Iguvinian tablets
The Iguvinian tablets ( lat.Tabulae Iguvinae), also obsolete the Eugubinian tablets , are a series of seven bronze tablets that were discovered in Iguvium, today's Gubbio , in Italy in 1444. The oldest probably date from the 3rd century BC. Chr .; they are written in the original Umbrian alphabet, while the most recent from the 1st century BC. And were written in the Latin alphabet .
The tablets contain religious inscriptions depicting the rites of the Atiedian brothers , a group of 12 priests of Jupiter with important political functions in Iguvium. They are written in the Umbrian language , one of the Italian languages related to the Latin language . They shed light on the grammar of this language and on the religious practices in pre-Roman central Italy. They appear to be written in an accented metric similar to the Saturnian metric belonging to the oldest Latin poetry .
As an example of their language, part of the first panel:
- 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
-
door perscler uirseto auirseto
- uas est. . .
"Jupiter Grabovius, if a fire has broken out on Mount Fisius or if the preparations due have been neglected in the nation of Iguvium, let it be as if they had been done."
"Jupiter Grabovius, if there was any blemish in your sacrifice, any deficiency, any ritual violation, any deception, any error, if there was a blemish in your sacrifice, seen or unseen, ..."
As another example, the full text of Table 6:
-
teio subocau suboco
- dei graboui
- ocriper fisiu totaper iiouina
- erer nomneper erar nomneper
- fos is pacer is
- ocre fisei dead 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
literature
- Karl Richard Lepsius : De tabulis Eugubinis , dissertation, Berlin 1833. Online (Latin) review (German)
- Carl Darling Buck : Elementary book of the Oscar-Umbrian dialects , Heidelberg 1905
- Robert von Planta: Oskisch-Umbrische Grammar (2 volumes), Berlin 1973 (reprint of the 1892 edition)
- Helmut Rix (Ed.): Oskisch - Umbrian: Texts and Grammar. Workshop of the Indo-European Society and the Società Italiana di Glottologia from September 25 to 28, 1991 in Freiburg . Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, Wiesbaden 1994.
