.  They seem to be Chinese inspired as they are matches for the Chinese "gold coin" motif.  Based on your google search what ethnicity are the Megrels?
		 
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
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		#8 | |
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			Join Date: Mar 2005 
				Location: Austin, TX 
				
				
					Posts: 14
				 
				
				
				
				
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			 Quote: 
	
 western part of Georgia.  | 
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