Title: Phaistos disc [circular clay tablet]

 

Dimensions (cm): 16.5x16.5x2.6

 

Artist: Miranda Skinner

 

Editor:  Hannah Martin-Brown

 

Region: Middle East

 

Description:

Phaistos Disc was discovered in 1908 in a palace in Phaistos, Crete. The disc dates back to 1700 BC making it over 3000 years old and the oldest printed document known in the world. The characters displayed on the disc are yet to be deciphered and the origins are unknown. The replica of Phaistos Disc was made using an orange DAS air drying moulding clay. The symbols were carved into the clay using a sharp knife and needle than hardened by being left in the air to dry.