Etruscan Chimaera (10469 bytes)

 

THE  GOLDEN  PLATES  OF   PYRGI

LAMINAE PYRGIENSES

 

 

Pyrgi, the port of the important Etruscan city of Kaisrai (Latin: Caere, today: Cerveteri) was identified, after systematic excavations carried out as from 1957, in the bay near the present-day castle of Santa Severa. Up to that point of time it was known from literary sources only. Its sanctuary, dedicated to a female divinity, called Leucothea by the Greeks, Uni by the Etruscans and ?Aštart by the Phoenicians, was famous all around the Mediterranean Sea. In 384 BC, the tyrant Denys of Syracuse made an unexpected incursion and sacked the treasury of the goddess and pillaged the enormous amount of one thousand talents. Archaeological excavations brought to light this important sanctuary together with the remains of the Etruscan town. Pyrgi was linked to the city of Caere through a wide, 13-km long route. Along the route there are big tumuli of archaic age (VII century BC). The sanctuary included two temples. The plant of the two temples is different. The most ancient one (temple B) goes back to the end of the VI century BC; it was built upon the Greek models, that is it has one cell only surrounded by columns on the four sides. The other temple (A) was built approx. on 460 BC and it shows the canonic plant of the Etruscan holy places, that is three cells and a prostyle. Both temples were built side by side and faced the sea, yet only their gigantic foundations have been preserved.

The wooden roofs were decorated with polychromous terra cottas. The top beam of temple A had its front ornated with a magnificent haut-relief. It represents an episode of the Greek myth of the seven chieftains fighting against Thebes. Zeus strikes by a lightning the hero Capaneus, while another hero (Tideus) is caught in the frightful act of biting the nape of the neck to Melanippos the Theban. The goddess Athena, struck with horror, withdraws while clasping the small pot containing the philter of immortality that she shall deny to the impious heroes.

In 1964, the archaeological excavations — directed by Massimo Pallottino — reserved an exceptional surprise. During the exploration of the site, they brought to light a small rectangular "pool" in the area between temple A and B. The archaeologists found inside it three golden plates, together with a fourth bronze plate (CIE 6312) and several architectonic terra-cottas. When the golden plates came to the light, they were rolled up so as to form a sort of "scroll". After careful unfolding, they were found to be in an excellent state. Two of the golden plates (plate A and B) are written in Etruscan while the third one (plate C) is written in Phoenician. The plates were meant to be nailed up, since their margins are pierced. The Etruscan laminae have 10 holes each, while the Phoenician lamina has 12 holes. The original nails, made of bronze and with a golden head, were found inside the "scroll". The archaeologists suspected immediately that the longer Etruscan inscription and the Phoenician plate might be related, yet —as everyone knows— scholars’ hopes that the promising text of the Etruscan plate might have been a literal translation of the Phoenician text were soon dashed to the ground.

If we consider both the signification and the importance of the golden plates of Pyrgi we shall realize that they have some characteristics that make them unique: (A) it is the first and (to date) only coeval historical document handed down to us; (B) it is the only Etruscan document citing the name of a ruler; (C) It contains the text that the ruler himself emanated; (D) a striking peculiarity is the use of the Phoenician language, thus showing the presence of a Punic influx in an area where it was not known to occur.

Both the use of Phoenician and the very fact that the laminae are made of gold represent a tangible testimony of the importance attributed to the inscription by the ruler who had them drawn up. Summing up what has been said, "king" Thefarie Velianas wanted to pay homage in his city to a Punic goddess and he did it in the most conspicuous and expensive way. In order to understand his reasons, it is necessary to recall the historical situation of the Mediterranean Sea in the period around 500 BC. Under the pressure of the Greeks, Puns and Etruscans entered into an alliance so as to protect their positions. In 535 BC the allies defeated the Phoceans in a naval battle near Alalia (Corsica), thus blocking up the sea routes of Corsica and Sardinia to the Greek ships. Their sphere of influence was divided: the Etruscans ruled Italy from the Alps to Campania, while the Puns had the supremacy on the south-eastern arch that closed the area of Greek influence. We do not know the reason why "king" Thefarie Velianas dedicated a sanctuary to a Punic goddess and wrote his dedication both in Etruscan and Phoenician on golden plates. Perhaps he wanted to get into the good graces of his powerful allies, or he was in a subordinate position to Carthage and the plates reflect this situation. Yet, it might also be that the town of Pyrgi was partly inhabited by Punic traders — if so, the Latin place name Punicum (today: Santa Marinella, situated near Pyrgi called today Santa Severa) might be much more meaningful than expected.

The contents of the Punic and Etruscan inscriptions are similar, yet the Punic and the Etruscan texts are no literal translation, thus being at best paraphrases of each other. This fact persuaded the researchers that the Etruscan text has to be studied according to "the most certain bases of traditional hermeneutics" [?], thus the Phoenician (Punic) inscription could be used only to draw a possible linguistic parallel "so as to test the value of the results obtained against those obtained with the other text". As a matter of fact, beyond the methodological doubts related to the degree of contextual equivalence, the uncertainties connected with certain passages of the Punic plate did not allow a scrupulous analysis of the Etruscan texts.

 

The golden plate on the left is written in Phoenician, while the lamina on the right is written in Etruscan. (Rome, Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia)

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It became immediately clear that it was easier to translate the Phoenician than the Etruscan  text. The text was published by Giovanni Garbini and it has been the object of a number of studies. Hereunder you will find my transliteration of the Phoenician text in Hebrew and Latin characters:

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According to Sabatino Moscati, the most verisimilar translation seems to be the following one:

To [our] Lady Ishtar. This is the holy place // which was made and donated // by TBRY WLNSH [= Thefaries Velianas] who reigns on // Caere [or: on the Caerites], during the month of the sacrifice // to the Sun, as a gift in the temple. He b//uilt an aedicula [?] because Ishtar gave in his hand [or: raised him with her hand] // to reign for three years in the m//onth of KRR [=Kerer], in the day of the burying // of the divinity. And the years of the statue of the divinity // in his temple [might be ? are ?] as many years as these stars.

The fist problem is represented by the "holy place" dedicated to the Phoenician goddess Ishtar, which we translated with the word "aedicula". Was it an aedicula inside Temple B or does this words mean the entire sanctuary? Whatever the answer, there is a firm connection between the dedication and the sanctuary. The most important fact is that the cult of Ishtar in Etruria is proved by the inscription of an Etruscan ruler who knew both Etruscan and Phoenician. This is the first historical mention of the name of an Etruscan "king" who ruled on the city of Caere [= Cerveteri]. Pyrgi was the port of the city of Caere.

The dedication includes the names of two months, i.e. KRR or. *Kerer and a month named "Sacrifice to the Sun". Another peculiar expression is "the day of the burying of the divinity". Some scholars relate these words to the Greek cult of Adonis.

The last sentence of the Phoenician inscription is a nominal preposition lacking the verb. The latter may be understood either as an indicative or a subjunctive. In the first case we have a real computation, and the problem rests in the reference made to the stars. In the second case there is an auspicious formula, but here the difficulty rests on the demonstrative "these" referred to "stars". Some scholars proposed a different interpretation related to the Roman-Etruscan rite of the inauguratio of the holy places, when the augurs defined by means of the stellae ("stars") or cruces ("crossings") the orientation of the holy places.

Massimo Pallottino tackled with the interpretation of the Etruscan text. Quite soon it became clear that he was not confronted with a true bilingual text since the Etruscan text is at best a paraphrasis of the Phoenician inscription

ETRUSCAN TEXT: ita tmia icac heramashva vatiexe unialastres themiasa mex thuta thefariei velianas sal cluvenias turuce munistas thuvas tameresca ilacve tulerase nac ci avil xurvar teshiameitale ilacve alshase nac atranes zilacal seleitala acnashvers itanim heramve avil eniaca pulumxva.

TEMPTATIVE TRANSLATION OF THE ETRUSCAN TEXT by M. Pallottino: This holy place and this statue have been consecrated to Uni. The community (of Caere?) with Thefarie Veliana dedicated (them) [... unknown words ...] And for the statue the years (ought to be?) as (many as?) the stars(?).

The second plate written in Etruscan contains the following text:

ETRUSCAN TEXT: nac thefarie veliiunas thamuce cleva etanal masan tiurunias shelace vacal tmial avilxval amuce pulumxva snuiaph

Another archaeological finding in Pyrgi showed the presence of a peculiar building with seventeen small cells (the total number of cells was very likely 20) with a large scope and several altars in front of them:

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Archaeologists assume that this might have been the sacrarium (sanctuary) where the priestesses of the Phoenician goddess Ishtar practized the sacred prostitution. A mention of this custom is possibly to be found in Plautus where he accuses the Etruscan girls of prostituting themselves tusco more ("the Etruscan way") in order to raise their dowry.

 

 

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