Iguvine Tables

Iguvine Tables

The Iguvine Tables were a series of seven bronze tablets discovered at Iguvium, contemporary Gubbio, in Italy in the year 1444. The earliest tablets were probably written in the 3rd century BC in the native Umbrian alphabet, the latest in the 1st century BC in the Latin alphabet.

The tablets contain religious inscriptions that memorialize the acts and rites of the Atiedian Brethren, a group of 12 priests of Jupiter with important municipal functions at Iguvium. They are written in the Umbrian language, one of the Italic languages, a not-too-distant relative of Latin. They shed light on the grammar of this ancient dead language, and also on the religious practices of classical paganism. They appear to be written in an accentual metre, similar to the Saturnian metre that is encountered in the earliest Latin poetry. The complete text, together with a translation into Latin, was published in 1931 in a book by Albrecht von Blumenthal.

Here is a sample of their language and content, from Tablet I:

::"Dei Grabouie":"orer ose persei ocre fisie pir"::"orto est":"toteme Iouine arsmor dersecor"::"subator sent":"pusei neip heritu."

::"Dei Grabouie":"persei tuer perscler uaseto est":"pesetomest peretomest":"frosetomest daetomest":"tuer perscler uirseto auirseto"::"uas est. . ."

"Jupiter Grabovius, if on the Fisian mount fire has arisen, or if in the nation of Iguvium the owed preparations have been omitted, let it be as if they had been made."

"Jupiter Grabovius, if in your sacrifice there has been any flaw, any defect, any ritual violation, any fraud, any error, if in your sacrifice there is a flaw, either seen or unseen. . . "

Here is the entire text of Tablet VI:

:"teio subocau suboco"::"dei graboui":"ocriper fisiu totaper iiouina":"erer nomneper erar nomneper"

:"fos sei pacer sei":"ocre fisei tote iiouine":"erer nomne erar nomne":"arsie tio subocau suboco"::"dei grabouie":"arsier frite tio subocau suboco"::"dei grabouie"

::"di grabouie":"tio esu bue peracrei pihaclu":"ocreper fisiu totaper iiouina":"irer nomneper erar nomneper"

::"dei grabouie":"orer ose persei ocre fisie pir orto est":"toteme iouine arsmor dersecor subator sent":"pusei neip heritu"

::"dei crabouie":"persei tuer perscler uaseto est":"pesetomest peretomest":"frosetomest daetomest":"tuer perscler uirseto auirseto uas est"

::"di grabouie":"persei mersei esu bue peracrei"::"pihaclu pihafei"::"di grabouie":"pihatu ocre fisiu pihatu tota iouina"::"di grabouie":"pihatu ocrer fisier totar iouinar nome"

::"nerf arsmo"::"veiro pequo"::"castruo frif"::"pihatu":"futu fos pacer pase tua"

:"ocre fisi tote iiouine":"erer nomne erar nomne"

::"di grabouie":"saluo seritu ocre fisi":"salua seritu tota iiouina"::"di grabouie":"saluo seritu ocrer fisier totar"::"iiouinar nome"::"nerf arsmo"::"veiro pequo"::"castruo fri"::"salua seritu":"futu fos pacer pase tua":"ocre fisi tote iouine":"erer nomne erar nomne"

::"di grabouie":"tio esu bue peracri pihaclu":"ocreper fisiu totaper iouina":"erer nomneper erar nomneper"::"di grabouie":"tio subocau"


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Iguvine Tables — Set of seven inscribed bronze tables written in the Umbrian language and found in 1444 at Iguvium (modern Gubbio, Italy). Some are written in the Umbrian script and others in the Latin alphabet; they probably date from the 3rd to 1st century BC.… …   Universalium

  • Italic languages — Indo European languages spoken in the Apennine Peninsula (Italy) during the 1st millennium BC, after which only Latin survived. Traditionally thought to be a subfamily of related languages, these languages include Latin, Faliscan, Osco Umbrian,… …   Universalium

  • Mars (mythology) — Mars, 1st century, found in the Forum of Nerva (Capitoline Museums, Rome) Ancient Roman religion …   Wikipedia

  • Umbrian language — Ancient Italic language spoken in central Italy in the last few centuries BC. Umbrian was related closely to Oscan and Volscian and more distantly to Latin. It was displaced by Latin at an unknown date. Modern knowledge of the language is derived …   Universalium

  • table — tableless, adj. /tay beuhl/, n., v., tabled, tabling, adj. n. 1. an article of furniture consisting of a flat, slablike top supported on one or more legs or other supports: a kitchen table; an operating table; a pool table. 2. such a piece of… …   Universalium

  • epigraphy — epigraphist, epigrapher, n. /i pig reuh fee/, n. 1. the study or science of epigraphs or inscriptions, esp. of ancient inscriptions. 2. inscriptions collectively. [1850 55; EPIGRAPH + Y3] * * * ▪ historiography Introduction  the study of written… …   Universalium

  • Etruscan language — Infobox Language name=Etruscan nativename=mechl Rasnal familycolor=Isolate states=Ancient Etruria region=Italian Peninsula extinct=1st century AD family=Tyrrhenian iso2=und|iso3=ettThe Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan… …   Wikipedia

  • Gubbio — Infobox CityIT img coa = Gubbio Stemma.png official name = Comune di Gubbio name=Gubbio region = Umbria province = Perugia (PG) elevation m = 522 area total km2 = 525 population as of = December 31, 2004 population total = 32563 population… …   Wikipedia

  • Umbri — Ethnic groups within the Italian peninsula, 9th to the 4th centuries BC. Subsequently the invasions of the Gauls and the defensive activities of the Roman Republic made large changes in the map.    …   Wikipedia

  • Romance languages — romance1 (def. 8). [1770 80] * * * Group of related languages derived from Latin, with nearly 920 million native speakers. The major Romance languages French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian are national languages. French is probably… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”