Iguvine Tables
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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.
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 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
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