Work notes on the Pyrgi Gold Tablets moreThe Pyrgi Gold Tablets consist of three sheets of gold, two of which are written with Etruscan letters and the third is in Punic. Scholars have speculated that the tablets are a bilingual text. It is not exactly bilingual, but the texts of the group tend to follow a common theme, that of a dedication. While translators of the Punic text claim that that text addresses the goddess Astarte, there is no reference to Astarte in the Etruscan text. Three goddesses are mentioned in the Etruscan text: RIA (possibly Rea Silvia, mother of Romulus and Remus, MIA (possibly May, month, or Maia, mother of Mercury (L. Maia-ae; adj. Maius-a-um; Maius, May) and Uni, consort of Tini. Uni and Tini correspond to Greek Hera and Zeus, Roman Juno and Jupiter. Janus the god of doorways, new beginnings, is mentioned. There may be a reference to Remus (REMIA), which would validate the name RIA, and the text concludes with what appears to be the phrase, "I renewed Aph." Aph, who appears to be a fertility goddess, is mentioned in many texts (see the Etruscan GlossaryA.pdf). The goddess Astarte / Ishtar have been likened to Juno (Etr. Uni), Greek Hera, as presiding over childbirth and being a protector goddess. They are also equated to the the Egyptian goddess Isis who was the consort to the god of the underworld and judge of the dead, Osiris. Isis was depicted with the horns of a heifer on her head which represented the crescent moon. She was identified with Aphrodite (Roman Venus). Isis had a temple of her own in Rome, and their are many votive figures of Isis-Aphrodite, including one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Etruscan name of Aphrodite is Turan (TVRAN). It may be that both Aph and Turan served the Venus role, of love and childbirth, just as we can see the virgin huntress role of Artemis shared with a goddess named Mean (MEAN- See the Divine Mirror, Script DM). |
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Work notes on the Pyrgi Gold Tablets - a survey of Etruscan Phrases texts
February 20, 2012 By Mel Copeland (Relating to http://www.maravot.com/Pyrgi_1Translation.html) A work in progress
The Pyrgi Gold Tablets consist of three sheets of gold, the third of which is written in Punic. Because of the Punic inscription scholars have been tempted to believe that the document is a bilingual text. This translation follows the results of the Zagreb Mummy (see "Work Notes on the Zagreb Mummy." ), "Work Notes on the Tavola Cortonensis," "Work Notes on the Perugia Cippus," "Work Notes on the Magliano Disk and "Work Notes on the Novilara Stele.” (PDF files), all of which are reconciled to one another. This latest change is based upon Etruscan GlossaryA.pdf developed from our Indo-European Table 1. This is one of the more exciting Etruscan texts because of the UniAstarte connection. It’s not exactly bilingual, but overall the message between the two Etruscan and Punic texts is consistent. It is a dedication. Our source on Mythology is the Meridian handbook of Classical Mythology, by Edward Tripp, New American Library 1970. Our updated translation follows: The first line is damaged and thus difficult to read.
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Work notes on the Pyrgi Gold Tablets - a survey of Etruscan Phrases texts
Au-1 RIA or THIA (Θ IA)1 Te MIA ICA Ce HE (HE to the next line) Rhea2 mother of Zeus and Hera, you (L. tu, te, vos; 2nd pers. sing. acc., abl.; It. te, to you; Fr. te, to you) Maia, mother of Mercury, month of May (L. Maia-ae) she strikes, hits, he slays (L. icio or ico, ici, ictum) to us (It. ce) Note: If this text is the Etruscan version of the Pyrgi Tablet # 3, written in Punic, a dedication to the goddess Ishtar, then an equivalent goddess must appear in the introduction of this text. Ishtar, also known as Astarte, is equated with the Greek goddess of love and the moon, Aphrodite (Etr. Turan, Roman Venus). If this text is specifically referring to the mother of Mercury (Gr. Hermes, Etr. TVRMS – See CC-3, CM-3, CV-1), then the only connection Aphrodite had with Hermes is that Hermes seduced her, producing a child named Hermaphroditus. The Wikipedia.org article on Astarte says, “ A bilingual inscription on the Pyrgi Tablets dating to about 500 BC found near Caere in Etruria equates Astarte with Etruscan Uni-Astre that is, Juno. At Carthage Astarte was worshipped alongside the goddess Tanit.” Uni (VNI, VNIA), consort of TINI, TINIA, is equated with Juno, consort of Jupiter. Juno is equated with Hera, the consort of Zeus. Livy reports that in the early wars of Rome with the Etruscans, the city of Veii was conquered and the statue of its principal goddess, Uni, was carried off and set in the capitol of Rome. Before this event an Etruscan soothsayer was captured by the Roman army and interrogated. The man said:
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Thia (name, perhaps based on Theia, a Titaness, daughter of Ge and Uranus, mother of Eos, Helius and Selene by brother Hyperion; possibly Dia, mother of Mercury (L. Dia-ae). THIA declines: THIA, M56, Au-1; THIE, AD-6, day, and TIE, Z1216, Au-9, N453, R15, R114, R661, XP-4; PM-7, AF-21 and days, TIES, AG-3, N312, Q263, R661, XA-20. The theta (Θ) does not appear elsewhere in this texts. 2 Rhea a mother goddess is a Titaness identified with the Roman god Ops, and she was married to her brother Cronus. Cronus (Roman Saturn) ate each of the children born by Rhea, because he was warned by his parents that his child will try to overtake him. Rhea’s youngest child, Zeus, was hidden and substituted for a rock which Cronus ate and having been saved was subsequently raised in Crete, though the Arcadians claimed he was raised in their land. When Zeus grew to manhood, his first wife, Metis, gave Cronus an emetic so that he vomited up his children. They joined Zeus in deposing Cronus and certain of his fellow Titans. During the conflict Rhea sent Hera to Oceanus and Tethys for safekeeping. Rhea was often identified by the Greeks with the Phrygian goddess Cybele, the Mother of the Gods. In this role she is said to have taught the god Dionysus many of his rites. The Curetes who helped protect the infant Zeus in Crete are confused with the Phrygian Corybantes, who were companions of Cybele. Cybele is portrayed driving a chariot pulled by two lions and seated she has two lions on either side of her. Her rites were nocturnal and particularly noisy. Her priests would castrate themselves in memory of Cybele’s consort, Atys, who was castrated. Hera became the consort of Zeus, as Juno was the consort of Jupiter and the Etruscan Uni the consort of Tini, Tinia.
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Work notes on the Pyrgi Gold Tablets - a survey of Etruscan Phrases texts
(Livy, “The Early History of Rome,” 5.16>) …He went on to say that it was known to Etruscan lore and written in the books of fate that if the Romans drained the water from the Alban lake after it had risen high, then they would be granted victory over Veii; till then, the gods of Veii would never desert her city walls. He then began to explain in detail the proper method of drawing off the water….(5.21) When all property of value belong to men ahd been taken from Veii, work began on the removal of what belonged to the gods – the temple treasures and the divine images themselves. It was done with the deepest reverence; young soldiers were specially chosen for the task of conveying Queen Juno to Rome; having washed their bodies and dressed themselves in white, they entered her temple in awe, and shrank at first from what seemed the sacrilege of laying hands upon her image, which the Etruscan religion forbade anyone except the holder of a certain hereditary priesthood to touch. Suddenly one of them said: ‘Juno, do you want to go to Rome?’ Whether the question was divinely inspired or merely a young man’s joke, who knows? But his companions all declared that the statue nodded its head in reply. We are told, too, that words were uttered, signifying assent. In any case – fables apart – she was moved from her place with only the slightest application of mechanical power, and was light and easy to transport – almost as if she came of her own free will – and was taken undamaged to her eternal dwelling-place on the Aventine, whither the Dictator had called her in his prayer. And there Camillus afterwards dedicated to her the temple he had vowed. Such ws the fall of Veii, the wealthiest city of Etruria.3 In this sense Uni (Juno) was considered the protector of the Etruscan city of Veii, if not the civilization. Uni (VNI) appears at Z1654, TC171, N173, N435, AH-7, PL-31, MG-2, CE-2, CK-3, DN-2. PL-31 is a section of the Piacenza Liver. A mirror with text, AH, shows Vni suckling Heracles: (L. Hercules) (Etr. HERKLE, HERCLE - DM-2, AH-6, MR-1, LM-2, CAA-1, CL-1, CS-2, CZ-3). What is curious in this image is that HERCLE is a grown man with a beard, suckling at Uni’s breast. The Greek myth shows Hera suckling the babe Heracles as a result of being tricked into doing so, after she attempted to kill the child (believing that he would supplant his father), placing poison snakes in his crib, etc. His aggressive suckling caused Hera’s milk to be spilled, creating the Milky Way. Script AH, of Uni suckling Hercle, is at: http://www.maravot.com/Uni_suckling-Heracles.html. Au-7 (HE)RAMAS AVA (AFA) TIE KE of the Heram, festivals of Hera (L. Heraea-orum, 1st Decl. Acc. pl. -as) the grandmother (L. avia-ae) of the day (L. m. dies-ei) that/which (It. che) Au-13 VNIA LAS T _ _S REMIA [the goddess] Uni (Uni, Unia, gen.) I weary, release (lassoare ) T_ _S; Remia, name of person or place, Remus? (L. Remus-i,4 Gen. singl. “”ia” = - ae”).
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The Early History of Rome, translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt, Penguin Books, 1979, pp. 360-366. Romulus and Remus were sons of Rea Silvia, daughrer of Numitor, king of Alba Longa. Rea Silvia’s uncle Amulius deposed her father and appointed her a Vestal Virgin to prevent her from bearing rightful heirs to the throne. She
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Work notes on the Pyrgi Gold Tablets - a survey of Etruscan Phrases texts
Note: If Au-1 RIA is Rea Silvia, mother of Romulus & Remus, then it appears that she is being equated with MIA and Juno. We are not sure of the connection there. Au-17 SA MEK RVTA RE8AR (R from Au22) himself, herself (L. se, sese; Fr. sa); with me (It. mecco) he/she whirls around/brandishes (L. roto-are); to dream/ponder (Fr. rever) Au-22 (R) PEI FEL IANVS SAL sal, salis); for the (It. pei) great (Fel) [god] Janus,5 the salt/wisdom (L.
Au-27 CLVFENIAS TVR IC Clovenias, name, or alternatively I am named (L. clueo-ire, Ind. Pres.1st pers. singl. clueō; It. cloe, namely) Fenias, name; I watch over, regard (L. tuor or tueor, tueri; Scott, tuir, to delore; Gr. Theoro) here, now (L. hic [and heic], hice; It. qui; Fr. ici) Au-30 CE MVNIS TAS RVFAS to us (It. ce); you advise, warn (L. moneo, monere, monui, monitum) I say nothing (L. taceo-ere-itum); Rufas, name, ruddy (L. rufus-a-um, red, ruddy) Au-34 TA MERES CA ILA CFE to you (L. ta) you merit (L. mereo-ere, Ind. Pres. 2nd Pers. singl. meres what (L. quae or qua) by that way (L. illa) you assemble/engage (L coeo-ire-iviitum, Ind. Pres. 2nd Pers. singl. coīs) Au-39 TVLERA SE NAC CI AFI (AFI to next line) he bears/endures (L. tolero-are, Ind. Pres. 2nd Pers. singl. tolerat) himself (L. se, sese); the born/birth because (L. quia) or alternatively, which (It. chi) Note: if SA is reflexive, herself, then “SE” must be himself. Au-43 (AFI)L KVR FAR TESI AME IT (IT on next line) L she possess (L. habeo-ere-ui-itum) of the heart/judgment (L. cor, cordis) grain (L. far, farris) the thesis (L. thesis-is; It. f. tesi, Fr. f. thèse) you love (L. amo-are; Conj. Pres. 2nd Pers. singl. amēs) Au-48 (IT)ALE ILA CFE AL SASE the Italians (L. Itali-orum and -um, the Italians; Italia-ae, Italy; adj. Italicus and Italus-a-um, Italian; adj. Italis-idis) by that way (L. illa) you assemble/come
was seduced by Mars, however, and bore twin sons, Romulus and Remus. Amulius flung her into prison and had the babies exposed in a basket upon the Tiber river. The babies floated to the shore where they were suckled by a she-wolf and fed by a woodpecker, both of which were sacred to the babes’ father, mars. The chief shepherd of Amulius, Faustulus, found them, took them home to his wife, and raised them. Later when attempting to found a new city (to become Rome) the two grown men got into a brawl and Remus was killed. In any event Romulus was left alone to found their city and named it after himself. 5 Janus is the Roman god of doors and of beginnings. All doors and gates were sacred to Janus. So were all beginnings, which the Romans believed to be crucial to the success of any undertaking, presumably regarding them as doorways to the future. Janus’ blessing was asked, therefore, on the beginning over every day, month and year; the first month of the year was named for him. He also presided over the sowing – that is, the beginning – of the crops and over the start of virtually every other significant endeavor. The Romans probably marched to war through Janus’ sacred gateway, the Ianus geminus, which stood in the Forum and remained open during wars. Janus was represented in art with two faces that faced in opposite directions, as do doors. He was also sometimes shown with four faces.
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Work notes on the Pyrgi Gold Tablets - a survey of Etruscan Phrases texts
together (L. coeo-ire-ivi-itum); to the (It. al) rock (It. sasso, m. stone, pebble, rock) Note: ITALE declines: ITALA, Au59 and ITHAL, PC-4. Au-53 NAC AT RANES SILAC born (L. nascor-i) and indeed (L. ac, atque) or alternatively, but, yet, moreover (L. at [ast]) of the kidneys (L. renes-um, m. pl.) the flint, rock (L. silex-icis; It. silice; Fr. silex) Au-57 AL SELE ITALA ACNASF to the (It. al) magistrate's seats (L. sellae-e) Italian (L. Italus-a-um); related by males (L. agnatio-onis) Au-61 ERS ITANIM HERAM the lord, lords (L. erus-i) of Itanim or alternatively for indeed ( L. etenim) of the festival of Hera (L. Heraea-orum, n. pl. Hera) Au-64 FE AFIL FNIA CA PVL I sail, convey (L. veho, vehere, Ind. Pres. 1st Pers. singl. vehō) she lives, posseses (L. habeo-ere); the vineyard (L. vinea - ae, f.) by which way (L. qua) (PVL belongs with Au68) Au-68 (PVL)VMeK FAI the controversy (It. polemica; Fr. polémique) you performed (It. fare, 2nd person sing. indicative, fai.) IIF (seems to be an initial)
Pyrgi Gold Tablet # 2 Au-74 NAC RE8A RIE FEL born (L. nascor-i, to be born) she dreams/ponders (Fr. rever) of these matters (L. res, rei) (the "I" to FELI is on the next line) Au-76 (FEL)I IVNAS RAMV CE bitter (L. fel, fellis, the gall bladder, gall, bile, poison, venom, bitterness) of Junas (L. Iuno-onis, f. the goddess Juno; Greek Hera, Etruscan Uni), or alternatively, the Ionians (L. Iones-um) I return (L. remeo-are) to us (It. ce)
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Work notes on the Pyrgi Gold Tablets - a survey of Etruscan Phrases texts
Au-80 CLEFA ETVNA Le the staff, cudgel (L. clava-ae f.) it thunders (L. attono-tonare - tonui tonitum, to strike with thunder, stun, inspire) there (le) Au-83 MASAN TI VR they amass/crowd (Fr. masser); to you, yours (L. tibi; It. ti) I speak (L. oro-are, Ind. Pres. 1st Pers. singl. ōrō) Au-86 VNIAS SELA CE E F (F goes to Au90) of one (L. unus-a-um, gen. unius, dat. uni) seat (L. sellae-e, f.) to us (It. ce) from, out of (L. e, ex) Au-90 (F)ACA Le Te MIA Le A a cow (L. vacca-ae) there; to you, your (L. te) Maia, mother of Mercury, month of May (L. Maia-ae) there (le); on/from, to, at (L. a) Au-96 FILiK FAL AM VC the fruitful/succesful (L. felix-icis) valley (L. valles [vallis]-is) I love, wish (L. amo-are) I prophesy (L. auguror-ari, Ind. Pres. 1st Pers. singl. augurō; Welsh, argoelion, omen; Persian, ukhra; Alb. ogur) or alternatively “yes” (southern French “oc” for “oui,” yes) Au-99 E PVLVMeKU (PVLVMeKF) out of (L. e, ex) the controversy (Fr. polémique; It. polemica) Au100 A Se NVI A Φ (APH); by, because of (L. a) I renewed (L. novo-are, to renew, Ind. Perf. 1st Pers. singl. novāvī) [the goddess] Aph. (Aphrodite?) ́ Note: Aph appears at Au103, N123, Q433, Q475, R121, R306, R314, R437, R447, R521, R596.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------Pyrgi Gold Tablet # 3 Transcription of the Phoenician text according to Sabitino Moscati: Lrbt l'shtr ?sr qdsh 'z 'sh p?l w'sh ytn tbry' wlnsh mlk 'l kyshry' byrh zbh shmsh bntn' bbt wbn
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Work notes on the Pyrgi Gold Tablets - a survey of Etruscan Phrases texts
tw k?shtrt 'rsh bdy lmlky shnt shlsh III by rh krr bym qbr 'lm wshnt lmpsh 'lm bbty shnt km hkkbm Translation of the Phoenician text according to Sabatino Moscati: To [our] Lady Ishtar. This is the holy place // which was made and donated // by TBRY WLNSH [= The faries Velianas] who reigns on // Caere [or: on the Caerites], during the month of the sacrifice // to the Sun, as a gift in the temple. He b//uilt an aedicula [?] because Ishtar gave in his hand [or: raised him with her hand] // to reign for three years in the m//onth of KRR [=Kerer], in the day of the burying // of the divinity. And the years of the statue of the divinity // in his temple [might be ? are ?] as many years as these stars. Another translation provided by Professor Charles Krahmalkov, University of Michigan: "My own translation of the text is: 'For the Lady, for Astarte, is this sacred '-sh-r (?place, shrine) that The farie Velianas, King of Cisre (=Caere), made and presented as a gift in (=?to, for) the temple; and he built its/her/the cella (=adyton), because She requested <it> of him, in the month of Kirur, on Burial of the God day, in year three of his reign. The sh-n-t (??years) of the statue of the goddess in her temple <??are> sh-n-t (??years) like these stars.' "It's a difficult text to translate, because – in my opinion – it was written by someone whose first language was Etruscan and whose Punic (=Phoenician) was not too good, that is, he was translating literally from the Etruscan. "The gold lamina is called in Punic (=Western Phoenician) a delt (comes into Greek as deltos) 'tablet'; these plaques, also made of wood or copper/bronze, were nailed to the wall of the sanctuary. In one Phoenician inscription from Cyprus the writer of a plaque wrote in the plaqueinscription: 'I wrote this bronze plaque, in which are the details of my benefaction, and nailed it to the wall <of the temple>.'
Launched: 02.20.12 Copyright © 1981-2012 Mel Copeland. All rights reserved.
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