*Is 4
| Transliteration | p/lokeno nekri.m.p.la.i. |
|---|---|
| Object | bronze situla |
| Script | Isonzian Venetic alphabet |
| Language | Venetic |
| Writing direction | dextroverse |
| Technique | incised |
| Condition | non-fragmentary |
| Findspot | Grad near Reka |
| Archaeological context | grave |
| Archaeological culture | the Sveta Lucija Hallstatt cultural group |
| Date | 4th-3rd century BC |
Original text
Commentary
The artefact is one of several items featuring an inscription in the Venetic alphabet, discovered relatively recently, namely, after 1967. It is a bronze situla containing the burnt remains of human bones. Carbon analysis of selected bone fragments dated the human remains to the late 1st century BC, consistent with indications that the cemetery from which this artefact was excavated was in use during the late La Tène and early Roman period. However, other data suggests that the inscription and the item itself are significantly older, indicating that the situla was reused as a container for human remains at a later time.
The inscription, designated as *Is4, was found incised into the shoulder of the situla and comprises 16 letters, suggesting a multi-word inscription. On the reverse side of the inscription, a sign of undetermined meaning was found. The catena litterarum of the inscription appears to be structured into two word forms, as observed both graphically and grammatically. It is noted that the letters are pointed rather than round where possible. While the reading of the inscription as a whole is not particularly challenging, some individual graphemes pose difficulties.
The reading of the first grapheme is disputed, as it could represent both the letters 'l' and 'p'. There is a slight advantage for the reading of 'l' as it has a parallel in the name Locita, while the onset p- does not. Also problematic is the sequence of the 13th and 14th characters. According to Eichner (2009), all possible interpretations and their combinations result in 10 possible readings. Considering linguistic, philological, and paleographic aspects, some of these possible readings can be eliminated. The most probable reading of the second word form is settled to be nekri.m.p.la.i., implying that the sequence explicitly reads ne-krimp-laj (Repanšek, 2022). However, the sequence sonorant-consonant-sonorant appears sporadically and typically exhibits the consonant arranged to the right, although we find at least one more example of this variant of consonant arrangement. Nevertheless, these examples could also represent an improper application of the principle of interpunctuation.
Comparing the first sign of the first part of the inscription with signs No. 13 and 14, there seems to be a greater similarity with sign No. 13 'p', while No. 14 'l' is clearly different from No. 1. For linguistic reasons, particularly connectivity to the aforementioned name Locita, the reading /l/ is preferred. It is therefore assumed that the scribe, in the case of the direct succession of /p/ and /l/, opted for a different realisation of the grapheme than at No. 1. This spontaneous decision may also have caused the slightly rounded ductus of No. 14.
Regarding the meaning of the inscription, we are likely dealing with either a female or male personal name of Pokeno or Lokeno (or P/Loko + eno, which also appears in other idionyms). The decomposition of the second word form appearing in the inscription into a compound consisting of ne- ("not") in the antecedent and -krimpla- points towards the inscription representing the name of a female, with nekrimpla- being interpreted as "the untouched one". The final letter of the inscription is interpreted as a mark of the dative form.
Bibliography
Repanšek, Luka (2022). Posoškovenetski areal v luči novejših epigrafskih najdb / Isonzian Venetic inscriptions in the light of recent finds. Arheološki vestnik 73, pp. 601–615.
Eichner, Heiner & Nedoma, Robert (2009). Neue vorrömische Inschriften aus Westslowenien: epigraphische und linguistische Evidenz. – In: G. Tiefengraber, B. Kavur, A. Gaspari (eds.), Keltske študije II. Studies in Celtic Archaeology. Papers in honour of Mitja Guštin, Protohistoire Européenne 11, pp. 65–75.
Turk, Peter, Božič Dragan, Istenič Janka, Osmuk Nada & Šmit, Žiga (2009). New Pre-Roman Inscriptions from Western Slovenia: The Archaeological Evidence. – In: G. Tiefengraber, B. Kavur, A. Gaspari (eds), Keltske študije II. Studies in Celtic Archaeology. Papers in honour of Mitja Guštin, Protohistoire Européenne 11, pp. 47–64.
