SL-2.3: Difference between revisions

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It is theoretically possible that all four characters are intended as the same letter – {{bib|Mommsen 1853|Mommsen}} read {{w||þ̣uþniþanuaþi}}. Similarly, all the respective characters in SL-2.3 could be identified as Phi, because in all cases the hasta continues into or through the circle, in letter 13 even beyond it. {{c||addZ5}} might be explained by a mistake of the writer, who may have started applying the inscription the other way round. (Compare the question of how [[index::SL-2.1]] and [[index::SL-2.2]] were applied.) However, the circles of letter 1 are much smaller, and the appearance of the top circle seems peculiar. The "dumbbell" shape may be an otherwise unattested variant of the problematic dental character {{c||T4}}, possibly due to an effort of the writer to distinguish the letter more clearly from the three {{c||Φ3}}s – as an afterthought when realising that his circles had become continually smaller. Even the upper circle may be an amendation, if the deep indentation at its centre was intended as the top element of {{c||T4}}. The reading of letters 6 and 13 as {{c||T4}} we consider unlikely. The reading with one anlauting dental and three labials is the one usually favoured, because it is the basis for {{bib|Marstrander 1925|Marstrander}}'s interpretation of the inscription as a Celtic personal name (see {{w||zuφniφanuaφi}}).
It is theoretically possible that all four characters are intended as the same letter – {{bib|Mommsen 1853|Mommsen}} read {{w||þ̣uþniþanuaþi}}. Similarly, all the respective characters in SL-2.3 could be identified as Phi, because in all cases the hasta continues into or through the circle, in letter 13 even beyond it. {{c||addZ5}} might be explained by a mistake of the writer, who may have started applying the inscription the other way round. (Compare the question of how [[index::SL-2.1]] and [[index::SL-2.2]] were applied.) However, the circles of letter 1 are much smaller, and the appearance of the top circle seems peculiar. The "dumbbell" shape may be an otherwise unattested variant of the problematic dental character {{c||T4}}, possibly due to an effort of the writer to distinguish the letter more clearly from the three {{c||Φ3}}s – as an afterthought when realising that his circles had become continually smaller. Even the upper circle may be an amendation, if the deep indentation at its centre was intended as the top element of {{c||T4}}. The reading of letters 6 and 13 as {{c||T4}} we consider unlikely. The reading with one anlauting dental and three labials is the one usually favoured, because it is the basis for {{bib|Marstrander 1925|Marstrander}}'s interpretation of the inscription as a Celtic personal name (see {{w||zuφniφanuaφi}}).


As concerns the alphabet used, it is the problematic first letter which can associate the inscription with the Raetic sphere, if the character {{c||addZ5}} is identified with the Raetic character {{c||T4}}. See [[index::T]] on the question of which phone(me)s Tau writes in Raetic. Alternatively, {{c||addZ5}} can be interpreted as a variant of Zeta, Zeta being used to write {{p||d}} in certain Venetic alphabets (see [[index::Script]]). This variant, while having a graphic parallel in the Old Sabellic alphabet, would be attested only once in all Northern Italy; its assumed graphical precursor {{c||Z3}} is very rare in Transpadania, and indeed arguably absent from the Venetic alphabets (on a possible attestation in *Od 7b see {{bib|Prosdocimi 1988}}: 303 ff., but also {{bib|Eska & Wallace 1999}}: 123 f. (note 10)). Marstrander himself derived Raetic {{c||T4}} from this singular variant of Zeta (see [[index::T]]). If the character is Zeta, the inscription should be assigned to the Venetic corpus. Compare {{bib|Marstrander 1927}}: 20 ff. (as opposed to {{bib|Marstrander 1925}}: 53 with Fn. 2), Prosdocimi in {{bib|Prosdocimi & Scardigli 1976}}: 225 ff., {{bib|Prosdocimi 1978c}}: 318, {{bib|Prosdocimi 1978b}}: 387, {{bib|Prosdocimi 1986}}: 32 ff., {{bib|Prosdocimi 1988}}: 331 f. {{c||A}} with its bar sloping against the writing direction, as usual in Raetic inscriptions, is also found in the easternmost Venetic inscriptions from the Isonzo-area (Is 1–3 in {{bib|Pellegrini & Prosdocimi 1967}}, *Is 4–6 in {{bib|Eichner & Nedoma 2009}}); the same goes for {{c||U2}}, which does not occur in the Isonzo-inscriptions, but is elsewhere found regularly instead of the inverted {{c||U}} characteristic for Venetic and the Raetic South. SL-2.3 does not feature Venetic syllabic punctuation, but this may be due to its potentially early dating and/or to geographical remoteness (see {{bib|Nedoma 1995}}: 25, Fn. 36). Compare also {{bib|Nedoma 1995}}: 25. {{bib|PID|Whatmough}} (p. 611 f.) and {{bib|Kretschmer 1943}}: 186 f. read {{c||addZ5}} as as an archaic variant of Etruscan {{c||addF1}} {{p||f}}.
As concerns the alphabet used, it is the problematic first letter which can associate the inscription with the Raetic sphere, if the character {{c||addZ5}} is identified with the Raetic character {{c||T4}}. See [[index::T]] on the question of which phone(me)s Tau writes in Raetic. Alternatively, {{c||addZ5}} can be interpreted as a variant of Zeta, Zeta being used to write {{p||d}} in certain Venetic alphabets (see [[index::Script]]). This variant, while having a graphic parallel in the Old Sabellic alphabet, would be attested only once in all Northern Italy; its assumed graphical precursor {{c||Z3}} is very rare in Transpadania, and indeed arguably absent from the Venetic alphabets (on a possible attestation in *Od 7b see {{bib|Prosdocimi 1988}}: 303 ff., but also {{bib|Eska & Wallace 1999}}: 123 f. (note 10)). Marstrander himself derived Raetic {{c||T4}} from this singular variant of Zeta (see [[index::T]]). If the character is Zeta, the inscription should be assigned to the Venetic corpus. Compare {{bib|Marstrander 1927}}: 20 ff. (as opposed to {{bib|Marstrander 1925}}: 53 with Fn. 2), Prosdocimi in {{bib|Prosdocimi & Scardigli 1976}}: 225 ff., {{bib|Prosdocimi 1978c}}: 318, {{bib|Prosdocimi 1978b}}: 387, {{bib|Prosdocimi 1986}}: 32 ff., {{bib|Prosdocimi 1988}}: 331 f. Alpha with its bar sloping against the writing direction, as usual in Raetic inscriptions, is also found in the easternmost Venetic inscriptions from the Isonzo-area (Is 1–3 in {{bib|Pellegrini & Prosdocimi 1967}}, *Is 4–6 in {{bib|Eichner & Nedoma 2009}}); the same goes for {{c||U2}}, which does not occur in the Isonzo-inscriptions, but is elsewhere found regularly instead of the inverted {{c||U}} characteristic for Venetic and the Raetic South. SL-2.3 does not feature Venetic syllabic punctuation, but this may be due to its potentially early dating and/or to geographical remoteness (see {{bib|Nedoma 1995}}: 25, Fn. 36). Compare also {{bib|Nedoma 1995}}: 25. {{bib|PID|Whatmough}} (p. 611 f.) and {{bib|Kretschmer 1943}}: 186 f. read {{c||addZ5}} as as an archaic variant of Etruscan {{c||addF1}} {{p||f}}.


For the dating of the inscriptions on [[index::SL-2 helmet]] see {{bib|Nedoma 1995}}: 16–18 and 20–22. Depending on which type(s) of inscriptions we are faced with, they may have been applied any time after the manufacture of the helmet in the second half of the 5<sup>th</sup> century by its owners, or as votive inscriptions on the occasion of the deposit around 100 BC.
For the dating of the inscriptions on [[index::SL-2 helmet]] see {{bib|Nedoma 1995}}: 16–18 and 20–22. Depending on which type(s) of inscriptions we are faced with, they may have been applied any time after the manufacture of the helmet in the second half of the 5<sup>th</sup> century by its owners, or as votive inscriptions on the occasion of the deposit around 100 BC.

Revision as of 12:31, 12 May 2016

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Inscription
Transliteration: zuφniφanuaφi
Original script: I sΦ3 sA7 sU2 sN sA7 sΦ3 sI sN sΦ3 sU2 saddZ5 s
Object: SL-2 helmet (bronze)
(Inscriptions: SL-2.1, SL-2.2, SL-2.4)
Position: right-hand side"right-hand side" is not in the list (front, back, top, bottom, inside, outside, neck, shoulder, foot, handle, ...) of allowed values for the "position" property., front area"front area" is not in the list (front, back, top, bottom, inside, outside, neck, shoulder, foot, handle, ...) of allowed values for the "position" property., lower area"lower area" is not in the list (front, back, top, bottom, inside, outside, neck, shoulder, foot, handle, ...) of allowed values for the "position" property., outside
Orientation: 180°
Script: North Italic script (Venetic alphabet)
Direction of writing: sinistroverse
Letter height: 0.70.7 cm <br /> – 1.0 cm
Number of letters: 14
Number of lines: 1
Craftsmanship: embossed
Current condition: complete
Date of inscription: 450–100 BC
Date derived from: typology
Language: Celtic
Meaning: 'Dubnos son of Banuabios' (?)
Alternative sigla: PID 1* bis (b)
Sources: Schumacher 2004: 330

Images

SL-2.3
Inscription SL-2.3.

Commentary

First published in Mommsen 1853: 208, no. 12. Autopsied by TIR on 10th January 2014.

Pictures in Giovanelli 1845: tav. II (drawing = Giovanelli 1876: Taf. II, No. 1), Mommsen 1853: Taf. I, 12B (drawing; see Mommsen 1853: 208 f.) (= CII: Tav. VI, b = AIF I: Taf VI, 99 A = Marstrander 1925: 38), Sulzer 1855: Taf. VII, Von Sacken & Kenner 1866: Taf. Nr. 2 (drawing), Pichler 1880: [?] (= AIF I: Taf. VI, 99 B), Marstrander 1927: 7, Fig. 3 and 4 (drawings) and Pl. I (photo), Reinecke 1942: 133, a (drawing = Markey 2001: 105, Fig. 6) and Taf. 11a (photo), Egg 1986: 226, Abb. 183 (drawing) (= Schumacher 2004: Taf. 16, 3) and Nedoma 1995: Abb. 6 and 7 (photos).

Length about 6.5 cm. Embossed with a pointed tool on the chamfer, upside-down when the helmet is worn. A white inlay was added sometime before 1927, possibly for photos made for Marstrander 1927, but must have been cleaned away since. Remains can still be seen in some of the deeper indentations.

The inscription as such is in good condition. The problem lies in the identification of the four characters consisting of a vertical hasta with a circle (or circloid) on top (letters 1, 3, 6 and 13) as either Phi, the Raetic character for a dental T4 s (filed as a variant of Tau in TIR), or – in case of the first character – a variant of Zeta. The first character features two circles. While the bottom circle is as lopsided as the circles in the other letters, the top one is perfectly circular and made of more, but shallower and not easily visible indentations arranged around a single particularly deep one. It seems to have been executed with much care. (Compare the detailed description in Marstrander 1927: 7 (A 3). The view that the first character is not a letter but some sort of symbol, decoration or punctuation mark, as held by Pauli: 36, no. 99b and, following him, Olsen 1903: 25, is obsolete.) Letter 3 does not much resemble 1: The circle is irregular and distinctly bigger, taking up more than half of the length of the hasta. The circle on top of letter 6 is considerably smaller, though still bigger than in letter 1; letter 13 features a circle almost as small as those of letter 1, with one indentation belonging to the hasta sitting on top of it.

It is theoretically possible that all four characters are intended as the same letter – Mommsen read þ̣uþniþanuaþi. Similarly, all the respective characters in SL-2.3 could be identified as Phi, because in all cases the hasta continues into or through the circle, in letter 13 even beyond it. addZ5 s might be explained by a mistake of the writer, who may have started applying the inscription the other way round. (Compare the question of how SL-2.1 and SL-2.2 were applied.) However, the circles of letter 1 are much smaller, and the appearance of the top circle seems peculiar. The "dumbbell" shape may be an otherwise unattested variant of the problematic dental character T4 s, possibly due to an effort of the writer to distinguish the letter more clearly from the three Φ3 ss – as an afterthought when realising that his circles had become continually smaller. Even the upper circle may be an amendation, if the deep indentation at its centre was intended as the top element of T4 s. The reading of letters 6 and 13 as T4 s we consider unlikely. The reading with one anlauting dental and three labials is the one usually favoured, because it is the basis for Marstrander's interpretation of the inscription as a Celtic personal name (see zuφniφanuaφi).

As concerns the alphabet used, it is the problematic first letter which can associate the inscription with the Raetic sphere, if the character addZ5 s is identified with the Raetic character T4 s. See T on the question of which phone(me)s Tau writes in Raetic. Alternatively, addZ5 s can be interpreted as a variant of Zeta, Zeta being used to write d in certain Venetic alphabets (see Script). This variant, while having a graphic parallel in the Old Sabellic alphabet, would be attested only once in all Northern Italy; its assumed graphical precursor Z3 s is very rare in Transpadania, and indeed arguably absent from the Venetic alphabets (on a possible attestation in *Od 7b see Prosdocimi 1988: 303 ff., but also Eska & Wallace 1999: 123 f. (note 10)). Marstrander himself derived Raetic T4 s from this singular variant of Zeta (see T). If the character is Zeta, the inscription should be assigned to the Venetic corpus. Compare Marstrander 1927: 20 ff. (as opposed to Marstrander 1925: 53 with Fn. 2), Prosdocimi in Prosdocimi & Scardigli 1976: 225 ff., Prosdocimi 1978c: 318, Prosdocimi 1978b: 387, Prosdocimi 1986: 32 ff., Prosdocimi 1988: 331 f. Alpha with its bar sloping against the writing direction, as usual in Raetic inscriptions, is also found in the easternmost Venetic inscriptions from the Isonzo-area (Is 1–3 in Pellegrini & Prosdocimi 1967, *Is 4–6 in Eichner & Nedoma 2009); the same goes for U2 s, which does not occur in the Isonzo-inscriptions, but is elsewhere found regularly instead of the inverted U s characteristic for Venetic and the Raetic South. SL-2.3 does not feature Venetic syllabic punctuation, but this may be due to its potentially early dating and/or to geographical remoteness (see Nedoma 1995: 25, Fn. 36). Compare also Nedoma 1995: 25. Whatmough (p. 611 f.) and Kretschmer 1943: 186 f. read addZ5 s as as an archaic variant of Etruscan addF1 s f.

For the dating of the inscriptions on SL-2 helmet see Nedoma 1995: 16–18 and 20–22. Depending on which type(s) of inscriptions we are faced with, they may have been applied any time after the manufacture of the helmet in the second half of the 5th century by its owners, or as votive inscriptions on the occasion of the deposit around 100 BC.

Further references: Giovanelli 1845: 43 ff., Weber 1861: 35, Von Sacken & Kenner 1866: 292, no. 1089, CII: no. 59, Corssen 1874: 949 (note), Pichler 1880: 43 f., Egg 1986: 227 (Nr. 324), Nedoma 1995: 19 f. (Ic), Markey 2001: 113 f., Urban & Nedoma 2002: 57.

Bibliography

Marstrander 1925 Carl Johan Sverdrup Marstrander, "Les inscriptions des casques de Negau, Styrie", Symbolae Osloensis 3 (1925), 37–64.
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