The language is only known from a few inscriptions discovered that were written in a variety of the Northern Italic alphabet, which was related to the Old Italic alphabet. These inscriptions were found in an area centered around Lugano, including Lago di Como and Lago Maggiore. The closely related Rhaetic and Venetic dialects had similar scripts, and many scholars believe that they and the Lepontic writing systems are the direct models adopted for the Germanicrunic alphabets.
Some scholars believe that Lepontic may be a dialect of Gaulish. Others, however, question the classification of this dialect as Gaulish and even Celtic, but consider it, together with a number of other dialects of ancient Northern Italy and Southern Gaul, as related to the Ligurian language.
Lepontic was eventually assimilated by Latin, after the Roman Empire gained control over Northern Italy.
Lepontic is an extinct Celticlanguage, the language of the Lepontii, that was spoken in parts of Cisalpine Gaul between 700 BC and 400 BC.
Lepontic was assimilated first by Gaulish, with the settlement of Gaulish tribes north of the River Po, and then by Latin, after the Roman Republic gained control over Gallia Cisalpina during the late second and first century BC.
2, The Raetic, Lepontic, Gallic, East-Italic, Messapic and Sicel Inscriptions.
The language is known from several hundred inscriptions on stone, on ceramic vessels and other artefacts, and on coins, and occasionally on metal (lead, and on one occasion zinc).
The earliest Continental Celtic inscriptions, dating to as early as the 6th century BC, are in Lepontic (sometimes considered a dialect of Gaulish), found in Gallia Cisalpina and were written in a form of the Old Italic alphabet.
Inscriptions in the Greek alphabet from the 3rd century BC have been found in the area near the mouths of the Rhone, while later inscriptions dating to Roman Gaul are mostly in the Latin alphabet.
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