Baška tablet

Baška tablet
Baška tablet
Created	1100
Location	Baška, on the island of Krk

Baška tablet (Croatian: Bašćanska ploča, pronounced [bâʃt͡ɕanskaː plɔ̂t͡ʃa]) is one of the first monuments containing an inscription in the Croatian language, dating from the year 1100.

The tablet was discovered by scholars in 1851 in the paving of the Romanesque church of St. Lucy (Sveta Lucija) in Jurandvor, near Baška, on the island of Krk. Since 1934 the original has been kept in the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Zagreb.

Description

The inscribed stone slab records King Zvonimir's donation of a piece of land to a Benedictine abbey in the time of abbot Drzhiha. The second half of the inscription tells how Abbot Dobrovit built the church along with nine monks. The inscription is written in the Glagolitic script, exhibiting features of Church Slavonic of Croatian recension, such as writing (j)u for (j)ǫ, e for ę, i for y, and using one jer only (ъ). It provides the only example of transition from Glagolitic of the rounded Macedonian type to the angular Croatian alphabet.

The tablet is considered to be the birth certificate of the Croats, as the name Croatia and adjective Croatian are mentioned here for the first time in the Croatian language. Despite the fact of not being the oldest Croatian Glagolitic monument (the Plomin tablet, Valun tablet, Krk inscription, are older and certainly all appeared in the 11th century) and in spite of the fact that it was not written in the pure Croatian vernacular - it has nevertheless been referred to as "the jewel of the Croatian language" and "the baptismal certificate" of Croatian literary culture. It features a vaguely damaged ornamental string pattern, the Croatian wattle (troplet).

The tablet is depicted on the obverse of the Croatian 100 kuna banknote, issued in 1993 and 2002.

Contents

The transliterated text, with restored segments in square brackets, is as follows:

1. ... [vъ ime ot]ca i sina [i sve]tago duxa azъ
2. opat[ъ] drъžixa pisaxъ s o ledině juže
3. da zvъnъmirъ kralъ xrъvatъskъ[i vъ]
4. dni svoę vъ svet[uju] luciju i s[vedo]
5. mi županъ desimra krъbavě mra[tin]ъ vъ l[i]
6. cě pr(ez)b(itr)ъ neb(o)gъ a ... ъ posl ... vin ... lě ... vъ ... v o
7. tocě da iže to por(e)če klъni i bo(gъ) i 12 a(posto)la i 4 e
8. va(n)g'(e)listi i s(ve)taě luciě am(e)nъ da iže sdě žive
9. tъ moli za ne boga azъ opatъ d(o)brovitъ zъ
10. daxъ crěkъvъ siju i svoeju bratiju sъ dev
11. etiju vъ dni kъneza kosъmъta oblad
12. ajucago vъsu kъrainu i běše vъ tъ dnIm
13. ikula vъ octočъcI sъ svetuju lucIju vъ edino

The text can be translated in English as follows:

1. ... In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, I,
2. abbot Drъžixa, wrote this concerning the land which
3. Zvonimir, the Croatian king, gave in
4. his days to St. Lucia. And the witnesses [were]
5. župan Desimira in Krbava, Martin in Lika,
6. Piribineg in Vinodol and Yakob in
7. Otok. Whoever denies this, let him be cursed by God and the twelve apostles and the four
8. evangelists and Saint Lucia. Amen. And whoever lives here
9. let him pray for it to God. I, abbot Dobrovit,
10. built this church with nine of my brethren
11. in the days of prince Cosmas ruling
12. over the entire province. And in those days [the parish of St.]
13. Nicholas in Otočac was joined with [the parish of] St. Lucia.

Further reading

• Branko Fučić (September 1971). "Najstariji hrvatski glagoljski natpisi" (in Croatian). Slovo (Old Church Slavonic Institute) 21. http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=21348. 

External links

• The Baska Tablet, by Darko Žubrinić
• Baška Tablet, by Mateo Žagar