Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós

The treasure, consisting of 23 gold vessels and variously dated from the 6th to the 10th century, was found on 3 July 1799 by Neru Vuin, a Serbian peasant farmer, in the vicinity of Nagyszentmiklós (Sânnicolau Mare).

[7] On one of the vessels in the hoard there is an inscription written in the Greek alphabet which reads: ΒΟΥΗΛΑbouēlaΖΟΑΠΑΝzoapanΤΕΣΗtesēΔΥΓΕΤΟΙΓΗdygetoigēΒΟΥΤΑΟΥΛboutaoulΖΩΑΠΑΝzōapanΤΑΓΡΟΓΗtagrogēΗΤΖΙΓΗētzigēΤΑΙΣΗtaisē[8][9]ΒΟΥΗΛΑ ΖΟΑΠΑΝ ΤΕΣΗ ΔΥΓΕΤΟΙΓΗ ΒΟΥΤΑΟΥΛ ΖΩΑΠΑΝ ΤΑΓΡΟΓΗ ΗΤΖΙΓΗ ΤΑΙΣΗbouēla zoapan tesē dygetoigē boutaoul zōapan tagrogē ētzigē taisēToday almost all scholars share the view that the text is written in a Turkic language,[10][11][12] but it has not been deciphered and the exact classification of the language has been a subject of debate.

[10][13] It has been often compared with the Turkic Bulgar language of the First Bulgarian Empire,[14][13][15] attested on several 8th-9th century inscriptions written in Greek letters.

[16] More recently Eugene Helimski argued the language is close to Proto-Tungusic,[17] but this proposal was rejected by Marcel Erdal as far-fetched.

[19][20] The cultural milieu or milieux in which the objects in the treasure were created, assembled and deposited remains controversial, with the debate often influenced by nationalistic concerns.

In a study of a Romanian scientist, the text of a vessel has to be read as ΔEA[=ΔIA] YΔATOC ANAΠΛYΣON A

The Swedish archaeologist T. J. Arne mentions ornamental plates, clasps and buckles of Sassanide and Byzantine inspiration, manufactured in Khazaria or territories under their influence, being found as far afield as Sweden.