Whatmough believed in the existence of the sound /f/ in the ancient Celtic language, but there wa... more Whatmough believed in the existence of the sound /f/ in the ancient Celtic language, but there was not a clear example.
The accurate reading of the Prestino's inscription opens to new contents about the Lepontic language and the religious traditions.
The spread of the alphabet in Italy occurred between the 7th and the 6th centuries BC, resulting ... more The spread of the alphabet in Italy occurred between the 7th and the 6th centuries BC, resulting in the appearance of texts written in so many different languages and in such limited territorial space that one can hardly observe another similar event (Venetic, Raetic, Etruscan, Picenian, Faliscan, Latin, Umbrian, Oscan, Greek, etc.). In this paper, we analyzed inscriptions produced by the Veneti, the ancient inhabitants of a region located between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps, which has provided mainly short sepulchral and votive texts. After a careful analysis, some so far poorly understood texts revealed the development of symbols to represent numbers and the measurement of time. These features are connected with the experience of the Etruscans and show characteristics shared with neighboring Celtic populations. The inscriptions also highlight a focus on the supernatural and the underworld. Cultural influences from the east, especially from Egypt, which represent a prominent moment in the evolution of Greece in the 7th century BC, have left traces in figurative culture and, quite unexpectedly, even in language. Rigorous transliterations and original interpretations of the analyzed inscriptions support the proposed results.
Keywords: Venetic; base-twenty numbering system; Iron Age Italy; ansores; ekupetaris; iorobos
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Un'iscrizione più volte riprodotta sulle pareti di edifici religiosi interessava perché, in un mo... more Un'iscrizione più volte riprodotta sulle pareti di edifici religiosi interessava perché, in un mondo estremamente precario, cercava di allontanare una delle paure più inquietanti, che non era la morte.
Some geographic regions in the world are dense of diachronic linguistic overlapping. The etymolog... more Some geographic regions in the world are dense of diachronic linguistic overlapping. The etymological analysis of their place names is, consequently, complex. In this paper, we selected two villages from the mountains of Northeastern Italy, Velo d'Astico and Arsiero, located in an Alpine border area, as elements of a case study inherent in the naming process connected with the interactions of the local inhabitants with their territory. The Alps, a quite wide area of Europe, attracted human groups with different genetic and linguistic origins at least since the Neolithic and, probably, already from the Mesolithic. After providing a set of possible etymological solutions for the two place names, we introduce an explanation linked to archaic religion and ancestral cults in the specific border area, a territory where the transition (at the level of movements of population and of naming processes) is both an opportunity and a source of instability.
Also when most of the population was illiterate it was possible to comunicate with symbols. The p... more Also when most of the population was illiterate it was possible to comunicate with symbols. The preferred argument was about fears, and one was ubiquitous in the Middle Ages. ....
At the entrance of some churches in Tuscany (Italy), the reproduction of an apparently undecipherable inscription can be found. At least from the 18th century, this epigraphic puzzle has originated a debate on its interpretation. This study proposes a hypothesis based on the Latin alphabet used in texts contemporary to the churches where the inscription is reproduced and a possible interpretation of the message consistent with the official religious doctrine. The proposed deciphering is extended to the full text, including some signs that were previously considered as geometric forms or a specific elaboration of letters not attested in other contemporary documents.
Whatmough believed in the existence of the sound /f/ in the ancient Celtic language, but there wa... more Whatmough believed in the existence of the sound /f/ in the ancient Celtic language, but there was not a clear example.
The accurate reading of the Prestino's inscription opens to new contents about the Lepontic language and the religious traditions.
The spread of the alphabet in Italy occurred between the 7th and the 6th centuries BC, resulting ... more The spread of the alphabet in Italy occurred between the 7th and the 6th centuries BC, resulting in the appearance of texts written in so many different languages and in such limited territorial space that one can hardly observe another similar event (Venetic, Raetic, Etruscan, Picenian, Faliscan, Latin, Umbrian, Oscan, Greek, etc.). In this paper, we analyzed inscriptions produced by the Veneti, the ancient inhabitants of a region located between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps, which has provided mainly short sepulchral and votive texts. After a careful analysis, some so far poorly understood texts revealed the development of symbols to represent numbers and the measurement of time. These features are connected with the experience of the Etruscans and show characteristics shared with neighboring Celtic populations. The inscriptions also highlight a focus on the supernatural and the underworld. Cultural influences from the east, especially from Egypt, which represent a prominent moment in the evolution of Greece in the 7th century BC, have left traces in figurative culture and, quite unexpectedly, even in language. Rigorous transliterations and original interpretations of the analyzed inscriptions support the proposed results.
Keywords: Venetic; base-twenty numbering system; Iron Age Italy; ansores; ekupetaris; iorobos
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Un'iscrizione più volte riprodotta sulle pareti di edifici religiosi interessava perché, in un mo... more Un'iscrizione più volte riprodotta sulle pareti di edifici religiosi interessava perché, in un mondo estremamente precario, cercava di allontanare una delle paure più inquietanti, che non era la morte.
Some geographic regions in the world are dense of diachronic linguistic overlapping. The etymolog... more Some geographic regions in the world are dense of diachronic linguistic overlapping. The etymological analysis of their place names is, consequently, complex. In this paper, we selected two villages from the mountains of Northeastern Italy, Velo d'Astico and Arsiero, located in an Alpine border area, as elements of a case study inherent in the naming process connected with the interactions of the local inhabitants with their territory. The Alps, a quite wide area of Europe, attracted human groups with different genetic and linguistic origins at least since the Neolithic and, probably, already from the Mesolithic. After providing a set of possible etymological solutions for the two place names, we introduce an explanation linked to archaic religion and ancestral cults in the specific border area, a territory where the transition (at the level of movements of population and of naming processes) is both an opportunity and a source of instability.
Also when most of the population was illiterate it was possible to comunicate with symbols. The p... more Also when most of the population was illiterate it was possible to comunicate with symbols. The preferred argument was about fears, and one was ubiquitous in the Middle Ages. ....
At the entrance of some churches in Tuscany (Italy), the reproduction of an apparently undecipherable inscription can be found. At least from the 18th century, this epigraphic puzzle has originated a debate on its interpretation. This study proposes a hypothesis based on the Latin alphabet used in texts contemporary to the churches where the inscription is reproduced and a possible interpretation of the message consistent with the official religious doctrine. The proposed deciphering is extended to the full text, including some signs that were previously considered as geometric forms or a specific elaboration of letters not attested in other contemporary documents.
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The accurate reading of the Prestino's inscription opens to new contents about the Lepontic language and the religious traditions.
Keywords: Venetic; base-twenty numbering system; Iron Age Italy; ansores; ekupetaris; iorobos
At the entrance of some churches in Tuscany (Italy), the reproduction of an apparently undecipherable inscription can be found. At least from the 18th century, this epigraphic puzzle has originated a debate on its interpretation. This study proposes a hypothesis based on the Latin alphabet used in texts contemporary to the churches where the inscription is reproduced and a possible interpretation of the message consistent with the official religious doctrine. The proposed deciphering is extended to the full text, including some signs that were previously considered as geometric forms or a specific elaboration of letters not attested in other contemporary documents.
The accurate reading of the Prestino's inscription opens to new contents about the Lepontic language and the religious traditions.
Keywords: Venetic; base-twenty numbering system; Iron Age Italy; ansores; ekupetaris; iorobos
At the entrance of some churches in Tuscany (Italy), the reproduction of an apparently undecipherable inscription can be found. At least from the 18th century, this epigraphic puzzle has originated a debate on its interpretation. This study proposes a hypothesis based on the Latin alphabet used in texts contemporary to the churches where the inscription is reproduced and a possible interpretation of the message consistent with the official religious doctrine. The proposed deciphering is extended to the full text, including some signs that were previously considered as geometric forms or a specific elaboration of letters not attested in other contemporary documents.