VR-4

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Inscription
Transliteration:	puz·n?χan
Original script:	?
Object:	VR-4 bone (bone)
Position:
Script:	North Italic script (Magrè alphabet)
Direction of writing:	sinistroverse
Letter height:	1.5 cm
Number of letters:	8
Number of characters:	9
Number of lines:	1
Craftsmanship:	engraved
Current condition:	unknown
Date of inscription:	1st century BC [from object]
Date derived from:	archaeological context [from object]
Language:	Raetic
Meaning:	unknown
Alternative sigla:	LIR VR-4 MLR 139
Sources:	Schumacher 2004: 172, 340

Commentary

First published in Marinetti 1991. Currently untraceable.

Image in Marinetti 1991: 39 (drawing = Schumacher 2004: Taf. 2,3 = LIR = MLR).

Length 4.1 cm. Accoding to Marinetti's drawing, the greater part of the inscription is unproblematic. The only dubious bit is the group of lines between the first Nu and Khi. Marinetti's drawing shows a slightly oblique hasta with two bars on top, almost (?) touching the next (straight) hasta; i.e. San or . (The short line crossing the first hasta apparently represents an unintentional notch.) The latter option is more attractive phonetically, but letters are not usually written twice (for whatever reason) in Raetic. Apart from that, the sequence z·n associates this inscription with VR-2 and further VR-10 and VR-11 – especially the latter is marked by the omission of vowels; the latter two also both have San. Like in the cases of VR-2 and VR-11, syllabic punctuation does not seem to be executed consistently. The present inscription is the only one of the group which has the sequence representing the verbal form þinaχe in the centre rather than at the end. A re-examination of the piece would be desirable.

Bibliography

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)
Marinetti 1991	Anna Marinetti, "Una Iscrizione Retica su un Piccolo Osso di Animale dal Maton di Castelrotto", Annuario Storico della Valpolicella 1990-1991 (1991), 39–42.