View source for Pyrgi Tablets

{{short description|Etruscan artifact}}
{{Infobox artefact
|image=Lamine d'oro in lingua etrusca e fenicia con dedica di un luogo sacro a pyrgi.jpg
|created={{circa}} 500 BC
|material=[[Gold]]
|discovered_date=1964
|discovered_place=[[Lazio]], [[Italy]]
|location=[[Rome]], [[Lazio]], [[Italy]]
|caption=The Pyrgi Tablets, sheets of gold with a bilingual treatise in Etruscan and Phoenician
|language=[[Etruscan language|Etruscan]] and [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]]}}
The '''Pyrgi Tablets''' (dated {{circa|500 BC}}) are three golden plates inscribed with a bilingual [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]]–[[Etruscan language|Etruscan]] dedicatory text. They are the oldest historical source documents from Italy, predating Roman hegemony, and are rare examples of texts in these languages. They were discovered in 1964 during a series of excavations at the site of ancient [[Pyrgi]], on the [[Tyrrhenian Sea|Tyrrhenian coast]] of [[Italy]] in [[Latium]] (Lazio). The text records the foundation of a temple and its [[Dedication (ritual)|dedication]] to the [[Phoenicia]]n goddess [[Astarte]], who is identified with the [[Etruscan civilization|Etruscan]] supreme goddess [[Uni (mythology)|Uni]] in the [[Etruscan language|Etruscan]] text. The temple's construction is attributed to Thefarie Velianas, ruler of the nearby city of [[Caere]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Doak |first=Brian R. |title=The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-19-049934-1 |location=New York, NY |pages=230}}</ref>

Two of the tablets are inscribed in the [[Etruscan language]], the third in Phoenician.<ref>The specific dialect has been called "Mediterranean Phoenician" by {{cite journal | last=Schmitz | first=Philip C. | title=The Phoenician Text from the Etruscan Sanctuary at Pyrgi | journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society | publisher=JSTOR | volume=115 | issue=4 | year=1995 | issn=0003-0279 | doi=10.2307/604727 | pages=559–575|jstor=604727}} Full bibliography of Pyrgi and the tablets</ref> The writings are important in providing both a bilingual text that allows researchers to use knowledge of Phoenician to interpret Etruscan, and evidence of [[Phoenicia]]n or [[Punic]] influence in the Western [[Mediterranean]]. They may relate to [[Polybius]]'s report (''Hist.'' 3,22) of an ancient and almost unintelligible treaty between the [[Rome|Romans]] and the [[Carthage|Carthaginians]], which he dated to the [[consul]]ships of [[Lucius Junius Brutus]] and [[Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus]] (509 BC).<ref>Smith, C. J., "Recent approaches to early writing" in ''The Archaeology of Death: Proceedings of the Seventh Conference of Italian Archaeology held at the National University of Ireland, Galway, April 16–18, 2016''
edited by Edward Herring and Eóin O’Donoghue. Archaeopress, 2018, p. 31 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10023/15876/Smith_2018_ArchofDeath_EarlyWriting_VoR.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y</ref>

The [[Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions|Phoenician inscriptions]] are known as [[Kanaanäische und Aramäische Inschriften|KAI]] 277. The tablets are now held at the [[National Etruscan Museum]], [[Villa Giulia]], Rome.

Pallottino has claimed that the existence of this bilingual suggests an attempt by Carthage to support or impose a ruler (Tiberius Velianas) over Caere at a time when Etruscan sea power was waning and to be sure that this region, with strong cultural ties to Greek settlements to the south, stayed in the Etrusco-Carthaginian confederacy.<ref>Pallottino, M. The Etruscans. Trans. J. Cremona. Indiana UP, Bloomington and London. 1975. p. 90</ref> The exact nature of the rule of Tiberius Velianas has been the subject of much discussion. The Phoenician root MLK refers to sole power, often associated with a king. But the Etruscan text does not use the Etruscan word for 'king', {{Transliteration|ett|lauχum}}, instead presenting the term for 'magistrate', {{Transliteration|ett|zilac}} (perhaps modified by a word that may mean 'great'). This suggests that Tiberius Velianas may have been a tyrant of the kind found in some Greek cities of the time. Building a temple, claiming to have been addressed by a god, and creating or strengthening his connections with foreign powers may all have been ways that he sought to solidify and legitimate his own power.<ref>Smith, C. "The Pyrgi Tablets and the View From Rome" in ''Le Lamine di Pyrgi'' eds V. Bellelli and P. Xella, Verona, 2016. pp. 203–221</ref>

Another area that the Pyrgi Tablets seem to throw light on is that Carthage was indeed involved in central Italy at this point in history. Such involvement was suggested by mentions by [[Polybius]] of a treaty between Rome and Carthage at about the same time period (circa 500 BC), and by [[Herodotus]]'s accounts of Carthaginian involvement in the [[Battle of Alalia]]. But these isolated accounts did not have any contemporaneous texts from the area to support them until these tablets were unearthed and interpreted.<ref>Smith, C. "The Pyrgi Tablets and the View from Rome" in ''Le Lamine di Pyrgi'', eds. V. Bellelli and P. Xella, Verona, 2016. pp. 203–221</ref> Schmidtz originally claimed that the language pointed more toward an eastern Mediterranean form of Phoenician rather than to Punic/Carthaginian. But he has more recently reversed this view, and he even sees the possibility that the Carthaginians are directly referred to in the text.<ref>Schmidtz, Philip Ch. " ''Sempre Pyrgi'': A retraction and a Reassessment of the Phoenician Text" in ''Le lamine di Pyrgi: Nuovi studi sulle iscizione in etrusco e in fenicio nel cinquantenario della scoperta'' eds. Vincenzo Bellelli and Paolo Xella. Verona, 2016. pp. 33–43</ref>

The text is also important for our understanding of religion in central Italy around the year 500 BC. Specifically, it suggests that the commemoration of the death of [[Adonis]] was an important rite in Central Italy at least at this time (around 500 BC), that is if, as is generally assumed, the Phoenician phrase {{Transliteration|sem|bym qbr ʼlm}} "on the day of the burial of the divinity" refers to this rite. This claim would be further strengthened if Schmidtz's recent claim can be accepted that the Phoenician phrase {{Transliteration|sem|bmt n' bbt}} means "at the death of (the) Handsome (one) [=Adonis]."<ref>Schmidtz, Philip Ch. " ''Sempre Pyrgi'': A retraction and a Reassessment of the Phoenician Text" in ''Le lamine di Pyrgi: Nuovi studi sulle iscizione in etrusco e in fenicio nel cinquantenario della scoperta'' eds. Vincenzo Bellelli and Paolo Xella. Verona, 2016. pp. 33–43</ref> Together with evidence of the rite of [[Adonai]] in the [[Liber Linteus]] in the 7th column, there is a strong likelihood that the ritual was practiced in (at least) the southern part of Etruria from at least circa 500 BC through the second century BC (depending on one's dating of the Liber Linteus). Adonis himself does not seem to be directly mentioned in any of the extant language of either text.<ref>Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb: A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. By L.B. VAN DER MEER. (Monographs on Antiquity.) Louvain: Peeters, 2007</ref>

==Phoenician text==
The [[Canaanite and Aramaic inscriptions|Phoenician inscriptions]] are known as [[Kanaanäische und Aramäische Inschriften|KAI]] 277. Following is a transcription with English translations.
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'''{{Transliteration|sem|lrbt lʻštrt}},'''

For the Lady, for [[Astarte]],

'''{{Transliteration|sem|ʼšr qdš ʼz, ʼš pʻl, wʼš ytn tbryʼ wlnš, mlk ʻl kyšryʼ}}'''

this is the holy place, which was made, and which was placed (by) Tiberius Velianas, king over Kasriye (= [[Caere|Caerites]]?),

'''{{Transliteration|sem|yrḥ zbḥ šmš, bmtnʼ bbt}}.'''

during the month of the sacrifice to the Sun, as an offering in the temple.<ref>Zamora, José Á. "Pyrgi Revisited: An Analysis of the Structure and Formulae of the Phoenician Text of Pyrgi" in 
Le lamine di Pyrgi: Nuovi studi sulle iscrizioni in etrusco e in fenicio nel cinquantenario della scoperta. Editors: Vincenzo Bellelli e Paolo Xella. 2015–2016. pp. 69–79 Sel Studi Epigrafici e Linguistici sul Vicino Oriente antico Nuova Serie: Ricerche storiche e filologiche sulle culture del Vicino Oriente e del Mediterraneo antico</ref>

''' {{Transliteration|sem|wbn tw, kʻštrt ʼrš bdy, lmlky šnt šlš ///, byrḥ krr, bym qbr ʼlm}}'''

And he built a chamber (or ''-bn TW'' = "Tiberius Velianas built (it)"),<ref>Zamora, José Á. "Pyrgi Revisited: An Analysis of the Structure and Formulae of the Phoenician Text of Pyrgi" in 
Le lamine di Pyrgi: Nuovi studi sulle iscrizioni in etrusco e in fenicio nel cinquantenario della scoperta. Editors: Vincenzo Bellelli e Paolo Xella. 2015–2016. p. 77. Sel Studi Epigrafici e Linguistici sul Vicino Oriente antico Nuova Serie: Ricerche storiche e filologiche sulle culture del Vicino Oriente e del Mediterraneo antico</ref> because Astarte requested (this) from him, year three "3" of his reign, in the month of Krr, on the day of the burial of the divinity.

'''{{Transliteration|sem|wšnt lmʼš ʼlm bbty šnt km h kkb m ʼl}}.'''

And (may) the years of the statue of the deity in her temple (be) years like (or "as numerous as") the stars.<ref>Transcription from Hildegard Temporini, Joseph Vogt, Wolfgang Haase. 1972. Aufsteig und Niedergang der Römischen Welt, vol. 2, part 25. P.201. Also, along with the original Phoenician letters, in Haarmann, Harald. 1996. Early Civilization and Literacy in Europe: An Inquiry into Cultural Continuity in the Mediterranean World. P.355</ref><ref>Schmitz, P. 1995 "The Phoenician Text from the Etruscan Sanctuary at Pyrgi." ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' 15:562.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=(PDF) Pyrgi Revisited. An Analysis into the Structure and Formulae of Pyrgi’s Phoenician Text |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292989034_Pyrgi_Revisited_An_Analysis_into_the_Structure_and_Formulae_of_Pyrgi's_Phoenician_Text |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230905133302/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292989034_Pyrgi_Revisited_An_Analysis_into_the_Structure_and_Formulae_of_Pyrgi's_Phoenician_Text |archive-date=2023-09-05 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=ResearchGate |language=en}}</ref>

=== Translation variants ===
The [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]] text has long been known to be in a [[Semitic languages|Semitic]], more specifically a [[Canaanite languages|Canaanite language]] (specifically North Canaanite; South Canaanite dialects include [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], Moabite, and Edomite); hence there was no need for it to be "deciphered".  And while most of the inscription can certainly reliably be read, certain passages are philologically uncertain on account of perceived complications of syntax and the vocabulary employed in the inscription, and as such they have become the source of debate among both Semiticists and classicists.<ref>For a relatively recent analysis of the inscription and summary of the various scholarly interpretations, see [https://www.jstor.org/stable/604727 Schmitz, P. 1995 "The Phoenician Text from the Etruscan Sanctuary at Pyrgi." ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' 15:559–575].</ref>

For example, other translations of the final line, besides that cited above, include: "And I made a duplicate of the statue of the goddess <Astarte> in her temple as do the Kakkabites [?Carthaginians]"; and "As for the red robe of the statues of the goddess <Astarte> in her temple, her/its red robe is like a those of the gods of the Kakkabites [Carthaginians]" (both of these from Krahmalkov's Phoenician-Punic Dictionary).<ref>Krahmalkov, C. R. ''Phoenician-Punic Dictionary'' Leuven, 2000. pp. 230, 475</ref> Further, In Schmidtz's 2016 treatment of the text, he reinterprets the string ''bmtnʼ bbt'' (translated above and commonly as "as an offering in the temple") as ''bmt n' bbt'' to mean "at the death of (the) Handsome (one) [=Adonis]."<ref>Schmidtz, Philip Ch. " ''Sempre Pyrgi'': A retraction and a Reassessment of the Phoenician Text" in ''Le lamine di Pyrgi: Nuovi studi sulle iscizione in etrusco e in fenicio nel cinquantenario della scoperta'' eds. Vincenzo Bellelli and Paolo Xella. Verona, 2016. pp. 33–43</ref>

==Phoenician vocabulary==

Much of the well known vocabulary (from the glossary by A. Bloch, 1890, unless otherwise indicated) of the text is, of course, religious, including ''rb-t''  "Lady," ''ʻštrt''  the goddess "Astarte," ''qdš''  "holy," ''ʼlm''  "divinity," ''bt''  "temple, house," ''zbḥ''  "sacrifice," ''qbr''  "burial"; or they involve the calendar or elements of the natural world: ''ym''  "day," ''yrḥ''  "month," ''šnt''  "year(s)," ''šmš''  "sun" (in this context, also a deity), ''kkb''  "stars." Common verbs include ''šmš''  "made," ''ytn''  "placed,"  ''bn''  "built," ''mlk''  "rule, reign."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bloch |first=Armand |url=https://archive.org/details/phoenizischesglo00blocuoft/page/n3/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Phoenizisches Glossar |date=1890 |publisher=Berlin, Mayer |others=Robarts - University of Toronto}}</ref> Most of the items below not covered in this list are grammatical elements, uncited claims, or reflect earlier scholarship that has now been superseded by newer studies.

Nouns in the text include: '''bt' ''', "house, temple" [Semitic '''*bayt- '''], '''kkb ''', star [Semitic '''*kabkab- '''] [hakkawkabīm/hakkawkabūm = the-stars], '''ʼlm ''', divinity [Semitic '''*ʼil- ''' "god"], '''ʼšr ''', place, '''ʻštrt ''', Astarte [Semitic  '''*ʻaṯtar- '''], '''krr ''', Churvar [calendar month] [cf. Etruscan ''Χurvar''], '''kyšryʼ ''', Caerites [a people], '''lmʼš ''', statue (But analyzed by some as the preposition ''lm'' "during" plus the relative pronoun ''ʼš'' "which"), ''mtnʼ''', gift [Semitic '''*ntn''' 'to give'], '''qbr''', burial, '''rbt''', lady [cf. Akkadian ''rābu'' "grand, large"] [rabbu, female: rabbatu ], '''šmš''', sun [Semitic '''*šamš-'''<ref>The Patterning of Root Morphemes in Semitic. 1990. In: On language: selected writings of Joseph H. Greenberg. Ed. Keith M. Denning and Suzanne Kemmer. P.379</ref>], '''šnt''', year [šanot "years" – from: šanāt]
, '''tw''', aedicula [taw], '''yd''', hand '''ym''', day [Semitic '''*yawm-'''], '''yrḥ''', month [Semitic '''*warḥu-'''] [Canaanite: yarhu], '''zbḥ''', sacrifice

Verbs: '''mlk''', to rule, to reign [Semitic '''*mlk'''], '''ʼrš''', to raise, '''bn''', to build [ bny ] [wayyiben = [and] he built], '''bn''', to build [ bny ] [wayyiben = [and] he built], '''mlk''', to rule, to reign [Semitic '''*mlk'''], '''pʻl''', to make, to do [Semitic '''*pʻl'''], ::'''ytn''', to give [Semitic '''*[y]-ntn'''] [ya-ntin[u]] he-gives / Hebrew: yittēn

Other: '''ʼš''', which, who, that [rel.pron], '''ʼz''', this [ ha-dha? ], '''ʻl''', over, above [Semitic '''*ʻal-'''], '''b-''', in, at, with, on [Semitic '''*bi-'''], '''bn''', to build [ bny ] [wayyiben = [and] he built], '''k-''', for, since [Semitic '''*ki-'''], '''km''', like, as [ka-ma], '''l-''', to, for [Semitic '''*la-'''],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schmitz |first=Philip C. |date=1995 |title=The Phoenician Text from the Etruscan Sanctuary at Pyrgi |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/604727 |journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society |volume=115 |issue=4 |pages=559–575 |doi=10.2307/604727 |issn=0003-0279|url-access=subscription }}</ref> '''[[Q-D-S|qdš]]''', holy, '''šlš''', three [Semitic '''*ṯalāṯ-'''], '''w-''', and [Semitic '''*wa-''']

==Etruscan text==
This partial English translation is generally speculative, following van der Meer, except where noted.<ref>Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb: A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. By L.B. VAN DER MEER. (Monographs on Antiquity.) Louvain: Peeters, 2007. pp. 171–172</ref> Line breaks are indicated with / with line numbers in superscript immediately following. Note that Schmitz has pointed out that "Etruscologists...dispute nearly every word in the Etruscan texts."<ref>Schmitz, P. 1995 "The Phoenician Text from the Etruscan Sanctuary at Pyrgi." ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' 15:559–60</ref> Other proposed translations are presented in a 2022 article by M. Ivanković.<ref>Ivanković, M. "A New Decipherment of the Pyrgi Tablets with Reliance
on Astronomy" Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies 2022, 9: 1-10 https://doi.org/10.30958/ajms.X-Y-Z https://www.athensjournals.gr/mediterranean/2022-4983-AJMS-Ivankovic-05.pdf</ref>

===First plate===
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'''{{Transliteration|ett|Ita tmia icac he/<sup>2</sup>ramašva vatieχe /<sup>3</sup> unial astres θemia /<sup>4</sup> sa  meχ θuta}}'''

This temple and sacred buildings (''herama-šva'') have been requested by Juno Astar(t)e...having been built at his own ({{Transliteration|ett|sa}}) cost(?),

'''{{Transliteration|ett|θefa/<sup>5</sup>riei velianas sal /<sup>6</sup> cluvenias turu/<sup>7</sup>ce}} '''

Tiberius Velianas ...has given (''tur-ce'') (it) as an offering(?), (or "according to her own (''sal'') wishes (''cluvenias''))<ref>Koen Wylin "Pyrgi B et la rédaction de la Tabula Cortonensis" In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 84, fasc. 1, 2006. Antiquité - Oudheid. pp. 35–44; p. 41. doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.2006.5004. https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/3000456/file/8733510.pdf</ref>

'''{{Transliteration|ett|munistas θuvas/<sup>8</sup> tameresca}}'''

(as) custodian(?) of the place(?) of the ''cella'' (or "the funeral chamber" ''tameres-ca'')<ref>Agostiniani, L. "Sul valore semantico delle formule etrusche 'tamera zelarvenas' e 'tamera šarvenas'," in A. Catagnoti ''et alia'' (ed.s), ''Studi linguistici offerti a Gabriella Giacomelli dagli amici e dagli allievi''. Padova, 1997. pp. 1–18</ref>

'''{{Transliteration|ett|ilacve /<sup>9</sup> tulerase}}'''

during the feast (of the month) of Tuler

'''{{Transliteration|ett|nac ci avi/<sup>10</sup>l χar var tesiamet /<sup>11</sup> ale}}'''

when three years (were) full (?) from the day of Tesiamet

'''{{Transliteration|ett|ilacve alšase /<sup>12</sup>}}'''

on the feast of (the month) Alsasa

'''{{Transliteration|ett|nac atranes zila /<sup>13</sup> cal sel eita la acnašv/<sup>14</sup>ers}}'''

when the {{Transliteration|ett|atranes}} of the  magistrate (was??) (the) great {{Transliteration|ett|acnasvers}}.

'''{{Transliteration|ett|Itanim heram/<sup>15</sup>ve  avil eniaca pul/<sup>16</sup>umχva}}'''

Indeed, in this sanctuary, the years are (going to be) as many as the stars.

=== Second plate ===
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{{Transliteration|ett|'''nac θefarie vel/<sup>2</sup>iiunas θamuce /<sup>3</sup> cleva etanal/<sup>4</sup>'''}}

When Tiberius Velianas had built ({{Transliteration|ett|θamu-ce}}) the {{Transliteration|ett|cleva}} ("altar(s)"? or "desiderata"?) of {{Transliteration|ett|Etan}} (epithet of {{Transliteration|ett|Uni}}?)<ref>Koen Wylin "Pyrgi B et la rédaction de la Tabula Cortonensis" In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 84, fasc. 1, 2006. Antiquité - Oudheid. pp. 35–44; pp. 41–43. doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.2006.5004. https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/3000456/file/8733510.pdf</ref>

{{Transliteration|ett|'''masan tiur /<sup>5</sup> unias šelace'''}}

he dedicated (''šela-ce'') an offering during the month ({{Transliteration|ett|tiur}}) of Juno.

{{Transliteration|ett|'''v/<sup>6</sup>acal tmial a/<sup>7</sup>vilχval amuc/<sup>8</sup>e pulumχv/<sup>9</sup>a snuiaφ'''}}

The yearly ({{Transliteration|ett|avil-χva-l}} literally "of the years") offerings for the temple were ({{Transliteration|ett|amu-ce}}) (to be like the) eternal ({{Transliteration|ett|snuiaφ}}?) stars.

====Translation variants====
Wylin translates {{Transliteration|ett|šelace vacal tmial}} (4–5) as "has ratified the offering of the temple."<ref>Koen Wylin "Pyrgi B et la rédaction de la Tabula Cortonensis" In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 84, fasc. 1, 2006. Antiquité - Oudheid. pp. 35–44; p. 40. doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.2006.5004. https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/3000456/file/8733510.pdf</ref> However, Steinbauer (agreeing with Rix) has challenged this assumption and, considering that it seems to be positioned at the beginning of a series of phrases within the contexts of a step-by-step instruction in the [[Liber Linteus]], proposed that {{Transliteration|ett|vacal}} (with its variants {{Transliteration|ett|vacil}} and {{Transliteration|ett|vacl}}) simply means "then." The second to last word, {{Transliteration|ett|pulum-χva}}, is clearly a plural, so would match the (putative) plural 'star-s' of the Phoenician text in this location. It also occurs in one of the supplementary texts below, as well as in the inscription in the [[Golini Tomb]], but in the latter context, this meaning does not seem to fit.<ref>Steinbauer, D. ''Neues Handbuch des Etruskischen'', St. Katherine, 1999. pp.  86–87</ref>

A minimalist 'translation' drawing only on well established meanings of Etruscan words, and not depending on the Phoenician text (which is often itself uncertain, see above, and is, in any case, not a word for word translation) has been presented by Adiego:

::This {{Transliteration|ett|tmia-}} and the {{Transliteration|ett|herama}}, which were ...-ed from the part of {{Transliteration|ett|Uni, Thefarie Velianas}}, ...ing the {{Transliteration|ett|meχ θuta}}, gave to her, the {{Transliteration|ett|cluvenia-}} (or: to his {{Transliteration|ett|cluvenia-}}), to/of the {{Transliteration|ett|muni θuva}}, that from the chamber (?) in the day- {{Transliteration|ett|ilacv tuleras-}}, when three years {{Transliteration|ett|χurvar}}. In the day-{{Transliteration|ett|ilacv}} the {{Transliteration|ett|tešiam(a)- alsaš-}}, when of the {{Transliteration|ett|zilaχ}}-magistracy {{Transliteration|ett|atrane}}, that {{Transliteration|ett|sele acnavers}}, and this(?)/thus...-ed the year {{Transliteration|ett|eniaca}} the {{Transliteration|ett|pulum}}-s.

::When Thefarie Veliiunas {{Transliteration|ett|θamu-}}...-ed a {{Transliteration|ett|cleva}}-offering {{Transliteration|ett|etenal masan}} the month {{Transliteration|ett|unias}} {{Transliteration|ett|sela-}} ...-ed {{Transliteration|ett|vacal}} the {{Transliteration|ett|pulum}}-s of the years of the {{Transliteration|ett|tmia-}} were {{Transliteration|ett|sniuaφ}}.<ref>Adiego, I-X. "The Etruscan Texts of the Pyrgi Golden Tablets: Certainties and Uncertainties." in Le lamine di Pyrgi: Nuovi studi sulle iscizione in etrusco e in fenicio nel cinquantenario della scoperta eds. Vincenzo Bellelli and Paolo Xella. Verona, 2016. p. 155</ref>

==Etruscan vocabulary==

Much of the more certainly defined vocabulary (from the glossary in Pallottino, 1975, unless otherwise indicated) of the text is again, of course, religious, including references to the god ''uni'' "Juno,"<ref>Pallottino, Massimo. The Etruscans. 1975. Indiana UP. pp. 214</ref>  nouns like ''tmia'' "temple," ''vacal'' "offering, libation (?)," and ''ilucve'' "festival"; or they involve the calendar or elements of the natural world: ''tiur'' "month, moon," ''avil'' "year(s)," ''pulum-χva'' "stars" (?). Other well attested words in the text include the number "three" ''ci'', and some common verbs such as ''turu-'' "give" and ''am-'' "be," and the well known term for "magistrate" ''zilac-''. Most of the rest of the words are contested or uncertain.<ref>Pallottino, Massimo. The Etruscans. 1975. Indiana UP. pp. 225-234</ref>

===Verbs===
:'''acna(s)''', to bring forth 
:'''am''', to be 
:'''tur''', to give ({{angbr|tur-uc-e}} 'has given')
:'''θem''', to build, establish

===Nouns===
:'''astre''', Phoenician goddess of fertility, 
:'''atran''', reign, rulership?
:'''avil''', year ({{angbr|avilχva-l}} 'of the years, yearly')
:'''xurvar''', month [Phoenician {{angbr|krr}} *kurar]
:'''meχ''', people
:'''pulum''', star 
:'''tiur''', month<ref>Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb: A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. By L.B. VAN DER MEER. (Monographs on Antiquity.) Louvain: Peeters, 2007. pp. 171–172</ref>
:'''tmia''', temple ({{angbr|tmia-l}} 'of the temple')
:'''θefariei''', [[Tiberius (praenomen)|Tiberius]] [Roman male name]
:'''uni''', Etruscan mother goddess of fertility [cf. Latin ''[[Juno (mythology)|Iūno]]'']
:'''vacal''', votive offering
:'''velianas''', Velianas [family name].
:'''zilac''' magistrate

===Other parts of speech===
:'''ca''', this; '''ica-c''' and this
:'''ci''', three
:'''nac''', when, during, while
:'''śnuiu-aφ''', as many? ([[Liber Linteus|LLZ]], col 6, lines 1,2,4)

== Supplementary Etruscan Texts ==
=== Inscription on a bronze tablet at Pyrgi ===
These were much more damaged than the gold tablets above.<ref>Belfiore, V. "nuovi spunti di riflessione sulle lamine di Pyrgi in etrusco" in ''Le Lamine di Pyrgi'' eds V. Bellelli and P. Xella, Verona, 2016. p. 125</ref> 
Cr 4.3:

::{{Transliteration|ett|[...]atalen[----]s tin[--}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|[----]e[...] ''spuria[z]es'' . tera[s] ''spu[r]iaze''[...]}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|''u]neial'' var θvarie χia ''uneial χias''}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|''tin[...]talenas seas'' ''tinas θvariena''s [...]e[...]ur}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]ar[...]ra[...]il[...]a[...]p[...}}

Cr 4.2
::{{Transliteration|ett|eta : ''θesan'':e:tras ''u:ni''(χ?)iaθi ha[...]}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|hutilatina e:tiasas: a:calia[...]}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|θanaχ:vilus ''caθa''r:naial[...]}}

Deities mentioned here include {{Transliteration|ett|[[Catha (mythology)|Catha]], [[Thesan]], Uni Chia, Tina Atalena Sea, Tina Thvariena}}, and {{Transliteration|ett|Spuriaze}}.<ref>Smith, C. "The Pyrgi Tablets and the View From Rome" in ''Le Lamine di Pyrgi'' eds V. Bellelli and P. Xella, Verona, 2016. p. 206</ref>

=== Inscriptions on vessels found in the sanctuary at Pyrgi ===

:: 1 ]{{Transliteration|ett|'''tmia'''[  2 ]'''usa'''}}[ 
:n32, fragment of a vase, VI

::{{Transliteration|ett|'''unial'''}}
: (div) patera, or plate V TLE 877

::{{Transliteration|ett|'''unial'''}}
:(div) patera, or plate V REE 40 n54

::* ]{{Transliteration|ett|'''starte/s/'''  [?] '''cve[r ]starte'''}}/ / 
::(div?) fragment of a vase, or vessel IV REE 56 n31

::{{Transliteration|ett|'''mi : s'uris : cavaθas'''}}
:(div)patera, or plate V REE 64 n36

::{{Transliteration|ett|''']cavaθas  2]a emini['''}}


:(div)Greek kylix, V REE 56 n24<ref>Source for the Pyrgi inscriptions :{{cite web|title=Iscrizioni Etrusche|url=http://www.etruscaphilologia.eu/pyrgi.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923112355/http://www.etruscaphilologia.eu/pyrgi.htm|archive-date=2010-09-23|access-date=2012-02-26}}</ref> Lead tablet from the temple of Minerva at Castrum Novum (near Pyrgi) (CIE 631

::{{Transliteration|ett|MMMCCC ''lan[-]mite'' . [}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]inia . ''tei'' . ''a  emei ca . zu[-]una'' . za[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|a . ''icecin'' . ezi . ''ip[...]unu'' . rapa . [-]um[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]ipas . [-]in[...]ver . ''mulv''en[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...] . nuna ("offering")[...] ''nun . ena'' . t[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]e . hu[...]al . ''nun ena'' .}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]ur . t[...]na . '''vacil''' . c[...}}

::{{Transliteration|ett|...]'''pulun'''za . ''ipal'' . sac ("holy")[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]''talte'' . ''acni'' ''talte'' . iu[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]umnle[...]menatina . ''te''[---]un[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]us . -u--helucu . ''acasa''  . ''tei'' . luru[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]t[...-]sice . ''lanumite'' . ''icana''[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]aei . tesa . '''nac'''[...]ce . ''mulv''[...}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]ur . t[...]na . '''vacil''' . c[}}
::{{Transliteration|ett|...]pa . ''mlaka'' [....]''ama''}} .

Side 2:

::...]{{Transliteration|ett|ite . ''icec''[......] civeis . m[...}}
::...] {{Transliteration|ett|. unue . ha[...]u . eizurva . t[...}}
::...]{{Transliteration|ett|n[-]va . ''mlacia'' . hecia ("to do, place") . ''iperi'' . apa ("father")[...}}
::...]{{Transliteration|ett|esunamul ''ame''}}

::...]{{Transliteration|ett|iama . im[...]nuta : h[...}}
::...] {{Transliteration|ett|. rin[...]v . ''a emeican . s[-]uinia'' . ip[...}}
::...]{{Transliteration|ett|t[-]as . [...]n[-]e . '''nac''' arsurve clesvare[...}}

Notes: Words also occurring in the gold Pyrgi Tablets are in bold: {{Transliteration|ett|'''pulun/m'''}} "star(s)?; {{Transliteration|ett|'''vaci/al'''}} "sacrifice/libation", or "then"; {{Transliteration|ett|'''nac'''}} "when."

Words and sequences recurring within the text include: {{Transliteration|ett|lan(u)mite}} ?; {{Transliteration|ett|a  emei ca . z/suu/ina}} ? (''ca'' "this"); {{Transliteration|ett|mul-v-}} "to offer"; {{Transliteration|ett|nun ena}} "offering" (''nun''?) "some" ({{Transliteration|ett|ena}}?); {{Transliteration|ett|mlaka/cia}} "beautiful"; {{Transliteration|ett|te-i}} (demonstrative pronoun); {{Transliteration|ett|am-e/-a}} "be"; {{Transliteration|ett|ac-ni/-asa}} ("to do, offer"); {{Transliteration|ett|talte}} (< {{Transliteration|ett|talitha}} "girl"??); {{Transliteration|ett|icec-in, icana-}} ? (< {{Transliteration|ett|ic}} "as"??).<ref>Schmitz, P. 1995 "The Phoenician Text from the Etruscan Sanctuary at Pyrgi." Journal of the American Oriental Society 15:559-60</ref>

== Notes ==

{{reflist}}

== References ==

===First printed edition===
Colonna, G. – Garbini, G. – Pallottino, M. – Vlad Borrelli, L., '"Scavi nel santuario etrusco di
Pyrgi. Relazione preliminare della settima campagna, 1964, e scoperta di tre lamine d’oro inscritte in
etrusco e punico”, ''ArchCl'' 16, 1964: 49–117.
:: Colonna, G., “I dati dello scavo”: 50–57.
:: Pallotino, M., “Scoperta e prima valutazione delle lamine inscritte”: 58–63.
:: Vlad Borrelli, L., “Nota tecnica sulle lamine”: 64–65.
:: Garbini, G., “L’iscrizione punica”: 66–76.
:: Pallotino, M., “Le iscrizioni etrusche”: 76–104.
:: Pallotino, M., “Conclusioni storiche”: 104–117.

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== External links ==
{{Wikisource|has=the original text with transliteration|mul|Pyrgi Tablets}}
{{commons category|Pyrgi Tablets}}
* [http://scholarworks.umass.edu/ces_texts/ The Etruscan Texts Project A searchable database of Etruscan texts]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081222203327/http://users.tpg.com.au/etr/etrusk/po/pyrgi.html Photograph, transliteration, and partial translation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716120536/http://mytuscany.splinder.com/archive/2007-09  Tavola di Cortona e Lamine di Pyrgi - traduzione] (Italian translation by [[Giovanni Semerano]])

{{Etruscans}}

[[Category:6th-century BC texts]]
[[Category:1964 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Collection of the Villa Giulia]]
[[Category:Etruscan inscriptions]]
[[Category:KAI inscriptions]]
[[Category:Etruscan language]]
[[Category:Gold objects]]
[[Category:Multilingual texts]]
[[Category:Phoenician inscriptions]]
[[Category:Votive offering]]
[[Category:Archaeological discoveries in Italy]]
[[Category:Astarte]]