*Ts 3
| Transliteration | vose |
|---|---|
| Object | bowl sherd of grey depurated ware |
| Script | Venetic alphabet |
| Language | Venetic |
| Writing direction | sinistroverse |
| Technique | scratched post cocturam |
| Condition | non-fragmentary |
| Findspot | Kaštelir above Korte |
| Archaeological context | prehistoric settlement |
| Archaeological culture | the Notranjska-Kras Hallstatt cultural group |
| Date | 2nd or 1st c. BC |
Original text
Commentary
The object was unearthed in Kaštelir above Korte, an archaeological site near the town of Izola. The site boasts the remains of a significant prehistoric settlement. The artefact was retrieved from a trench alongside other fragments of prehistoric and Roman pottery, as well as various additional items. The inscription, labelled as *Ts3, was discovered etched onto the underside of a bowl sherd of grey depurated ware, belonging to the 'grey Venetic ware' classification of pottery. The object was produced in eastern Veneto and Friuli some time in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC and therefore diagnostically attributable to the early period of Romanisation. The object was supposedly repurposed as a lid for an amphora.
*Ts3 comprises a clearly visible four-letter inscription written in the Venetic alphabet. The letter shapes exhibit a sinistroverse orientation and trace the circular original edge of the base of the bowl sherd, their stems extending towards the convex centre. The interpretation of the inscription is disputed, particularly regarding the third grapheme. The other graphemes (digamma, omicron, and epsilon, respectively) remain perfectly legible despite the sherd being damaged. Crevatin’s original interpretation reads the third grapheme as being an interpunct vo.e, however, a new inspection of the inscription points either towards the reading vose or voje, the latter being much less probable since the expected spelling of a j in an intervocalic position would be different. The assertion that the third sign represents a letter and not an interpunct is based on the observation that it extends entirely to the edge of the original surface. Even if the sign did represent an interpunct, it would constitute an example of defective spelling, as the anticipated form would include an additional interpunct to the left of the letter e.
The inscription possibly signifies a personal name. In that case, it is assumed to be an abbreviation because the form-final -e cannot be inferred to represent any of the expected endings. There is, however, no known exact counterparts of such an abbreviated form in the available corpus of Venetic inscriptions.
Bibliography
Repanšek, Luka & Saccara, Maša (2023). The Venetic inscription *Ts 3 from Kaštelir above Korte. Arheološki Vestnik 74, pp. 309-314.
