BG·40
| Inscription | |
|---|---|
| Reading in transliteration: | to |
| Reading in original script: |  
|
| Variant reading: | ot |
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| |
| Object: | BG·40 Caravaggio (bowl) |
| Position: | bottom, outside |
| Orientation: | 180° |
| Direction of writing: | ambiguous |
| Script: | North Italic script |
| Letter height: | 2–3 cm0.787 in <br />1.181 in <br /> |
| Number of letters: | 2 |
| Number of words: | 1 |
| Number of lines: | 1 |
| Workmanship: | scratched after firing |
| Condition: | complete |
|
| |
| Archaeological culture: | La Tène D [from object] |
| Date of inscription: | 1st century BC [from object] |
|
| |
| Type: | unknown |
| Language: | perhaps Celtic |
| Meaning: | abbreviation (?) |
|
| |
| Alternative sigla: | Solinas 1995: 35 |
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| Sources: | Solinas 1995: 334 no. 35 |
Images
 Bowl BG·40 Caravaggio with inscription BG·40
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 Inscription BG·40
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Commentary
First published in Castelfranco 1886: 239. Examined for LexLep on 27th April 2022.
Images in Tizzoni 1984: tav. III g (drawing), Frontini 1985: tav. 7.9 (drawing) and Olcese 1998: 331, tav. VII.8 (drawing).
Inscribed on the bottom of the bowl just above the foot (length 3.8 cm). The letters are mirror-symmetrical both horizontally and vertically, but the orientation seems to be inverted judging by the scratches (upside-down application being fairly common for short graffiti from the Bergamo area). The writing direction cannot be determined. Tibiletti Bruno 1984: 120 also considers a reading according to the Latin alphabet (<xo>/<ox>) or a North Italic reading 
, ultimately preferring ot because is larger than . Possibly an abbreviation of a personal name, as suggested by Tibiletti Bruno, who assumes that it is the name of the bowl's owner.
Bibliography
| Castelfranco 1886 | [Pompeo] Castelfranco, "Liguri-Galli e Galli-Romani della Transpadana", Bullettino di Paletnologia Italiana 12 (1886), 194–212, 228–257. |
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