VB·3.1

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Inscription
Reading in transliteration:	latumarui : sapsutai : pe : uinom : natom
Reading in original script:
Variant reading:	latuśarui : sapsutai : pe : uinoś : natoś naśom naxom
Object:	VB·3 Ornavasso (bottle) (Inscriptions: VB·3.1, VB·3.2, VB·3.3, VB·3.4, VB·3.5)
Position:	shoulder, outside
Orientation:	0°
Direction of writing:	sinistroverse
Script:	North Italic script (Lepontic alphabet)
adapted to:	Latin script
Letter height:	0.4–1 cm0.157 in <br />0.394 in <br />
Number of letters:	29
Number of words:	5
Number of lines:	1
Workmanship:	scratched after firing
Condition:	complete
Archaeological culture:	La Tène D [from object]
Date of inscription:	first half of 1st c. BC [from object]
Type:	dedicatory
Language:	Celtic
Meaning:	'for Latumaros and Sapsuta Naxian wine' (?)
Alternative sigla:	Whatmough 1933 (PID): 304 Tibiletti Bruno 1981: 10 Solinas 1995: 128 1 Morandi 2004: 48 A
Sources:	Morandi 2004: 550–552 no. 48 A

Images

Layout of inscriptions VB·3.1–5 on the shoulder of the vase from Lejeune 1987	Inscriptions VB·3.1–5 from Morandi 2004	Detail of bottle VB·3 Ornavasso with inscriptions VB·3.1 and VB·3.2 from Solinas 1995	Detail of inscription VB·3.1 from Solinas 1995	Top view of VB·3 Ornavasso with all five inscriptions
Flask VB·3 Ornavasso with inscriptions VB·3.1, VB·3.2 and VB·3.5	Inscription VB·3.1 Ornavasso, with VB·3.2 and VB·3.5 in the background	The last word in VB·3.1

Commentary

First published in Bianchetti 1895: 69 (no. 7), 145. Examined for LexLep on 20^th April 2024.

Images in Lejeune 1987: pl. XIII (photo = Solinas 1995: tav. LXIXb) and 498, fig. 2 (drawing), Solinas 1995: tav. LXXc (photo), Morandi 1999: pl. IX.1 (photo) = Morandi 2004: tav. X.48), Morandi 2004: 566, fig. 12.48 (drawing).

Main inscription, applied around the shoulder above one of the white painted bands. Lattes 1896 perfect reading, includes stroke under the last and interprets the letter as a variant of san for [χs] as in Voltino saśadis, compares the ending of latumarui to that of the pala-stelae -> 'Naxian wine of Latumaros and Sapsutaipis', inscribed for a libation ritual during the burial. Featured in the genitive vs. dative debate: Kretschmer 1905: 99–101, no. 20, agrees in principle (and notes the absence of /i/ in naśom), but segments sapsutai-pe with enclitic conjunction. Hirt 1905–1907: 564 f. dative (also Hirt 1917: 210 f.), Danielsson 1909: 18 f. in agreement (but, following Torp, doubts the Naxian wine, and interprets the text as a gift inscription), also Rhŷs 1913: 63–67, no. 20 ('to/for Latumaros and Sapsuta Naxian wine', and naxom is "reduced"), but interprets the third-to-last letter as Latin with a diacritic understroke to distinguish it from Lepontic (also Rhŷs 1914: 25 f.). Whatmough PID: 111–113, no. 304 (a) same, but judges to be a "normal" form of san (compares MI·1 peśu, which nota bene is petu); notes that the second letter has a superfluous scratch too. Pisani 1964: 286 f., no. 124 (a): marriage gift. Something different: Tibiletti Bruno 1975: 55 latuśarui, reading Latin as san; in greater detail Tibiletti Bruno 1978: 144–146 also uinoś natoś as acc.pl. 'to L. and S. beautiful children', Tibiletti Bruno 1981: 162–164, no. 10: must be san because Lepontic mu looks different (...), stroke below is unintentional (in agreement Pellegrini 1983: 36 f.). Lejeune 1971: 74–76 draws attention to the hierarchy of separators and highlights final -m as a Lepontic feature; reads san for [ksi̯] following Lattes. In greater detail Lejeune 1987: 495–504, suggesting that the text may be metrical, and arguing against TB (also Solinas 1995: 375, no. 128, on naśom and ps in sapsutai). Morandi 1999: 172, no. 17 suggests that the four short inscriptions are the names of the people who gave the gift and points out that it's a one-person grave, so the inscription can't be connected with the funeral, but was probably buried with one of the two recipients (also Morandi 2004: 550–552, no. 48 A, who prefers natom).

See also Giussani 1902: 55–57, Jacobsohn 1927: 31, no. 192, Terracini 1927: 148 f., Piana Agostinetti 1972: 272, no. 12, tav. XXXI.12, Lambert 1994: 21, Piana Agostinetti 1997–1999 II: 57, in IV Morandi 1999b: 308–312, no. 4, Birkhan 2005.

Bibliography

Bianchetti 1895	Enrico Bianchetti, I sepolcreti di Ornavasso [= Atti della Società di Archeologia e Belle Arti della provincia di Torino 6], Torino: Paravia 1895.
Birkhan 2005	Helmut Birkhan, "UINOM NAŚOM", in: Franziska Beutler, Wolfgang Hameter (Eds.), "Eine ganz normale Inschrift" ... Vnd ähnLiches zVm GebVrtstag von Ekkehard Weber. Festschrift zum 30. April 2005 [= Althistorisch-Epigraphische Studien 5], Wien: Eigenverlag der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Archäologie 2005, 223-228.
Caramella & De Giuli 1993	Pierangelo Caramella, Alberto De Giuli, Archeologia dell'Alto Novarese, Mergozzo: Antiquarium Mergozzo 1993.
Danielsson 1909	Olof August Danielsson, Zu den venetischen und lepontischen Inschriften [= Skrifter utgivna av Kungliga Humanistiska Vetenskaps-Samfundet i Uppsala 13.1], Uppsala – Leipzig: 1909.