PV·1

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Inscription
Reading in transliteration:	esopnos kepi
Reading in original script:
Object:	PV·1 Garlasco (bottle)
Position:	shoulder, outside
Orientation:	0°
Direction of writing:	sinistroverse
Script:	North Italic script (Lepontic alphabet)
Letter height:	0.8–1.5 cm0.315 in <br />0.591 in <br />
Number of letters:	11
Number of words:	2
Number of lines:	1
Workmanship:	scratched after firing
Condition:	complete
Archaeological culture:	unknown [from object]
Date of inscription:	late 2nd c. BC [from object]
Type:	unknown
Language:	Celtic
Meaning:	'Esopnos son of Kep(i)os'
Alternative sigla:	Tibiletti Bruno 1981: 32 RIG: E-4 Solinas 1995: 110 Morandi 2004: 101
Sources:	Morandi 2004: 591 no. 101

Images

Drawing of inscription PV·1 from Morandi 2004

Commentary

First published in Pellegrini 1963.

Images in Pellegrini 1963: 302, fig. 1 (photo = RIG II: 40, fig. 18) and 303, fig. 2 (drawing = RIG II: 40, fig. 19), Piana Agostinetti 1997–1999 III: 468, fig. 28 (drawing), Morandi 2004: 593, fig. 15.101 (drawing).

Inscribed in neat letters above a line running around the flask's shoulder (length 7.5 cm). There may be a space after esopnos, but the last four letters are generally more spaced out (cf. RIG II: 40).

Following Pellegrini, the text is generally interpreted as a name formula with a Celtic individual name esopnos and possibly Celtic genitival patronym kepi (Lejeune 1971: 406, 408, Tibiletti Bruno 1975: 54, Tibiletti Bruno 1978: 148, 153, Tibiletti Bruno 1981: 187, no. 32, RIG II: 40, Solinas 1995: 367, no. 110, Morandi). See the word pages for comparanda and etymologies. Considering the ambiguous spacing, one might separate esopno (with lost final -s) from a patronym skepi, but the latter finds no better comparanda than kepi.

The inscription is included among the six Cisalpine Gaulish documents in RIG II as E-4.

Corinna Salomon