SR-1

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Inscription
Transliteration:	?]nsu·mnaviθahur·̣ / ị]ṣkesaχviliṣke
Original script:	[ ]A22 d
Variant Reading:	ị]ṣkesaχvil·ṣke ]A22 d
Object:	SR-1 antler (antler)
Position:	front
Script:	North Italic script
Direction of writing:	unknown
Letter height:	0.70.7 cm <br /> – 2.5 cm
Number of letters:	26 – 28
Number of characters:	28 – 30
Number of lines:	2
Craftsmanship:	engraved
Current condition:	damaged, incomplete
Date of inscription:	3rd century BC [from object]
Date derived from:	archaeological context [from object]
Language:	Raetic
Meaning:	unknown
Alternative sigla:	IR 83 LIR SE-6
Sources:	Schumacher 2004: 156, 337

Images

Object SR-1 antler with inscription SR-1.

Inscription SR-1 - detail.

Inscription SR-1 - detail (microscopic image).

Commentary

First published in Pellegrini & Sebesta 1965: 8 f. (no. 1).

Images in Pellegrini & Sebesta 1965: 8 (drawing) and fig. 3 (photo), IR (drawing = LIR), LIR (photo).

Written in two lines: the first sinistroverse, running from the inner to the outer end of the piece of antler, in taller letters, length about 12.5 cm; the second running the same way, but upside-down in relation to the first, and dextroverse, in smaller letters, length about 7.5 cm. They are considered to belong together as one inscription – both have Sigma turned with the upper angle opened in writing direction, and Alpha in the form .

It is unclear exactly how much of the lines is missing in the beginning. The fragment bearing the first preserved letters of line 1 shows that the drilled hole on this side was situated under the letter preceding , which allows an estimate of about two, possibly three, but maybe just one letter before . (Remember that the length of the object in its current restored state is a mere guess.) Of the letter immediately before only an oblique scratch in the lower area is left; the options are , or (hardly before the cluster ). The short scratch in the middle of the line after is read as a punctuation mark because of the phonetic improbability of a sequence uimn, but see below. The rest of the line is clear up to final , which probably features an inscribed punctuation mark (cp. SR-7, which is a less complete version of line 1, as well as SR-10).

In line 2, initial appears to be preceded by a hasta, the upper part of which coincides with the breaking edge – possibly (as read by Pellegrini & Sebesta 1965). In the two other instances of , the letter is damaged, but in both cases the reading is unambiguous. The only problematic element is the short scratch after , which can be read as or as a punctuation mark. While there is a punctuation mark of the same shape in line 1, the of aχvil is already shorter than that in line 1 and also the one which probably precedes the first . Cp. a possible sequence aχvili (an inflected form of aχvil?) in BZ-4. Additionally, there is the possibility of final -ske being a repitition of ](i)ske in the beginning. (Indeed, aχvili- would fit well into the initial lacuna.) The attribution of s before aχvil is dubious.

Bibliography

IR	Alberto Mancini, "Iscrizioni retiche", Studi Etruschi 43 (1975), 249–306.
LIR	Alberto Mancini, Le Iscrizioni Retiche [= Quaderni del dipartimento di linguistica, Università degli studi di Firenze Studi 8–9], Padova: Unipress 2009–10. (2 volumes)