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Tabula Capuana

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The Tabula Capuana
Recent image in the Altes Museum, Berlin

The Tabula Capuana ("Tablet from Capua"; Ital. Tavola Capuana),[1] is an ancient terracotta slab, 50 by 60 cm (20 by 24 in), with a long inscribed text in Etruscan, dated to about 470 bce,[2] apparently a ritual calendar.[3] About 390 words are legible, making it the second-most extensive surviving Etruscan text.[4] (The longest is the linen book (Liber Linteus), also a ritual calendar, used in ancient Egypt for mummy wrappings, now at Zagreb.) It is located in the Altes Museum, Berlin.[5]

Description

Horizontal scribed lines divide the text into ten sections. The writing is most similar to that used in Campania in the mid 5th century BC, though surely the text being transcribed is much older. The text is boustrophedon, with the first line to be read left to right, the next right to left, etc.

Attempts at deciphering the text (Mauro Cristofani, 1995) are most generally based on the supposition that it prescribes certain rites on certain days of the year at certain places for certain deities. The text itself was edited by Francesco Roncalli, in Scrivere etrusco 1985.[6]

Recently a major scholar in the field, Bouke van der Meer has proposed a "very tentative partial word-for-word translation" of the text:[7]

Text example

(/ indicates line break; some word breaks are uncertain) [8][9]

First section (lines 1-7): MARCH?

The first legible section likely is devoted to rituals to be held in March (though the Etruscan word for this month, Velcitna, does not occur in the legible text, presumably because it was in the missing parts).

There are three to five initial lines missing and then 30-50 characters missing in the initial damaged lines shown here.[10]

...vacil.../2ai savcnes satiriasa.../3...[nunθ?]eri θuθcu
vacil śipir śuri leθamsul
ci tartiria /4 cim cleva
acasri halχtei
vacil iceu śuni savlasie...

(~5-8 characters broken off at the end of this line)

/5[mul]uri zile picasri
savlasieis
vacil lunaśie vaca iχnac
fuli/6nuśnes
vacil savcnes itna
muluri zile picasri
iane
vacil l/7eθamsul scuvune
marzac saca⋮

Notes: In line 1 and throughout, vacil may mean "libation" (or some similar rite or ceremony), in which case each of the first phrases beginning with it presumably indicate what deity to pour a libation to and perhaps other information.[11] However, Steinbauer (agreeing with Rix) has challenged this assumptions and, considering that it seems to be positioned at the beginning of a series of phrases within the contexts of a step-by-step instruction, proposed that vacil (with its variants vacal and vacl) simply means "then."[12]

In line 2, savc-nes according to van der Meer is an Apolline god, perhaps related in form to saucsaθ at 3.15 of the Liber Linteus. The form in the Liber Linteus, preceded as here by the term vacl "libation," also falls in a section that probably deals with March, though as here there is no explicit mention of a month name. The relevant text from that passage of the Liber Linteus is as follows (3.15-3.17): vacl . an . ścanince . saucsaθ . persin / cletram . śrenχve . iχ . ścanince . ciz . vacl / ara roughly "The libation which was poured to Sauc- Pers- (should be performed) with the decorated litter just as it had been poured (before); perform the libation three times."[13]

Note that the ending -nes/-nis also occurs in the forms fulinuś-nes (5-6) and caθ-nis (9), all referring to deities.[14]

In line 2, satiriasa (if one word) may be a form of Satre the Etruscan term for Saturn, which also appears on the Piacenza Liver among chthonic deities.[15] Or it could be in some way connected to or contrasting with tartiria at the end of line 3.[16]

In line three, śuri is a (not necessarily exclusively) chthonic deity.[17]Leθam-s appears on the Piacenza Liver among chthonic deities, but may have other connections as well. The genitive is used here as usual for indirect object.[18]

In lines three and four, ci(m) means "three," and both tartiria and cleva indicate kinds of offerings, yielding a possible partial translation: "To Lethams, three tartiria (perhaps related to Greek Tartaros, as if '(gifts) for the underworld'?) offerings and three cleva offerings ..."[19] In line 4, halχ- is likely the name of a kind of vase.[20]

A verbal form of vacil may be seen in line 5: vac-a "make a libation (to)?"; But van der Meer reads faca here, with unknown meaning. A similar form, vac-i is in line 28, also preceding a form of fuli/nuśnes.[21] Also in line 5, lunaśie brings to mind the Roman moon goddess, Luna (which some equate with Cath, see below).

pi-cas(ri) (5,6) is defined by Pallottino as a verb of offering, to be compared with a-cas "to do; to offer." [22] mulu- (4/5, 6) and scu- (7, 10) seem to be roots meaning "to offer, give" and "finish", respectively; and sac- means "carry out a sacred act; consecrate."[23] In lines 5 - 6, fuli/nuśnes may be a form of Fufluns, the Etruscan Dionysus who is associated with the Etruscan goddess Caθa who also seems to be mentioned in this text (see below).[24][25] A somewhat similar form, fuln[folnius] can be found on line 29 of the Tabula Cortonensis.[26]

Note the frequent repetitions (besides vacil): savcnes(2,6); leθamsul(3, 6/7, 8...); mulu-ri zile picas-ri(4/5,6); savlasie(is)(4, 5); scu-vune marza(c)(7) versus marza...scuvse(10)...

Start of second section (starting on line 8): APRIL = apirase

The second section seems to be devoted to rituals to be held in April.

iśvei tule ilucve apirase
leθamsul ilucu cuiesχu perpri
cipen apires /9 racvanies huθ zusle
rithnai tul tei
snuza in te hamaiθi
civeis caθnis fan/10iri
marza in te hamaiθi
ital sacri
utus ecunza
iti alχu
scuvse
riθnai tu/11 l tei
ci zusle acun siricima nunθeri
eθ iśuma zuslevai apire nunθer/12i
avθleθ aium
vacil ia leθamsul nunθeri
vacil ia riθnaita
eθ aθene/13ica perpri...

Notes: Line 8: isvei occurs frequently in the Liber Linteus where it appears to mean "festival" or "ides". The formtul(e)(8, 9, 10) in some contexts means "stone," perhaps related to tular "border" (< "stone marking a border"?),[27] itself probably related to (or the origin of?) Umbrian tuder "boundary" also the origin of the Umbrian town name Todi.[28] Here it seems to mean "(on or after) the ides (of a particular month)."[29] According to van der Meer, iluc-ve/u (twice in line 8) means "feast."[30] Of course, iśvei and tule can't both mean "ides," and in any case, the Latin ides originally fell on the full moon and was sacred to Jupiter, but since the deities recognizable here are underworld (leθams and caθ), tul may instead refer to the dark phase of the moon, or the new moon (Latin kalends). As van der Meer points out elaborately elsewhere, the contrast between light and dark gods was very important for the Etruscan calendar and for how they divided up the heavens.[31]

apirase may mean "(in the) month of April."[32] See above for Leθam-sul. Van der Meer translates pep-ri as "must be held."[33] cipen seems to be a priestly title (with variants cepa(r), cepe(n)).[34]

huθ in line 9 means "six," and ci in line 11 means "three." zusle(vai) (9, 11) means "sacrificial victim" perhaps specifically "piglet."[35][36]

At the end of line 9, caθ-nis may be a form of Catha, an Etruscan goddess, with an ending -nis/-nes also seen above in other theonymns: savc-nes (lines 2 and 6) and fuli/nuś-nes (lines 5-6). Rarely depicted in art, she is number 8 (among celestial gods) and number 23 on the Piacenza Liver.[37]

sacri (10) is certainly connected to words meaning "sacred; victim for sacrifice"—Latin sacer, Umbrian sacra sakra, Oscan sakri-, and to 'saca' in line 7 above.[38][39]

nunθe-ri (11 twice) seems to be a verb "invoke" or "offer," with the necessitive ending -ri also seen in pep-ri(8), picas-ri(5), mulu-ri(4/5), and perhaps śu-ri(3) and sac-ri(10).[40] eθ (11, 12) means "thus."[41] avθ-leθ (12) may be related to avθa "northwind; eagle."[42]

The word acun in line 11 may be from Greek agon (ἀγών) originally "struggle," which came to be used as a term for festivals involving competitive sports; compare Latin Agonalia festivals in honor of Janus in Rome held in January, March, May and December. Later forms show syncope (loss of word-internal vowels): acn-es-em on the Liber Linteus (10.5)) and acn-s . priumn-es "the agon of Priam" on the left side of the Volterna urn.[43]

Third section (lines 18-20): MAY = an/mpile

iśvei tule ilucve anp[ili]e laruns ilucu huχ
śanti huri alχu esχaθ canulis
mulu/19ri zile zizri
inpa ...an acasri
tiniantule leθamsul ilucu perpri
śanti arvus/20ta aius nunθeri

Larun, Canuli, Tinia, and Aiu are names of Etruscan gods; huχ may mean "celebrate", alχu "given," esχaθ "bring, place"; arvusta "(produce of the) field" (compare Umbrian arvam "field"; arvia "fruits of the field, grain").[44][45] Other words have either already been defined above or are of uncertain meaning.

Discovery

The tablet was uncovered in 1898 in the burial ground of Santa Maria Capua Vetere.[46]

References

  1. ^ Mauro Cristofani (1995). Tabula Capuana. L.S. Olschki. ISBN 9788822243225.
  2. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149
  3. ^ Jörg Rüpke (4 February 2011). The Roman Calendar from Numa to Constantine: Time, History, and the Fasti. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 12–. ISBN 978-1-4443-9652-2.
  4. ^ "Tabula Capuana - Unknown". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  5. ^ "Tabula Capuana - Unknown". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  6. ^ Scrivere etrusco: dalla leggenda alla conoscenza, scrittura e letteratura nei massimi documenti della lingua etrusca. Electa editrice. 1985.
  7. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. pp. 165 - 173 https://www.academia.edu/21561609/Some_comment_on_the_Tabula_Capuana_in_Studi_Etruschi_77_2014_2015_149_175
  8. ^ Alessandro Morandi Epigrafia Italica Rome, 1982, p.40
  9. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. pp. 165 - 173
  10. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. pp. 165
  11. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p. 162-3
  12. ^ Steinbauer, D. Neues Handbuch des Etruskischen, St. Katherine, 1999. pp. 86-87
  13. ^ L. B. van der Meer Liber linteus zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb. A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. Louvain/Dudley, MA 2007 pp. 78-82
  14. ^ L. B. van der Meer Liber linteus zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb. A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. Louvain/Dudley, MA 2007 p. 74
  15. ^ Pallottino, Massimo (1955). The Etruscans. Penguin Books. Translated from the Italian by J. Cremona. p.100
  16. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p. 163
  17. ^ L. Bouke van der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. pp. 154-5
  18. ^ Rex E. Wallace "Language, Alphabet, and Linguistic Affiliation" in A Companion To The Etruscans, editors S. Bell and A. A. Carpino, Wiley Blackwell, 2016, pp. 203-224; p. 217
  19. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. pp. 165-173
  20. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. pp. 165 - 173 p. 16
  21. ^ Bouke van der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p.163
  22. ^ Pallottino, Massimo (1955). The Etruscans. Penguin Books. Translated from the Italian by J. Cremona. pp.225-234
  23. ^ Pallottino, Massimo (1955). The Etruscans. Penguin Books. Translated from the Italian by J. Cremona. pp.225-234
  24. ^ Thomson de Grummond, Nancy. Myth and Sacred History, 2006, p. 59
  25. ^ Pallottino, M. (1975). The Etruscans. London: Penguin Books. p 248
  26. ^ Thomson de Grummond, Nancy. Myth and Sacred History, 2006, p. 59
  27. ^ Pallottino, Massimo (1955). The Etruscans. Penguin Books. Translated from the Italian by J. Cremona. pp.225-234
  28. ^ J. Poultney, The Bronze Tables of Iguvium, 1959
  29. ^ van der Meer, L.B. "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p. 157
  30. ^ van der Meer, L. B. "Some comment on the Tabula Capuana," in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p.166. https://www.academia.edu/21561609/Some_comment_on_the_Tabula_Capuana_in_Studi_Etruschi_77_2014_2015_149_175
  31. ^ L. B. van der Meer Liber linteus zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb. A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. Louvain/Dudley, MA 2007 pp. 65 ff
  32. ^ van der Meer, L. B. "Some comment on the Tabula Capuana," in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p.166. https://www.academia.edu/21561609/Some_comment_on_the_Tabula_Capuana_in_Studi_Etruschi_77_2014_2015_149_175
  33. ^ Van Der Meer, Bouke. "Some comment on the Tabula Capuana," in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p.166. https://www.academia.edu/21561609/Some_comment_on_the_Tabula_Capuana_in_Studi_Etruschi_77_2014_2015_149_175
  34. ^ Pallottino, Massimo (1955). The Etruscans. Penguin Books. Translated from the Italian by J. Cremona. pp.226
  35. ^ Van Der Meer, Bouke. "Some comment on the Tabula Capuana," in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p.166. https://www.academia.edu/21561609/Some_comment_on_the_Tabula_Capuana_in_Studi_Etruschi_77_2014_2015_149_175
  36. ^ Pallottino, Massimo (1955). The Etruscans. Penguin Books. Translated from the Italian by J. Cremona. pp.225-234
  37. ^ Thulin, Carl (1906). Die Götter des Martianus Capella und der Bronzeleber von Piacenza (in German). Alfred Töpelmann. Downloadable Google Books.pages 50 and 65.
  38. ^ A Companion to the Etruscans edited by Sinclair Bell, Alexandra A. Carpino, 2014, Wiley. p219
  39. ^ Pallottino, Massimo (1955). The Etruscans. Penguin Books. Translated from the Italian by J. Cremona. pp.225-234
  40. ^ van der Meer, L.B. "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p. 156, 166
  41. ^ van der Meer, L.B. "Some comment on the Tabula Capuana," in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p.166. https://www.academia.edu/21561609/Some_comment_on_the_Tabula_Capuana_in_Studi_Etruschi_77_2014_2015_149_175
  42. ^ Pallottino, Massimo (1955). The Etruscans. Penguin Books. Translated from the Italian by J. Cremona. pp.225-234
  43. ^ van der Meer, L.B. Liber linteus zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb. A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. Louvain/Dudley, MA 2007 pp. 133-134
  44. ^ Poultney, James. The Bronze Tables of Iguvium. Blackwell, Oxford. 1959. p.298
  45. ^ Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p. 168
  46. ^ Sinclair Bell; Alexandra A. Carpino (9 December 2015). A Companion to the Etruscans. Wiley. pp. 210–. ISBN 978-1-118-35498-8.

Sources

  • Cristofani, M. Tabula Capuana: Un calendario festivo di età arcaica (Firenze 1995).
  • van der Meer, L. B. "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175.
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