View source for Tabula Cortonensis

{{short description|Third most extensive etruscan text}}
{{italic title}}

{{Infobox artifact
| name              = ''Tabula Cortonensis''
| native_name       = 
| native_name_lang  = 
| image             = Cortona Tablet.jpg
| image2            = 
| image_caption     = Front view
| material          = [[bronze]]
| size              = 
|height             = 458 mm
|width              = 285 mm
|weight             = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
|long               = <!-- {{convert|}} -->
| writing           = [[Etruscan language|Etruscan]]
| created           = [[2nd century BC]]
| discovered        = <!-- Deprecated; use the following, separate, parameters -->
| discovered_place  = [[Cortona]]
| discovered_coords = 
| discovered_date   = October 1992
| discovered_by     = 
| location          = MAEC, [[Cortona]]
| id                = 
| map               = 
| website           = 
}}

The '''''Tabula Cortonensis''''' (sometimes also '''''Cortona Tablet''''') is a 2200-year-old, inscribed [[bronze]] tablet in the [[Etruscan language]], discovered in [[Cortona]], [[Italy]].<ref name="AgostinianiNicosia2000">{{cite book|author1=Luciano Agostiniani|author2=Francesco Nicosia|title=Tabula cortonensis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJgaAAAAYAAJ|year=2000|publisher="L'Erma" di Bretschneider|isbn=978-88-8265-090-2}}</ref> It may record for posterity the details of an ancient legal transaction which took place in the ancient [[Tuscany|Tuscan]] city of [[Cortona]], known to the Etruscans as ''Curtun''. Its 40-line, 200-word, two-sided inscription is the third longest inscription found in the [[Etruscan language]], after the [[Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis]] and the [[Tabula Capuana]], and the longest discovered in the 20th century.<ref name="HornblowerSpawforth2012">{{cite book|author1=Simon Hornblower|author2=Antony Spawforth|author3=Esther Eidinow|title=The Oxford Classical Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVWcAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA387|date=29 March 2012|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-954556-8|pages=387–}}</ref>

==Provenance==
The tablet was brought to the [[police]] in October 1992 by someone who claimed to have found it at a construction site in September 1992. When provided to the police, the tablet had been broken into seven fragments, with the original right bottom corner missing. Investigators attempted to find the missing portion and confirm the existence of the site. It was subsequently recognized that the tablet was broken in antiquity, so the missing portion may have been separated centuries ago. It was also determined that the "discoverer" of the tablet had lied about where he found it, and he was put on trial for mishandling of artifacts, but was found innocent. Local researchers believe that the tablet had actually been found on a different construction site and was deliberately concealed so that construction could be completed on time without being delayed by archaeological work. The real origin of the tablet is unknown to this day.<ref>[https://www.canino.info/inserti/monografie/etruschi/vari/tavola_cortona/index.htm La Tavola di Cortona (Tabula Cortonensis)]</ref>

==Interpretation==
The tablet is thought by some scholars, notably [[Larissa Bonfante]] and Nancy de Grummond, to be a [[Notary public|notarized]] record of the division of an [[inheritance]] or sale of [[real estate]]. Reference is made on the tablet to a vineyard (cf. lines 1 and 2: '''vinac'''), cultivated land (line 2: '''restm-c'''), and an estate located in the territory of Lake [[Trasimeno]] (cf. lines 35 and 36: '''celti nɜitisś tarsminaśś''').<ref name="Turfa2014">{{cite book|author=Jean MacIntosh Turfa|author-link1=Jean MacIntosh Turfa|title=The Etruscan World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Ofa_0Y5Iu8C&pg=PA363|date=13 November 2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-05523-4|pages=363–}}</ref> The lake lies east of Cortona in modern-day Western [[Umbria]].

The legal document centered around the aristocratic Cusu family and Petru Scevas and his wife. Two groups of witnesses or listeners helped to certify the document, along with Larth Cucrina Lausisa, ''zilath mechl rasnal'' (‘a chief magistrate of the territory of Cortona’). The document ends officially dating itself according to the two magistrates in office that year.<ref name="Etruscan Archives 2020. p. 172">Hillary Becker "Evidence for Etruscan Archives: Tracking the epigraphic habit in tombs,the sacred sphere, and at home" in ''Etruscan Literacyin its Social Context'' ed. Ruth Whitehouse, Accordia Research Institute, London, 2020. p. 172</ref>

Wallace points out that "we know that, in third- and second-century Tuscany, redistribution of land took place in which large plots were parceled up into smaller chunks to be worked by individual families. It is possible, then, that [the Tabula Cortonensis] may well be concerned with just such an allocation of land..."<ref>Wallace, R. (2000) Review of L. Agostiniani-F. Nicosia, Tabula Cortonensis, in Etruscan Studies VII, pp. 5-10. http://scholarworks.umass.edu/etruscan_studies/vol7/iss1/1</ref>

Additionally, several words ('''pav''', '''clθii''', '''zilci''', '''atina''', '''larz''') that appear on the tablet have been found inscribed on Etruscan plates, drinking cups, or wine jugs or jars.<ref>[http://etp.classics.umass.edu/cgi-bin/query.pl]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126015235/http://etp.classics.umass.edu/cgi-bin/query.pl|date=November 26, 2009}}</ref>

==Physical description==
The tablet measures just over 8 inches wide by about 11 inches long, and is about between {{convert|2|mm|in}} and {{convert|3|mm|in}} thick.<ref>Wallace, R. (2000) Review of L. Agostiniani-F. Nicosia, ''Tabula Cortonensis'', in ''Etruscan Studies'' VII, pp. 5-10.</ref>

When discovered, the tablet had been broken into multiple pieces, of which only seven have been found.<ref name="BonfanteBonfante">{{cite book|title=The Etruscan Language|last1=Bonfante|first1=Larissa|last2=Bonfante|first2=Giuliano|publisher=Manchester University Press|year=2002|isbn=0719055407|pages=178–179|author-link1=Larissa Bonfante|author-link2=Giuliano Bonfante}}</ref> The missing portion is believed by Etruscanists to contain only names and not details of the estate.

==Text==
The text contains thirty-four known Etruscan words and an equal number of previously unattested Etruscan words. Moreover, a new alphabetic sign Ǝ (a reversed [[epsilon]]) is present on the tablet. This implies that, at least in the Etruscan dialect spoken in Cortona where this letter exclusively appears, the letter Ǝ marks a different sound from that of the letter E.<ref name="BonfanteBonfante"/> The inscription is datable to the late 3rd to early 2nd century bce, so near 200.<ref name="HornblowerSpawforth2012"/><ref>Hillary Becker "Evidence for Etruscan Archives: Tracking the epigraphic habit in tombs,the sacred sphere, and at home" in ''Etruscan Literacyin its Social Context'' ed. Ruth Whitehouse, Accordia Research Institute, London, 2020. p. 272</ref>

===Contents===
{{move to Wikisource}}
The following transcribes the special reversed [[epsilon]] as '''ɜ'''. There are clear zigzag marks in the text (marked here by \\) that presumably end sentences or sections, and each such section will be treated separately here:

:: '''On the front'''

===First section===

:: 01: et . pɜtruiś . scɜvɜś . ɜliuntś . v
:: 02: inac . restmc . cenu . tɜnθur . śar . cus
:: 03: uθuraś . larisalisvla . pesc . spante . tɜnθur .
:: 04: sa . śran . śarc . clθii . tɜrsna . θui . spanθi . ml
:: 05: ɜśieθic . raśna s IIIIC inni . pes . pɜtruś . pav
:: 06: ac . traulac . tiur . tɜn[θ]urs . tɜnθa[ś] . za cina t pr
:: 07: iniserac . zal \\

Notes: The forms ''pɜtruiś'' (1)/''pɜtruś'' (5) (and other forms throughout the text) are probably forms of a name, compare Latin ''Petronius''. As noted above, ''vina-c'' and ''restm-c''(2) probably indicate "vineyard" and "cultivated land" (or "garden"?) respectively, the final ''-c'' meaning "and."

If ''ɜliuntś''(1) can be connected to Etr. ''eleivana'' "of oil" from the Greek ''*elaiwa'' > ''élaion'' "(olive) oil", we may be dealing with an olive orchard, a vineyard and a cultivated field or garden presumably belonging to Petronius Scaevus (compare [[Gaius Mucius Scaevola]] "lefty," legendary Roman hero who held his right hand over his captors' fire until it was burnt off, to show how much he loved Rome). Rex Wallace considers ''ɜliuntś'' to be a title of ''pɜtruiś . scɜvɜś'', since all three agree in case marking.<ref>Rex E. Wallace "Language, Alphabet, and Linguistic Affiliation" in ''A Companion To The Etruscans'' editors S. Bell and A. A. Carpino, Wiley Blackwell, 2016, pp. 203 - 224; p. 221</ref>

Facchetti (2000) (and Wylin) has proposed that ''cenu'' is a passive verb, also found in the Cippus Perusinus, that means "is obtained"; though Maggiani (2002) takes it to mean "is ceded."<ref>The first chapter of the Cortona inscription, Koen  Wylin in  Etruscan  News 5 (2006), pp. 6‑7. https://www.umass.edu/etruscannews/articles/WylinENews5.pdf</ref><ref name="Facchetti, Giulio M 2000">Facchetti, Giulio M. 2000. Frammenti di diritto privato etrusco. Firenze: Leo S. Olschki.</ref><ref>Maggiani, Adriano. 2002. Riflessioni  sulla Tavola di Cortona.   La  Tabula  Cortonensis e il suo contesto storico‑archaeologico. Atti dell’Incontro di studio, 22 giugno 2001, a cura di Maristella Pandolfini e Adriano Maggiani, pp. 65‑75. Roma.</ref>

The word ''spante''(3) elsewhere seems to refer to a kind of bowl or plate (cf ETP 289)<ref name="web.archive.org">{{cite web |url=http://etp.classics.umass.edu/cgi-bin/query.pl |title=ETP - search |website=etp.classics.umass.edu |access-date=1 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091126015235/http://etp.classics.umass.edu/cgi-bin/query.pl |archive-date=26 November 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>  (versus ''sparza'' (18, 36) “tablet.”)
But it is possible that here it and ''spanθi'' (4) are locatives of ''span'' "plain."<ref name="Wallace, Rex E. 2000">Wallace, Rex E. (2000) "Tabula Cortonensis," Etruscan Studies: Vol. 7, Article 1.</ref>

''śar(-c)'' (2,4) is "ten" and ''zal'' is "two" (7), and the "Roman" numeral 'IIIIC'(5) had been sometimes interpreted as "400," though Etruscans generally had a different sign for "100" than ''C'', at least early on. More recent analyses read it as ''SIIIIC'' (re-segmenting the ''s'' from ''raśna-s'') as "14.5."<ref>The first chapter of the Cortona inscription, Koen  Wylin in  Etruscan  News 5 (2006), pp. 6‑7.</ref><ref name="Facchetti, Giulio M 2000"/>

Notable is ''raśna(s)'' (5) (and in line 24 ''raśna-l''),  perhaps a form of the endonym for the Etruscan people (but also claimed to be just the generic term for "people, public"), here perhaps indicating that Etruscan measurements are being used (see Wylin's translation below). ''cusuθuraś'' and ''larisalisvla'' (3), seen in various forms throughout the text and beyond, also seem to be names.

In lines 5-6, the coordinated elements ''pava-c traula-c'' seem to show up in slightly altered form in the [[Liber Linteus]] (4.21-22) ''eisna . pevach . vinum . trau . pruchś'', which van der Meer translates "a ritual (''eis-na'') young? (''peva-ch'') (> a new(?) ritual): wine, a pouring (''trau'') from the (wine-)jug (''pruch-ś'')," pointing out that ''peva/pava'' probably means "boy, youth", but also admitting that ''trau'' may be an agent noun, like ''zichu'' "writer."<ref>L. B. van der Meer. Liber linteus zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb. A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. Louvain/Dudley, MA 2007 pp. 91-92</ref> C. De Simone translates ''traula-'' here as "he who libates," and he connects ''zacinat'' with the functions of a priest.<ref>C. De Simone. La Tabula Cortonensis: tra linguistica e storia, Annali della Scuola Sup. Norm. di Pisa. Classe di littere e filosovia, S. IV, III, 1, 1998. pp. 29, 110</ref>

Wylin<ref>Wylin, "The first chapter of the Cortona inscription." In ''Etruscan News'' 2006 (Winter). pp. 6-7.</ref> proposes a translation of the whole section, building on Facchetti and Maggiani (loc. cit.):
::::(1) So  by  Petru  Scevas,  the  ''êliun'' (olive grove? or title of Petru?),  (2) a  vineyard  and  a  ''restm'' (garden?) of  10 '' tenthur'' are obtained  from  the  
:::Cushu, (3) and  (also)  a  farm (''pes-c'') in  the  plain (''span-te''),  of  4  ''tenthur'' and  (4) 10 ''śran'' [is  obtained] from  these  same  [folks];
:::the  entire  property (''tɜrsna'')  here (''θui''), in  the plain  and  in  the  ''mlesia'' (5) (costs)  14.5  ''rasna''.
::::With  respect  to  the  farm for  Petru, (6,7) the  ''zacinat  prinisherac'' has  a  month  (''tiur'') to  size  up  the  two  measures,   
:::[these  are] the  ''pava'' and  the  ''traula''."

<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.umass.edu/etruscannews/articles/WylinENews5.pdf | title= The first chapter of the Cortona inscription. Koen Wylin in Etruscan News 5 (2006), p. 7}}</ref>

("fundus" in the original was replaced by the English "farm" here.)

::In this analysis, a ''tenthur'' is a unit of land measure that is more than ten times larger than a ''śran''; perhaps comparable to the Latin [[jugerum]] (.623 acre = 27,200 sq.ft.) versus an ''actus simplex.'' <ref>Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, Anon. (trans.) (1745) L. Junius Moderatus Columella of Husbandry, in Twelve Books: and his book, concerning Trees. Translated into English, with illustrations from Pliny, Cato, Varro, Palladius and other ancient and modern authors London: A. Millar. pp xiv, 600. Pages 208–216</ref><ref>Wallace, Rex E. (2000) "Tabula Cortonensis," Etruscan Studies: Vol. 7, Article 1. p.8</ref> 
::In line 4, ''tɜrsna'', translated here "property", may be related in some way to Latin ''terra'' < ''*tersa'' <ref>Walter William Skeat. An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 1882. Oxford U.P. p. 632</ref>
::Also in line 4, ''mlesia'' contrasts with ''span-'' "plane" so must mean "surrounding hills," a conclusion supported by the fact that this seems to be where the orchard and (perhaps) the vineyards were.<ref>The first chapter of the Cortona inscription, Koen Wylin in  Etruscan  News 5 (2006), p. 7.</ref>

More recently, van der Meer, following Maggiani's 2002 analysis,<ref>Maggiani, A. (2002) “Introduzione ai lavori” and “Riflessioni sulla Tavola di Cortona” in Pandolfini ''Atti dell'Incontro di studio'', op. cit., pp.&nbsp;11–15, 65–75</ref> has reversed the transaction so that the land is being ceded by Petru to the Cusu family:

::::Petru Scevas the olive merchant hereby has ceded 10 ''tenthur'' (probably amounting to about 2.5 hectares) of both vineyard and garden to the Cusu (family), as well as 410 ''tenthur'' of farmland in the valley. (Outside) of these (lands) which (have just been specified) in this (agreement), the lands in the plain and on the hill (shall be) public (lands), (being worth) 204.5 units of silver.

::::As to the farmland of Petru, let both the haruspex and the libation pourer be present in the (appropriate) month (to perform their rites), and let the measurer and the two bearers of oak poles (?''prinisera'') measure the acreage.<ref>Van der Meer, L. B. (2021) "The Tabula Cortonensis and Land Transactions" in Studii Etrusci pp. 157-181</ref>

===Second section===

:: 07 (continued) cś . ɜsiś vere cusuθurśum .
:: 08: pes . pɜtruśta . scɜv[aś] \\

Notes: The first part is obscure, while the rest repeats names treated above. ''pes'' (8) also repeats ''pes(c)'' (3,5) from the first section. If Wylin's conclusion is correct that ''pes'' = "farm, ''fundus'' ", perhaps then it is related to Umbrian '''peř-ae''' "(on the) ground"? <ref>Bronze tables of Iguvium by Poultney, James Wilson. 1959. p. 316 https://archive.org/details/bronzetablesofig00poul/page/316/mode/2up</ref>

Van der Meer offers: "By (the power?) of this sacred action, this (land) of Petru Scevas (is) thus the Cusu family's land."<ref>Van der Meer, L. B. (2021) "The Tabula Cortonensis and Land Transactions" in Studii Etrusci pp. 157-181</ref>

===Third section===

:: 08 (continued) nu θanatur . lart pɜtr  
:: 09: uni . arnt . pini . lart .  [v]ipi . lusce . laris   
:: 10: vɜtnal . lart . vɜlara . larθal'isa  . lart vɜlara.
:: 11: aulesa . vɜl . pumpu . pruciu . aule cɜlatina . sɜ
:: 12: tmnal . arnza . fɜlśni . vɜlθinal . vɜl . luisna
:: 13: lusce . vɜl uslna . nufresa . laru . slanzu . larz
:: 14: a lartle vɜlaveś arnt . pɜtru . raufe \\ 
    
Notes: In line 8, ''nuθanatur'' (8) apparently means “a group of witnesses,” from ''nuθe'' “observes” and the suffix ''‐θur/‐tur'' which forms nouns indicating membership.<ref>Rex E. Wallace "Language, Alphabet, and Linguistic Affiliation" in A Companion To The Etruscans editors S. Bell and A. A. Carpino, Wiley Blackwell, 2016, pp. 203 - 224; p. 213, 215</ref>

Much of the rest of this section seems to be a list of names of witnesses to the contract: ''lart/laris/larz''..., ''pɜtruni, pumpu'' (cf Oscan ''pump-'' "5" in Romanized names ''Pompeius'', etc). The last word is probably related to Latin ''Rufus'' (itself of dialect origin, the native Latin cognate being ''ruber'' 'red') and Umbrian ''rofu'' also "red" (presumably describing his hair), perhaps to distinguish this "Red Petronius" from "Lefty Petronius" (unless it is a form of Etruscan ''ruva'' "brother"). Variants of this form from other inscriptions include ''rauhe'' and ''ruvfe''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://etruscans1.tripod.com/Language/EtruscanR.html | title=Etruscan Glossary R }}</ref>

In line 11, with regard to ''aulesa . vɜl'', it may be noted that there is a statue also from Cortona (first century BCE) of a man described in Etruscan as ''aulesi vel...'' interpreted as "Aule, son of Vel..."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://smarthistory.org/larringatore/ | title=Aule Metele (Arringatore) – Smarthistory }}</ref> a name also seen here in lines 24, 26, and 39.

Also in line 11,  ''atina'' may mean "maternal" from ''ati'' "mother," just as ''apana'' "paternal" < ''apa'' "father."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://etruskisch.de/pgs/vc.htm | title=Etruscan vocabulary: A list }}</ref> As it is also written alone on a cup (ETP 136). But ''atina'' may also be a name, or theonym. A variant (?) ''atana'' is found on another drinking cup (kylix) at ETP 212.<ref name="web.archive.org"/> The phrase ''cel atina'' recurs at the end of the inscription, as well, and may be a particular place, or a theonym "Mother Earth."

Van der Meer offers: "The witnesses (are)": (list of 15 male names)<ref>Van der Meer, L. B. (2021) "The Tabula Cortonensis and Land Transactions" in Studii Etrusci pp. 157-181</ref>

===Fourth section===

::  14 (continued) ɜpru
:: 15: ś . ame . vɜlχe . cusu larisal . cleniarc . laris
:: 16: cusu . larisalisa larizac clan . larisal . pɜtr
:: 17: uni . scɜ[va]ś arntlei . pɜtruś . puia
:: 18: cen . zic . ziχuχe . sparzɜśtiś śazleiś in
:: 19: θuχti . cusuθuraś . suθiu . ame . tal suθive
:: 20: naś . ratm . θuχt . ceśu . tltel tɜi . sianś .
:: 21: sparzɜte . θui . sal t zic . fratuce . cusuθuraś .
:: 22: larisalisvla . pɜtruśc . scɜvaś . pesś . tarχia
:: 23: eś 

Notes: Again, mostly names here, many of which also appear on various other (especially the thousands of funereal) inscriptions, but also kinship terms: ''cleniar-c''(15) "and sons", ''clan''(16) "son", ''puia''(17) "wife". In lines 15 and 19, ''ame'' is a form of the copula verb ''am-'' "to be".

In line 18, the phrase ''cen . zic . ziχuχe'' probably means "this document (zic) was written".<ref name="Wallace, Rex E. 2000"/> The next word, ''sparzɜ''(18), seems to mean “tablet” (''sparza''), possibly in the locative here.<ref>Facchetti, Lingua Posnaniensis (Poznan, 2005), pp. 59–63.</ref>

18 -19 ''cen . zic . ziχuχe . sparzɜśtiś śazleiś in / θuχti . cusuθuraś . suθiu . ame'' according to H. Becker (following Facchetti 2005: 62; Maggiani 2001: 107; Wallace 2008: 213)  means: "This text which was written on a tablet ''sazle'' (perhaps meaning made of bronze or wood) was placed in the house (''θuχti'') of the Cusu family." But Wylin proposes: "This text has been transcribed from the original (''śazleiś'') tablet, which...."; a translation supported by the fact that the phrase ''sparzɜśtiś śazleiś'' is inflected with not only the locative ''-(t)i'' but also the ablative ''-s''.<ref>Wylin, Koen. 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.37; doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.2006.5004 https://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_2006_num_84_1_5004</ref>

The following phrase in 19 - 20  ''tal suθive / naś . rat-m . θuχt . ceśu'' according again to Becker, may mean "of that(?) having been done the deposit according to the rite (''rat-'')(?) in the house (''θuχt'') it stays" or "when that has been done, the deposit remains in the house as is the custom" <ref name="Etruscan Archives 2020. p. 172"/> As Becker points out, it is significant and interesting that this clearly public regal document is to reside in the presumably private residence.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/42281163 | title=Etruscan Literacy in its Social Context | chapter=Evidence for Etruscan Archives: Tracking the Epigraphic Habit in Tombs, the Sacred Sphere, and at Home |pages=159–180 |editor-last= Whitehouse |editor-first= Ruth D. |publisher= Accordia and the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London | date=January 2020 | last1=Becker | first1=Hilary |isbn=978-1-873415-37-5}}</ref>

According to C. De Simone, ''suθiu'' in line 19 means "funerary ceremony" and '' θuχt'' in 20 may refer to a feast in honor of the dead in "August."<ref>De Simone, C. ''La Tabula Cortonensis'' in Annali della Scuola Sup. Norm. di Pisa. Classi di lettere e filosofia, S. IV. III., 1  1998, 1-122; pp. 34-35, 87</ref>

Wylin interprets the phrase ''θuχt . ceśu . tltel tɜi'' (20) as "deposited in the house, in that of that one (referring to''pɜtruś'')" thus seeing it as parallel to the earlier phrase: ''θuχti . cusuθuraś . suθiu . ame''(19).<ref name="doi.org">Wylin, Koen. 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.38; doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.2006.5004 https://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_2006_num_84_1_5004</ref>

In line 20, the form ''fratu-ce'' has a past tense verbal ending ''-ce'', but it otherwise looks like the Umbrian and Latin word for "brother" ''frater'' in Umbrian context meaning a member of a holy order; so if the root was borrowed from Umbrian, this may mean something like "consulted together as brethren."<ref>L. B. van der Meer Liber linteus zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb. A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. Louvain/Dudley, MA 2007 p.49</ref>

Wylin proposes for the sequence ''sianś ./ sparzɜte . θui . salt zic . fratuce . cusuθuraś . / larisalisvla . pɜtruśc . scɜvaś . pesś . tarχian/eś \\''(20-23) the translation: "The ''sian'' ("wise one"? if related to Latin ''sanus'') incised (''fratu-ce'') the text (''zic'') here (''θui'') on the tablet (''sparzɜte'') with the agreement (''sal-t'') of C.L. and of P.S. from the field of Tarchian."<ref>Wylin, Koen. 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; doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/rbph.2006.5004 https://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_2006_num_84_1_5004</ref>

The ''pesś'' (farm?) of ''pɜtruśc . scɜvaś'' is mentioned again in line 22, followed by ''tarχian /eś'' which looks like a form of ''Tarchna'', ''Tarquinia'' a town name and family name.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://etruscans1.tripod.com/Language/EtruscanTA.html | title=Etruscan Glossary TA-TL }}</ref>

Van der Meer offers: "(The names) of the participants are: (list of names). This text has been copied from this bronze tablet, which (copied) text has been placed in the house of Cusuthur. The master of the house (literally 'father') has ratified this text as incised here on the tablet for the Cusu (family), sons of Laris, and for Petru Scevas from the Tarchianan estate."<ref>Van der Meer, L. B. (2021) "The Tabula Cortonensis and Land Transactions" in Studii Etrusci pp. 157-181</ref>

===Fifth section===

:: 23 (continued) cnl . nuθe . malec . lart . cucrina lausisa .
:: 24: zilaθ meχl .raśnal .[la]ris . cɜlatina lau
:: 25: sa  clanc . arnt luscni [a]rnθal . clanc . larz
:: 26: a . lart . turmna . salin[ial . larθ cɜlatina . 
:: 27: apnal . cleniarc . vɜlχe[ś][...][papal]
:: 28: śerc . vɜlχe . cusu . aule[sa][...]
:: 29: aninalc . laris . fuln[folnius][clenia]
:: 30: rc . lart . pɜtce . uslnal[...][cucrina]
:: 31 cucrinaθur . tɜcsinal . vɜl[...]   
 
Notes: In line 23, ''male-'' according to R. Wallace means "oversee," related to ''malena'' "mirror."<ref>Wallace, Rex E. (2000) "Tabula Cortonensis," Etruscan Studies: Vol. 7, Article 1. p.9</ref>

In line 25, we see the well attested word for "son" ''clan-c'' twice, and in 27 (and probably at 29-30) the plural ''cleniar-c'' "sons" also appears. Another kinship term, ''papal'' "grandson", occurs in the partly damaged line 27.

''zilath'' (24) is a well established Etruscan word meaning 'one who governs' from the verb ''zil'' 'to rule', thought to be equivalent of a Latin [[praetor]] in function. The full phrase ''zilaθ meχl.raśnal'' probably means "magistrate of the ''res publica''."<ref name="Wallace, Rex E. 2000"/>

A form somewhat similar to ''fuln[folnius]'' (29) can be found in the [[Tabula Capuana]]: ''ful/inus'nes'' (5/6). B. van der Meer thinks that it is a name of a god in the [[Tabula Capuana]] (= Fufluns?).<ref>Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 [2015], 149-175. p. 166</ref>

The form ''uslnal'' in 30 and 32 is similar to ''uslane-'' in [[Liber Linteus]] (5.21) (with expected loss of the internal vowel here), which van der Meer takes to be an adjectival form of ''usil''  "Sun (god), sun, noon, midday," though here it may be part of a name. The context of the Liber Linteus form is as follows (5.19-22): ''citz . vacl . nunθen . θesan . tinś . θesan / eiseraś . śeuś . unuχ . mlaχ . nunθen . θesviti / favitic . faśei . cisum .  θesane . '''uslanec''' / mlaχe . luri . zeric'' roughly: "Three times (perform) a libation. Make an offering to θesan (Dawn) of ''Tin'' (Jupiter) (and) to ''θesan'' / of the Dark Gods (= morning and evening Venus?), for them, make an appropriate offering with oil both in the morning / and in the evening (?), (and) three times (make a libation?) in the morning '''and at noon''' / for the beautiful ''Lur'' and ''Zer''."<ref>L. B. van der Meer Liber linteus zagrabiensis. The Linen Book of Zagreb. A Comment on the Longest Etruscan Text. Louvain/Dudley, MA 2007 pp.95-98</ref>

Van der Meer offers: "Bearing witness to and observing these matters are: Lars Cucrina, praetor of the city, and (list 15 male persons)."<ref>Van der Meer, L. B. (2021) "The Tabula Cortonensis and Land Transactions" in Studii Etrusci pp. 157-181</ref>

===On the back===

:: 33: aule . salini . cusual
:: 34: zilci . larθal . cusuś . titinal
:: 35: lari salc . saliniś . aulesla . celtinɜitis
:: 36: ś . tarsminaśś . sparza in θuχt ceśu . 
:: 37: ratm . suθiu . suθiusva . vɜlχeś . cusuśa 
:: 38: ulesla . vɜlθuruś . t[.]lniś . vɜlθurusla .
:: 39: larθalc . cɜlatinaś apnal . larisalc .
:: 40: cɜlatinaś . pitlnal

Notes: This section is mainly notable for seeming to identify the name of a known lake in line 36, ''tarsminaśś'' "Lake Trasimeno", leading some to conclude, as noted above, that what precedes must be the Etruscan word for "lake": ''nɜitisś'' (35/36) . The word ''celti'' that immediately precedes is the word for earth or land ''cel'' plus the locative ''-ti''. The same root shows up in 39 and 40 in the phrase ''cɜl atinaś'' with the second element either being a name, or related to ''ati'' "mother" (in which case "Mother Earth"? or "land of/consecrated to the Mother"?).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://etruskisch.de/pgs/pn.htm | title=Origins of the Etruscans }}</ref> Or Celatina could be simply a name (see below).

On ''sparza'' (36) "tablet" and ''θuχt'' "house" see above in section four. Wylin takes the phrase in lines 36-37 ''sparza in θuχt ceśu . / ratm . suθiu . suθiusa '' to mean: "the tablet that has been deposited (''cesu'') in this house has also (''rat-m''?) been deposited (suθiu[s]) in the residences (''suθiu-sva'') of..." followed by the names of four people.<ref name="doi.org"/>

The phrase ''zilci . larθal . cusuś / titinal. larisalc . saliniś . aulesla'' (34-35) probably means "In the ''Zilc''-ship of Lart Cusu, (son) of Titina, and of Laris Salini, (son) of Aule."  <ref name="Wallace, Rex E. 2000"/>

In full, this section roughly reads: "Aule Salini of the Cusu (family) (agreed to this) in the magistracy of Lart Cusu, (son) of Titina, and of Laris Salini, (son) of Aule in the land of Lake Trasimeno. (Copies of) the tablet lying in (this) house, according to custom, are deposited, as things to be placed (also in the houses) of: Velche Cusu, son of Aule; Velthur Titlni, son of Velthur; Lart Celatina, son of Apnei; and Laris Celatina, son of Pitlnei.<ref name="Etruscan Archives 2020. p. 172"/><ref>Van der Meer, L. B. (2021) "The Tabula Cortonensis and Land Transactions" in Studii Etrusci pp. 157-181</ref>

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==External links==
*[http://www.mysteriousetruscans.com/curtun.html Curtun (Modern Cortona)] Information about the ancient city of Curtun as well as details about this artifact found there
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716120536/http://mytuscany.splinder.com/archive/2007-09  Tavola di Cortona e Lamine di Pyrgi - traduzione] (italiano)
*[https://droitromain.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/Etrusca/Tabula_Cortonensis.gr.htm ''The Roman Law Library'' Division of an inheritance or sale of real estate (3rd or 2nd century BC)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081202113715/http://users.tpg.com.au/etr/etrusk/po/tabula.html Images of the Tabula]
*[http://kogni.narod.ru/cortona.htm Images and textual analysis]
* [https://classicalwisdom.com/science/archeology/tabula-cortonensis/] Tabula Cortonensis at Classical Wisdom

==Notes==
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{{Etruscans}}

[[Category:2nd-century BC inscriptions]]
[[Category:1992 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Etruscan artefacts]]
[[Category:Etruscan inscriptions]]