CO·14

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Inscription
Reading in transliteration: mẹi / ṿạ
Reading in original script: A sV s / I sE sM s

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

Archaeological culture: Golasecca III A [from object]
Date of inscription: 5th–early 4th c. BC [from object]

Type: unknown
Language: perhaps Celtic
Meaning: unknown

Alternative sigla: Whatmough 1933 (PID): 296
Solinas 1995: 87
Morandi 2004: 161

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 A s 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 A s.

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 A s 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 A sA s 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.

Corinna Salomon

Bibliography