CO·14
Inscription | |
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Reading in transliteration: | mẹi / ṿạ |
Reading in original script: | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Object: | CO·14 Rondineto (unidentifiable) |
Position: | foot, outside |
Direction of writing: | sinistroverse |
Script: | North Italic script (Lepontic alphabet) |
Letter height: | 0.7–1.3 cm0.276 in <br />0.512 in <br /> |
Number of letters: | 5 |
Number of lines: | 2 |
Workmanship: | scratched after firing |
Condition: | complete |
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Archaeological culture: | Golasecca III A [from object] |
Date of inscription: | 5th–early 4th c. BC [from object] |
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Type: | unknown |
Language: | perhaps Celtic |
Meaning: | unknown |
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Alternative sigla: | Whatmough 1933 (PID): 296 Solinas 1995: 87 Morandi 2004: 161 |
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Sources: | Morandi 2004: 629 f. |
Images
Commentary
First published in Garovaglio 1883: 20, no. 1.
Images in Garovaglio 1883: fig. 1 (drawing = Tibiletti Bruno 1969b: 285, tav. XIII.28a), Rhŷs 1914: pl. II (photo), Tibiletti Bruno 1969b: 285, tav. XIII.28b (tracing), Solinas 1995: 354 (drawing), Morandi 1999: 179 (drawing = Morandi 2004: 628, fig. 20.161) and 202, tav. XV.1 (photo = Morandi 2004: 800, tav. XXIII.161).
Two groups/lines of letters inscribed on the outside foot of the vessel. In the longer line (2 cm), mu is very clear. The next letter is a hasta with two clear bars and another potential damaged and not quite parallel bar underneath; then a single hasta. The shorter line (0.9 cm) consists of two slightly smaller letters, both in the shape
.
The inscription was seen in the museum by Rhŷs 1913: 39, III.1.2, who read two words written sinistroverse in false boustrophedon piuai | aa 'Aa for Biua' (also Rhŷs 1913: 8 f.). Whatmough PID: 102, no. 296 read p·nại | aḷ, yet again with a "certain" surprise punct, and noted that the last two letters in line 1 are "apparently conjoint" (they are not); a new reading based on autopsy by Conway was appended in 1930: pnei | aa or vv (p. 630). Tibiletti Bruno 1969b: 207 f., no. 28 reads mẹḳị | ṿạ or mạḳị | ṿạ, taken as one word (also Tibiletti Bruno 1978: 147), observing that the putative ligature of epsilon, kappa and iota in line 1 is reminiscent of dubious ki in CO·13. Morandi 1999: 179 f., no. 27 also reads one word, but without ligature meiva (also Morandi 2004), despite noting that the two letters in line 2 are identical (cf. Solinas 1995: 354, no. 87 ṃẹịạạ).
The repetition of in the second line may indicate a non-language-encoding mark; alternatively, the inscription may date from a time when waw and upright alpha existed side-by-side (cf. CO·54) – thus Morandi 1999: 179, who dates it to the 4th c. BC. In the latter case, the sequence
would best be read as va (cf. BG·28.2), though the appearance of the homographic letters in a language-encoding inscription would be surprising. If upright alpha is present in line 2, it may also be in line 1; the reading of the second letter there as epsilon is quite uncertain. In summary, an unclear inscription. See further on the word pages.