The Pyrgi Tablets, found in an excavation of a sanctuary of that town in Italy, a port of the southern Etruscan town of Caere, are three golden leaves that record a dedication made around 500 BC by Thefarie Velianas, king of Caere, to the Phoenician goddess ‘Ashtart.

These writings are important not only for providing a bilingual text that allows us to use our knowledge of the Phoenician language to read Etruscan, but provides evidence of Phoenician/Punic influence in the Western Mediterranean. This document helps to provide a context for Polybius's report (Hist. 3,22) of an ancient and almost unintelligible treaty between the Romans and the Carthaginians, which he dated to the consulships of L. Iunius Brutus and L. Tarquinius Collatinus (505 BC).

It is now held at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, Rome.

The Phoenician Text

L-rbt l-‘štrt.

To the lady Ishtar.

’ŝr qdš ‘z, ‘š p‘l, w-’š ytn Tbry’ Wlnš mlk ‘l Kyšry’.

This is the holy place, which was made, and which was donated by Tiberius Velianas who reigns over the Caerites.

B-yrħ zbħ Šmš, b-mtn’ b-bt, wbn tw.

During the month of the sacrifice to the Sun, as a gift in the temple, he built an aedicula.

K-‘štrt ’rš b-dy l-mlky šnt šlš, b-yrħ Krr, b-ym qbr ’lm

For Ishtar raised him with her hand to reign for three years in the month of Churvar, in the day of the burying of the divinity.

W-šnt lm’š ’lm b-bty šnt km ħkkbm ‘l.

And the years of the statue of the divinity in the temple be as many years as the stars above.

Since the Phoenician text has long been known to be a Semitic language (related to such languages as Hebrew, Canaanite, Ugaritic, Arabic and Akkadian), its decipherment was achieved very early. There is hardly any doubt concerning the values of the above words.

Phoenician Vocabulary

’lm, divinity *’il- "god"

’rš, to raise

’š, which, who, that ^*

‘l, over, above *‘al-

‘štrt, Ashtarte *‘Aθtar-

‘ŝr, place

‘z, this

b-, in, at, with, on *bi-

bt, house, temple *bayt-

dy, hand

ħkkbm, stars *kabkab-

k-, for, since *ka-

km, like, as

Krr, Churvar month Etruscan <Χurvar>

Kyšry’, Caerites people

l-, to, for *la-

lm’š, statue

mlk, to rule, to reign *mlk

mtn’, gift *ytn 'to give'

p‘l, to make, to do *p‘l

qbr, burial

qdš, holy

rbt, lady Akkadian rābu "grand, large"

šlš, three *θalāθ-

šmš, sun *šamš-

šnt, years

tw, aedicula

w-, and *wa-

wbn, to build

ym, day *yawm-

yrħ, month *yarħ-

ytn, to give *ytn

zbħ, sacrifice

The Etruscan Text

First Plate:

Ita tmia ica-c heramašva vat-ieχ-e Uni-al Astre-s, θem-iasa meχ θuta.

That temple and these Hermes idols are dedicated to Uni-Astre, built by the clanspeople.

Θefariei Velianas sal cluvenia-s tur-uc-e.

Tiberius Velianas the pleasing aedicula has given.

Muni-s ta-s θuva-s tamer-es ca ilacv-e tuler-as-e.

That burial of his own by these priests with idols was encircled.

Nac ci avil χurvar, tešiam-ei tal-e, ilacv-e alš-as-e.

For three years the month of Churvar, with Her burnt offerings, with idols was buried.

Nac atran-es zilac-al, sel-ei tala acnaš-ver-s.

During the reign of the chief, in Her hand ^* would be brought forth (ie: Uni-Astre gave him authority to rule).

Itan-i-m heramv-e, avil en-iac-a pulumχva.

And with these Hermes idols, the year(s) shall endure as the stars.

Second Plate:

Nac Θefarie Veliiunas θam-uc-e cleva etan-al Masan tiur, Uni-as šel-ac-e.

When Tiberius Velianas had built the statue of the sanctuary ^* the month of Masan, Uni was pleased.

Vacal tmia-l avilχva-l am-uc-e pulumχva snuia-φ.

The votives of the temple yearly have been as numerous as the stars.

Etruscan Vocabulary

*acna(s), to bring forth ( '^* would be brought forth')

<-u>, passive + <-er->, purposive, common in the LLZ, had combined to form a passive optative in <-ver-> 'would be'

Note acnanas, arce.> 'Having brought forth (ie: gave birth) to five children, raised [them(TLE 887)

*alš, to bury ( 'buried')

*am, to be ( 'has been, had been')

amce mecl Rasnal.> "He had been a chief of the Etruscan people." (ET Ta 7.59)

Astre, Phoenician goddess of fertility, associated with Uni ( 'of Astre') <‘štrt> < *‘Aθtareθ

*atran, reign, rulership

avil, year ( 'of the years, yearly')

ca, this ( 'this', 'and this')

ci, three

*cluvenia, aedicula ( 'of the aedicula')

Χurvar, month *Kurar

*en, to last, endure ( 'shall endure')

<Śacnicleri cilθl, śpureri, meθlumeric, enaś.> "By way of these sacred objects of the sanctuary, by the city and by the people, ^* endures" (LLZ, col 9, lines 12-13)

*etan, sanctuary ( 'of the sanctuary')

*heram(aš), Hermes idol ( 'with the Hermes idols', 'Hermes idols')

*ila, idol (*ilacva 'idols', 'with idols')

meχ, people

muni, burial, plot of land ( 'of the burial')

nac, when, during, while

*pulum, star ( 'stars', 'little star')

(Cippus perusinus, lateral, lines 29-30)

<…pulunza ipal sacnina tinia tei aθemeiś caś…> "…the little star for which the sacred Tinia of the sky…" (CIE 6310)

sal, pleasing

*sel, hand ( 'with the hand')

*snuia, many ( "as many")

<śnuiu-φ> "as many" (LLZ, col 6, lines 1,2,4)

*šel, to please (<šel-ac-e> 'has pleased')

ta, that ( 'that', 'and with that', 'of that', 'her', 'with her')

tešiam, burnt offerings ( 'with burnt offerings')

<Śucic firin tesim.> "And incense was burned as a burnt offering" (LLZ, col 7, lines 9-10)

tmia, temple ( 'of the temple')

*tuler, to encircle ( 'encircled') 'border, boundary'

tur, to give ( 'has given')

*θem, to build (<θem-iasa> 'built', <θam-uc-e> 'has built')

θefariei, Tiberius male name

θuta, clan

θuva, oneself, (<θuva-s> 'one's own') <θu> 'one, single'

<Θuker akil tuś thuveś.> "Thuker completed his own tomb." (TLE 672)

Uni, Etruscan mother goddess of fertility ( 'of Uni') Latin <Iuno:>

vacal, votive offering

vacl θesnin> "Upon the earth of the tomb a votive offering was dedicated." (LLZ, col 5, lines 15-16)

*vat, to dedicate ( 'to be dedicated')

Velianas, Velianas name.

zilaχ, chief ( 'of the chief')

zilaχnuce.> "living, [he had been chief." (TLE 173)

<Zilaχnce avil XI.> "^* had been chief eleven years." (REE 40, n75)

See also

• Liber Linteus - An Etruscan inscription.
• Tabula Cortonensis - An Etruscan inscription.
• Cippus perusinus - An Etruscan inscription.
• Etruscan civilization
• Lemnian language
• Eteocypriot
• Eteocretan
• Etruria

External links

• The Etruscan Texts Project A searchable database of Etruscan texts.
• Etruscan grammar (pdf) A detailed explanation of the grammar of the related Etruscan language by Micheal Weiss of the Cornell University.
• Photograph, transliteration, and partial translation

Religious texts | Multilingual texts | Etruscans

Pyrgi-tavlerne