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The ''Tabula Capuana'' ("Tablet from Capua";
Ital
Ital, also spelled I-tal (), is food often celebrated by those in the Rastafari movement. It is compulsory in the Bobo Ashanti and Nyabinghi mansions, though not in the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The word derives from the English word "vital", w ...
. ''Tavola Capuana''),
is an ancient
terracotta
Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous.
In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...
slab
Slab or SLAB may refer to:
Physical materials
* Concrete slab, a flat concrete plate used in construction
* Stone slab, a flat stone used in construction
* Slab (casting), a length of metal
* Slab (geology), that portion of a tectonic plate tha ...
, , with a long inscribed text in
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
** Etrusca ...
, dated to about 470 bce, apparently a ritual
calendar.
About 390 words are legible, making it the second-most extensive surviving Etruscan text. (The longest is the linen book ''(
Liber Linteus)'', also a ritual calendar, used in
ancient Egypt for
mummy
A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the recovered body does not decay fu ...
wrappings, now at
Zagreb
Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...
.) It is located in the
Altes Museum
The Altes Museum (English: ''Old Museum'') is a listed building on the Museum Island in the historic centre of Berlin. Built from 1825 to 1830 by order of King Frederick William III of Prussia according to plans by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, it i ...
,
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
.
Description
Horizontal scribed lines divide the text into ten sections. The writing is most similar to that used in
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 =
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
, demog ...
in the mid 5th century BC, though surely the text being transcribed is much older. The text is boustrophedon, with the first line to be read left to right, the next right to left, etc.
Attempts at deciphering the text (Mauro Cristofani, 1995) are most generally based on the supposition that it prescribes certain rites on certain days of the year at certain places for certain deities. The text itself was edited by Francesco Roncalli, in ''Scrivere etrusco'' 1985.
Recently, a major scholar in the field, Bouke van der Meer has proposed a "very tentative partial word-for-word translation" of the text:
Text example
(/ indicates line break; some word breaks are uncertain)
First section (lines 1-7): MARCH?
The first legible section likely is devoted to rituals to be held in March (though the Etruscan word for this month, ''Velcitna'', does not occur in the legible text, presumably because it was in the missing parts).
There are three to five initial lines missing and then 30-50 characters missing in the initial damaged lines shown here.
:: ...vacil.../
2ai savcnes satiriasa.../
3...
unθ?ri θuθcu
:: vacil śipir śuri leθamsul
::: ci tartiria /
4 cim cleva
::::acasri halχtei
:: vacil iceu śuni savlasie...
(~5-8 characters broken off at the end of this line)
::: /
5 ulri zile picasri
::::savlasieis
:: vacil lunaśie vaca iχnac
::::fuli/
6nuśnes
:: vacil savcnes itna
::: muluri zile picasri
::::iane
:: vacil l/
7eθamsul scuvune
::::marzac saca⋮
Notes:
In line 1 and throughout, ''vacil'' may mean "libation" (or some similar rite or ceremony), in which case each of the first phrases beginning with it presumably indicate what deity to pour a libation to and perhaps other information. However, Steinbauer (agreeing with Rix) has challenged this assumptions 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, proposed that ''vacil'' (with its variants ''vacal'' and ''vacl'') simply means "then."
In line 2, ''savc-nes'' according to van der Meer is an Apolline god, perhaps related in form to ''saucsaθ'' at 3.15 of the
Liber Linteus. The form in the Liber Linteus, preceded as here by the term ''vacl'' "libation," also falls in a section that probably deals with March, though as here there is no explicit mention of a month name. The relevant text from that passage of the Liber Linteus is as follows (3.15-3.17): ''vacl . an . ścanince . saucsaθ . persin / cletram . śrenχve . iχ . ścanince . ciz . vacl / ara'' roughly "The libation which was poured to ''Sauc- Pers-'' (should be performed) with the decorated litter just as it had been poured (before); perform the libation three times."
Note that the ending ''-nes/-nis'' also occurs in the forms ''fulinuś-nes'' (5-6) and caθ-nis (9), all referring to deities.
In line 2, ''satiriasa'' (if one word) may be a form of ''Satre'' the Etruscan term for
Saturn, which also appears on the
Piacenza Liver
The Liver of Piacenza is an Etruscan artifact found in a field on September 26, 1877, near Gossolengo, in the province of Piacenza, Italy, now kept in the Municipal Museum of Piacenza, in the Palazzo Farnese.
It is a life-sized bronze model o ...
among chthonic deities. Or it could be in some way connected to or contrasting with ''tartiria'' at the end of line 3.
In line three, ''
śuri'' is a (not necessarily exclusively) chthonic deity.''Leθam-s'' appears on the
Piacenza Liver
The Liver of Piacenza is an Etruscan artifact found in a field on September 26, 1877, near Gossolengo, in the province of Piacenza, Italy, now kept in the Municipal Museum of Piacenza, in the Palazzo Farnese.
It is a life-sized bronze model o ...
among chthonic deities, but may have other connections as well. The genitive is used here as usual for indirect object.
In lines three and four, ''ci(m)'' means "three," and both ''tartiria'' and ''cleva'' indicate kinds of offerings, yielding a possible partial translation: "To Lethams, three ''tartiria'' (perhaps related to Greek Tartaros, as if '(gifts) for the underworld'?) offerings and three ''cleva'' offerings ..." In line 4, ''halχ-'' is likely the name of a kind of vase.
A verbal form of ''vacil'' may be seen in line 5: ''vac-a'' "make a libation (to)?"; But van der Meer reads ''faca'' here, with unknown meaning. A similar form, ''vac-i'' is in line 28, also preceding a form of '' fuli/nuśnes''. Also in line 5, ''lunaśie'' brings to mind the Roman moon goddess, ''Luna'' (which some equate with ''Cath'', see below).
''pi-cas(ri)'' (5,6) is defined by Pallottino as a verb of offering, to be compared with ''a-cas'' "to do; to offer." ''mulu-'' (4/5, 6) and ''scu-'' (7, 10) seem to be roots meaning "to offer, give" and "finish", respectively; and ''sac-'' means "carry out a sacred act; consecrate." In lines 5 - 6, '' fuli/nuśnes'' may be a form of
Fufluns, the Etruscan
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Roma ...
who is associated with the Etruscan goddess ''Caθa'' who also seems to be mentioned in this text (see below). A somewhat similar form, ''fuln
olnius' can be found on line 29 of the
Tabula Cortonensis
The ''Tabula Cortonensis'' (sometimes also ''Cortona Tablet'') is a 2200-year-old, inscribed bronze tablet in the Etruscan language, discovered in Cortona, Italy. It may record for posterity the details of an ancient legal transaction which too ...
.
Note the frequent repetitions (besides ''vacil''): ''savcnes''(2,6); ''leθamsul''(3, 6/7, 8...); ''mulu-ri zile picas-ri''(4/5,6); ''savlasie(is)''(4, 5); ''scu-vune marza(c)''(7) versus ''marza...scuvse''(10)...
Start of second section (starting on line 8): APRIL = ''apirase''
The second section seems to be devoted to rituals to be held in April.
:: iśvei tule ilucve apirase
:::: leθamsul ilucu cuiesχu perpri
::: cipen apires /
9 racvanies huθ zusle
:: rithnai tul tei
:::: snuza in te hamaiθi
::::: civeis caθnis fan/
10iri
:::: marza in te hamaiθi
::::: ital sacri
::::: utus ecunza
::::: iti alχu
::::::scuvse
:: riθnai tu/
11 l tei
::: ci zusle acun siricima nunθeri
::: eθ iśuma zuslevai apire nunθer/
12i
::::: avθleθ aium
:::: vacil ia leθamsul nunθeri
:::: vacil ia riθnaita
::: eθ aθene/
13ica perpri...
Notes: Line 8: ''isvei'' occurs frequently in the
Liber Linteus where it appears to mean "festival" or "ides". The form''tul(e)''(8, 9, 10) in some contexts means "stone," perhaps related to ''tular'' "border" (< "stone marking a border"?), itself probably related to (or the origin of?) Umbrian ''tuder'' "boundary" also the origin of the Umbrian town name Todi. Here it seems to mean "(on or after) the ides (of a particular month)." According to van der Meer, ''iluc-ve/u'' (twice in line 8) means "feast." Of course, ''iśvei'' and ''tule'' can't both mean "ides," and in any case, the Latin ''ides'' originally fell on the full moon and was sacred to Jupiter, but since the deities recognizable here are underworld (''leθams'' and ''caθ''), ''tul'' may instead refer to the dark phase of the moon, or the new moon (Latin ''kalends''). As van der Meer points out elaborately elsewhere, the contrast between light and dark gods was very important for the Etruscan calendar and for how they divided up the heavens.
''apirase'' may mean "(in the) month of April." See above for ''Leθam-sul''. Van der Meer translates ''pep-ri'' as "must be held." ''cipen'' seems to be a priestly title (with variants ''cepa(r)'', ''cepe(n)'').
''huθ'' in line 9 means "six," and ''ci'' in line 11 means "three." ''zusle(-vai)'' (9, 11) means "sacrificial victims" perhaps specifically "piglets."
At the end of line 9, ''caθ-nis'' may be a form of
Catha, an Etruscan goddess, with an ending ''-nis/-nes'' also seen above in other theonymns: ''savc-nes'' (lines 2 and 6) and ''fuli/nuś-nes'' (lines 5-6). Rarely depicted in art, she is number 8 (among celestial gods) and number 23 on the
Piacenza Liver
The Liver of Piacenza is an Etruscan artifact found in a field on September 26, 1877, near Gossolengo, in the province of Piacenza, Italy, now kept in the Municipal Museum of Piacenza, in the Palazzo Farnese.
It is a life-sized bronze model o ...
.
''sacri'' (10) is certainly connected to words meaning "sacred; victim for sacrifice"—Latin ''sacer'', Umbrian ''sacra'' sakra, Oscan sakri-, and to 'saca' in line 7 above.
''nunθe-ri'' (11 twice) seems to be a verb "invoke" or "offer," with the necessitive ending ''-ri'' also seen in ''pep-ri''(8), ''picas-ri''(5), ''mulu-ri''(4/5), and perhaps ''śu-ri''(3) and ''sac-ri''(10). ''eθ'' (11, 12) means "thus." ''avθ-leθ'' (12) may be related to ''avθa'' "northwind; eagle."
The word ''acun'' in line 11 may be from Greek ''agon'' (ἀγών) originally "struggle," which came to be used as a term for festivals involving competitive sports; compare Latin ''Agonalia'' festivals in honor of Janus in Rome held in January, March, May and December. Later forms show syncope (loss of word-internal vowels): ''acn-es-em'' on the
Liber Linteus (10.5)) and ''acn-s . priumn-es'' "the ''agon'' of Priam" on the left side of the Volterna urn.
Third section (lines 18-20): MAY = ''an/mpile''
:: iśvei tule ilucve anp
li laruns ilucu huχ
:: śanti huri alχu esχaθ canulis
:: mulu/
19ri zile zizri
::: inpa ...an acasri
:: tiniantule leθamsul ilucu perpri
:: śanti arvus/
20ta aius nunθeri
''Larun, Canuli, Tinia'', and ''Aiu'' are names of Etruscan gods; ''huχ'' may mean "celebrate", ''alχu'' "given," ''esχaθ'' "bring, place"; ''arvusta'' "(produce of the) field" (compare Umbrian arvam "field"; arvia "fruits of the field, grain").
[Bouke Van Der Meer "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014 015 149-175. p. 168] Other words have either already been defined above or are of uncertain meaning.
Discovery
The tablet was uncovered in 1898 in the burial ground of
Santa Maria Capua Vetere
Santa Maria Capua Vetere ( nap, Santa Maria 'e Capua) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caserta, part of the region of Campania (southern Italy).
Though it is not connected with the ''Civitas Capuana'', the town is a medieval place and ...
.
References
Sources
*Cristofani, M. ''Tabula Capuana: Un calendario festivo di età arcaica'' (Firenze 1995).
*van der Meer, L. B. "Some comments on the Tabula Capuana", in: Studi Etruschi 77, 2014
015 149-175.
External links
Basic information, adopted for this entry; photograph(Italian)
{{Etruscans
5th-century BC works
1898 archaeological discoveries
Clay tablets
Etruscan artefacts
Etruscan ceramics
Etruscan inscriptions
Capua (ancient city)
Archaeological discoveries in Italy