Cippus Abellanus

Last updated

The Cippus Abellanus is a stone slab inscribed in the Oscan language. [1] It is one of the most important examples of the Oscan language along with the Tabula Bantina. [2]

Contents

The Cippus Abellanus is part of the collection of the History and Archaeology Museum of Nola  [ it ] in Nola, Italy.

Discovery

The Cippus Abellanus was discovered on the site of the ancient town of Abella (now Avella) in 1745, being used as a base for a door.

Description

The Cippus Abellanus is a limestone tablet 192 cm high (~ six feet) high by 55 cm wide and 27cm thick. The engraved letters are 3.5 cm high on average. The date likely some time in the 2nd century BCE, probably around 150. These inscriptions use the Etruscan alphabet.

Cippus Abellanus is an agreement marking the limits between the cities of Abella and Nola around a temple dedicated to Heracles. [3]

Text

Side A

maiiúí vestirikiíúí mai(eís) sta(ttieís)
prupukid sverruneí kvaístu-
reí abellanúí, íním maiiúí
lúvkiíúí mai(eís) pakalatúí
[m]edíkeí deketasiúí núvl[a]
[núí], íním lígatúís abellan[úís]
íním lígatúís núvlanúís,
pús senateís tanginúd
suveís pútúrúspíd ligat[ús]
fufans, ekss kúmbened [am-?]

sakaraklúm herekleís [ú]p
slaagid púd íst, íním teer[úm]
púd úp eísúd sakaraklúd [íst],
púd anter teremníss eh[......]
íst, paí teremenniú mú[íníkad]
tanginúd prúftú set r[...5-6...]
amnúd, puz ídík sakar[aklúm]
íním ídík terúm múín[íkúm]
múíníkeí tereí fusíd, [íním]
eíseís sakarakleís [íním]
tere[í]s fruktatiuf múíníkú pútúrú[mpid]
[fus]íd. avt núvlan[úm es-]
[tud] herekleís fí[isnaíen dún-]

[úm p]íspíd núvlan[ús ....]
[...] íp p[...]ís [..........]

Side B

ekkum [svaí píd íússu íp]
trííbarak [avum hereset ant]
líimítú[m h]ernúm, [puf]
herekleís fíisnú mefi[ú]
íst, ehtrad feíhúss pú[s]
herekieís fiísnam amfr-
et pert víam pússtís,
paí íp íst pústin slagím,
senateís suveís tangi-
núd tríbarakavúm lí-/kitud.

  íním íúk tríba-
rakkiuf pam núvlanús
tríbarakattuset íním
úíttiuf núvlanúm estud.

ekkum svaí píd abellanús
tríbarakattuset íúk trí-
barakkiuf íním úíttiuf
abellanúm estud.
  avt
púst feíhúís pús fisnam am-
fret eíseí tercí nep abel-
lanús nep núvlanús pídum
tríbarakattins.
  avt the-
savrúm púd e<í>seí tereí íst
pún patensíns máíníkad t[an]-
[g]ínúd patensíns; íním píd e[íseí]
thesavreí púkkapíd ee[stit]
[a]íttíúm alttram alttr[ús] /[h]erríns.

  avt anter slag[ím]
[a]bellanam íním núvlanam
[s]ullad víú uruvú íst pedú(m) x[+?].
[e]ísaí víaí mefìaí tereme[n]-
[n]iú staíet. [4]

Translations

From Buck (1904)

Side A (numbers indicate lines)

1-10. Agreed as follows between the quaestor of Abella-- Majus Vestiricius (son) of Majus Statius, the previously agreed upon spokesman (sveruni)--and the meddix of Nola--Majus Luius (son) of Majus Paclatus--and the delegates of Abella and Nola, appointed by their respective senates:

11-23. That the temple (sakaraklum) of Hercules, which is on the border (slaagid) (between Abella and Nola), and the adjacent land within the outer boundaries which have been set around, be held in common, and the income from them be joint income of both cities.

Side B

27-48. If any one wishes (svai pid herieset) to erect a building on the land in front of the temple limits, outside the wall running about the fane (fiisnu) and across the road, it may be done with the sanction of the senate under whose jurisdiction the land falls.

If the Nolans build, the building and its income shall belong to them; to the inhabitants of Abella, if they build.

But behind the wall surrounding the fane, no one shall erect a building.

48-54. When they open (pún patensíns) the treasury which is in this territory, they are to open it by common consent, and whatever is in the treasury they are to share.

54-58. The boundary-stones are on the road between the territory of Abella and that of Nola." [3]

From Pulgram

Side A (numbers indicate sections/paragraphs)

1. Maius Vestricius, (son of) Maius ? , designated (?) quaestor of Abella, and Maius Lucius, (son of) Maius ? , meddix of Nola, and the deputies of Abella, and the deputies of Nola, who by the decision of their senate [i. e., of their respective senates] were (fufans) deputies of either side, thus agreed [literally: To Maius Vestricius . . . it was thus suitable]:

2: The sanctuary (sakaraklum) of Hercules which lies by [i. e., amidst, athwart] the dividing line (slaagid)[separating the townships of Nola and Abella], and the land which lies by [i. e., amidst, inside] this sanctuary and which lies between [i. e., within] the external (?) boundaries, which boundaries are approved by common decision, ? so that this sanctuary and this common land should lie within land, and that the usufruct of this sanctuary and the usufruct of this land should be common of [i. e., belong to] both sides.

3: But the Nolans . . . the temple of Hercules, whatever

Nolan.

Side B

Likewise, if either party shall wish to build up to the boundaries where the temple of Hercules stands in the center, [albeit] outside the walls which surround the temple (fiisnu) of Hercules [and] which stand up to the path, which there is according to [i. e., follows] the dividing line, then let it be permitted to build [there] according to the decision of the senate of either concerned party.

5: And this building which the Nolans will have built shall also be [for] the use of the Nolans. Likewise, if the Abellans will have built anything, this building shall also be [for] the use of the Abellans.

6: But beyond [i. e., inside] the walls which surround the temple, on that land let neither the Abellans nor the Nolans build anything.

7: But the treasure, which is on this land, when they open it, let them open it by common decision, and whatever is contained in this treasure, let one side receive the other of the shares [i. e., let each side receive a share]. ?

8: But along the dividing line, wherever the path, ploughed, [i. e., the path bearing or continuing the plough-marked township boundary; or: ... wherever the path , the boundary . . .] is ten feet [wide], in the center of the path i.e, the township boundaries. [5]

Notes

Note that Pulgrum sakaraklum as "sanctuary," that is the entire temple compound or sacred area, while fiisnu is the building of the temple itself. [5]

While most scholars take fufans in line 10 as a perfect of * fu < Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- "be" plus a perfective ending from the same root, also seen in Latin -ba perfects such as da-ba-m "I was giving," [6] Pizani analyzes this form as from PIE *bhudh- "be aware, make aware" which in Western Indo-European developed meaning involving spoken agreements (or disagreements). So the meaning of the relevant phrase would be more like "the delegates from each side were provided with the power of attorney to negotiate." [7]

The word slaagí- can mean either a boundary or the territory defined by that boundary. Joseph (1982) connects it etymologically with Greek le:go: "leave off, cease," from a substantization of the zero-grade abstract -i stem Proto-Indo-European *slH1g-i- meaning "the place where the territory leaves off or ceases." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augustus</span> First Roman emperor from 27 BC to AD 14

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, also known as Octavian, was the founder of the Roman Empire. He reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. The reign of Augustus initiated an imperial cult, as well as an era of imperial peace in which the Roman world was largely free of armed conflict. The Principate system of government was established during his reign and lasted until the Crisis of the Third Century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple Mount</span> Religious site in Jerusalem

The Temple Mount, also known as Haram al-Sharif, al-Aqsa Mosque compound, or simply al-Aqsa, and sometimes as Jerusalem's holyesplanade, is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a holy site for thousands of years, including in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melqart</span> Major deity in the Phoenician and Punic pantheons

Melqart was the tutelary god of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre and a major deity in the Phoenician and Punic pantheons. He may have been central to the founding-myths of various Phoenician colonies throughout the Mediterranean, as well as the source of several myths concerning the exploits of Heracles. Many cities were thought to be founded and protected by Melqart, no doubt springing from the original Phoenician practice of building a Temple of Melqart at new colonies. Similar to Tammuz and Adonis, he symbolized an annual cycle of death and rebirth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oscan language</span> Extinct language of southern Italy

Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian and South Picene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samnites</span> Italic people living in Samnium in south-central Italy

The Samnites were an ancient Italic people who lived in Samnium, which is located in modern inland Abruzzo, Molise, and Campania in south-central Italy.

The Promised Land is Middle Eastern land in the Levant that Abrahamic religions claim God promised and subsequently gave to Abraham and several more times to his descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob's Ladder</span> Ladder in Genesis joining Earth to heaven

Jacob's Ladder is a ladder leading to heaven that was featured in a dream the biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jokhang</span> Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Lhasa, Tibet, China

The Jokhang, or the Ra sa 'phrul snang gtsug lag khang, or Qoikang Monastery, or Zuglagkang, is considered the "heart of Lhasa". The Jokhang consists of a Tibetan Buddhist temple, its temple complex, and a Gelug school monastery. Located in Barkhor Square, it was built in c.640 by King Songsten Gampo to house the Jowo Mikyo Dorje, a statue of Akshobhya Buddha, brought to Tibet by his Nepalese queen, Bhrikuti. Another statue, the Jowo Shakyamuni, brought by his Tang Chinese queen Wencheng, is currently housed in the temple and the Jowo Mikyo Dorje is housed in the Ramoche, in Lhasa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avella</span> Comune in Campania, Italy

Avella is a town and comune in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. It is renowned for the cultivation of hazelnuts, whose specific name (Corylus avellana) derives precisely from this territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brauron</span> City of ancient Attica, Greece

Brauron was one of the twelve cities of ancient Attica, but never mentioned as a deme, though it continued to exist down to the latest times. It was situated on or near the eastern coast of Attica, between Steiria and Halae Araphenides, near the river Erasinus. Brauron is celebrated on account of the worship of Artemis Brauronia, in whose honor a festival was celebrated in this place. This site includes the remains of a temple, a stoa, and a theatre, providing insights into the religious practices and social life of ancient Greece. Its significance as a religious and cultural site can be further understood through the exploration of its archeological remains and historical accounts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Apollo Palatinus</span> Temple founded 28 BCE in Rome, Italy

The Temple of Apollo Palatinus, sometimes called the Temple of Actian Apollo, was a temple of the god Apollo in Rome, constructed on the Palatine Hill on the initiative of Augustus between 36 and 28 BCE. It was the first temple to Apollo within the city's ceremonial boundaries, and the second of four temples constructed by Augustus. According to tradition, the site for the temple was chosen when it was struck by lightning, which was interpreted as a divine portent. Augustan writers situated the temple next to Augustus's personal residence, which has been controversially identified as the structure known as the domus Augusti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psalm 74</span>

Psalm 74 is the 74th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "O God, why hast thou cast us off for ever?". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 73. In Latin, it is known as "Ut quid Deus reppulisti in finem iratus". Subheaded a maschil or contemplation, and a community lament, it expresses the pleas of the Jewish community in the Babylonian captivity. It is attributed to Asaph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cylinders of Nabonidus</span>

The Cylinders of Nabonidus refers to cuneiform inscriptions of king Nabonidus of Babylonia. These inscriptions were made on clay cylinders. They include the Nabonidus Cylinder from Sippar, and the Nabonidus Cylinders from Ur, four in number.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vat Phou</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Champasak, Laos

Vat Phou is a ruined Khmer-Hindu temple complex in southern Laos and one of the oldest places of worship in Southeast Asia. It is at the base of mount Phou Khao, some 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the Mekong in Champasak province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anangpur Dam</span> Dam in Delhi and Haryana

The Anangpur Dam is an Indian hydraulic engineering structure built during the reign of the King Anangpal I of the Tomara dynasty in the 8th century. It is located near the Anangpur village in Faridabad district, Haryana, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nola</span> A town in Naples, Campania, Italy

Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship.

Ancient Campania originally indicated the territory of the ancient city of Capua in the Roman period, and later also the plains of the various neighbouring municipalities. It was a very large territory when compared with the other Italic cities of the Roman and pre-Roman period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tarn</span> UK nature reserve

The Tarn is a 9 acres (3.6 ha) site on Court Road between Mottingham and Eltham, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, southeast London, United Kingdom, consisting of a public garden, a bird sanctuary nature reserve and a lake amongst woodland. The woodland and lake, which was historically known as Starbuck's Pond, were previously the southern part of the Great Park, one of three parks belonging to the estate of Eltham Palace and used as a royal deer hunting park for several centuries up until the English Civil War. As a garden The Tarn opened in 1935, after the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich acquired the site from the adjacent Royal Blackheath Golf Course. The Tarn remains largely unchanged since the 1930s and contains several shelters, benches, a public toilets building and a circular path which crosses a wooden footbridge spanning the lake. There is also an 18th-century ice house in the garden, which is a listed structure.

The Samnites were an ancient Italic people who lived in modern south-central Italy, placing them between the Latins to the north and the Greek settlements to the south. Consequently, the Samnites had anthropomorphic deities shared with both Rome and Greece, especially after their conquest of Campania at the end of the fourth century BCE. There is additional evidence that suggests the Samnites also believed in spirits called numina. Numina are believed to have been kinless, animistic spirits that could take human form to walk amongst the living. To the Samnites, having good relations with these spirits was of the utmost importance. To honor these deities, the Samnites would sacrifice either living things or make votive offerings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanctuary of Hercules Victor (Tivoli)</span> Ancient Roman religious site

The Sanctuary of Hercules Victor in Tivoli (Italy) was one of the major complexes of the Roman Republican era built on the wave of the Hellenistic cultural influence after the final Roman conquest of Greece. It was built just outside the ancient city of Tibur and is the largest of Italic sanctuaries dedicated to Hercules, and the second in the whole Mediterranean after that of Cádiz in Spain. It was built between about 120 and 82 BC and was a masterpiece of Roman engineering with many innovations. Further building was done in the Augustan period especially in the theatre area. Augustus administered justice here on numerous occasions, under the arcades of the sanctuary.

References

  1. "Cippus Abellanus (Buck)". droitromain.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  2. "Il Cippus Abellanus" (in Italian). sanniti.
  3. 1 2 Buck, C. D. A Grammar of Oscan and Umbrian: With a Collection of Inscriptions and a Glossary Ginn & Co.: Boston (1904) pp. 229-230
  4. "Cippus Abellanus". Societas Via Romana. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 Pulgram, E. "The Oscan Cippus Abellanus: A New Interpretation," The American Journal of Philology, Vol. 81, No. 1 (Jan., 1960), pp. 16-29 (14 pages) https://doi.org/10.2307/291757 https://www.jstor.org/stable/291757
  6. Buck, C. D. A Grammar of Oscan and Umbrian: With a Collection of Inscriptions and a Glossary Ginn & Co.: Boston (1904) p. 169
  7. Pisani, V. "Oskisch fufans." Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung auf dem Gebiete der Indogermanischen Sprachen, 78. Bd., 1./2. H. (1963), pp. 101-103 Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht (GmbH & Co. KG) https://www.jstor.org/stable/40848115 Accessed: 27-06-2024 05:26
  8. Joseph, B. "Oscan slaagí" Glotta, 60. Bd., 1./2. H. (1982), pp. 112-115. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40266580