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. Map showing the extent of the Etruscan civilization and the twelve Etruscan League cities. ... Caere is the Latin name given by the Romans to one of the larger cities of Southern Etruria approximately 50-60 kilometres north (NNW) of Rome. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC - 450s BC Events and Trends 509 BC - Foundation of the Roman Republic 508 BC - Office of pontifex maximus created... Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria, between the Lebanon Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. ... ‘Ashtart, commonly known as Astarte (also Hebrew or Phoenician עשתרת, Ugaritic ‘ttrt (also ‘Attart or ‘Athtart), Akkadian dAs_tar_tú (also Astartu), Greek Αστάρτη (Astártê)), was a major northwest_Semitic goddess, cognate in name, origin, and functions with the east-Semitic goddess Ishtar. ...

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). Phoenician was a language originally spoken in the coastal region of what is now Lebanon. ... Etruscan was a language spoken and written in the ancient region of Etruria (current Tuscany) and in parts of what are now Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna (where the Etruscans were displaced by Gauls), in Italy. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... Polybius (ca 203 BC - 120 BC, Greek Πολυβιος) was a Greek historian of the Mediterranean world famous for his book called The Histories or The Rise of the Roman Empire, covering the period of 220 BC to 146 BC. // Personal experiences As the former tutor of Scipio Aemilianus , the famous adopted... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1... A map of the central Mediterranean Sea, showing the location of Carthage (near modern Tunis). ... For modern diplomatic consuls, see Consulate general. ... Lucius Junius Brutus was the founder of the Roman Republic and traditionally one of the first Consuls in 509 BC. Prior to his accession, Rome had been ruled by kings. ... Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC - 450s BC Events and Trends 509 BC - Foundation of the Roman Republic 508 BC - Office of pontifex maximus created...

It is now held at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, Rome. The Villa Giulia stands in an area of Rome known as the Vigna Vechia (which was once against the city walls) lying on the slopes where Monte Parioli descends to the Tiber. ...

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 [shall 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), it's decipherment was achieved very early. There is hardly any doubt concerning the values of the above words. Phoenician was a language originally spoken in the coastal region of what is now Lebanon. ... The Semitic languages are the northeastern subfamily of the Afro-Asiatic languages, and the only family of this group spoken in Asia. ... Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than 6 million people, mainly in Israel, the West Bank, the United States and by Jewish communities around the world. ... The Canaanite languages are a subfamily of the Semitic languages, spoken by the ancient Canaanite peoples. ... The Ugaritic language is known to us only in the form of writings found in the lost city of Ugarit since its discovery by French archaeologists in 1928. ... Arabic can mean: From or related to Arabia From or related to the Arabs The Arabic language; see also Arabic grammar The Arabic alphabet, used for expressing the languages of Arabic, Persian, Malay ( Jawi), Kurdish, Panjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Urdu, among others. ... Akkadian (lišānum akkadītum) was a Semitic language (part of the greater Afro-Asiatic language famaily) spoken in ancient Mesopotamia, particularly by the Assyrians and Babylonians. ...

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 OFFERINGS was encircled.

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

For three years [in the month of] Churvar, with Her burnt offerings, with OFFERINGS [it was] buried.

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

During the reign of the chief, in Her hand [he] 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 [in] 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.

Vocabulary

*acna(s), to bring forth (<acnaš-ver-s> '[he] would be brought forth')

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

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

*alš, to bury (<alš-as-e> 'buried')

*am, to be (<am-uc-e> 'has been, had been')

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

Astre, Phoenician goddess of fertility, associated with Uni (<astre-s> 'of Astre') [Phoenician <‘štrt> *‘Ašθareθ]

*atran, reign, rulership

avil, year (<avilχva-l> 'of the years, yearly')

ca, this (<ca> 'this', <ica-c> 'and this')

ci, three

*cluvenia, aedicula (<cluvenia-s> 'of the aedicula')

χurvar, month [Phoenician <krr> *Kurar]

*en, to last, endure (<en-iac-a> 'shall endure')

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

*etan, sanctuary (<etan-al> 'of the sanctuary')

*heram(aš), Hermes idol (<heramv-e> 'with the Hermes idols', <heramašva> 'Hermes idols')

*ilacva, [type of offerings] (<ilacv-e> 'with ~')

meχ, people

muni, burial, plot of land (<muni-s> 'of the burial')

nac, when, during, while

*pulum, star (<pulum-χva> 'stars', <pulun-za> 'little star')

<fulumχva> (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 (<sel-ei> 'with the hand')

*snuia, many (<snuia-φ> "as many")

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

*šel, to please (<šel-ac-e> 'has pleased') [cf. <sal>]

ta, that (<ita> 'that', <itan-i=m> 'and with that', <ta-s> 'of that', <tala> 'her', <tal-e> 'with her')

tešiam, burnt offerings (<tešiam-ei> 'with burnt offerings')

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

tmia, temple (<tmia-l 'of the temple')

*tuler, to encircle (<tuler-as-e> 'encircled') [cf. <tul> 'border, boundary']

tur, to give (<tur-uc-e> 'has given')

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

θefariei, Tiberius [Roman male name]

θuta, clan

θuva, oneself, (<θuva-s> 'one's own') [cf. <θu> 'one, single']

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

Uni, Etruscan mother goddess of fertility (<uni-al> 'of Uni') [cf. Latin <Iuno:>]

vacal, votive offering

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

*vat, to dedicate (<vat-ieχ-e> 'to be dedicated')

Velianas, Velianas [family name].

zilaχ, chief (<zilac-al> 'of the chief')

<Svalasi, zilaχnuce.> "[While] living, [he] had been chief." (TLE 173)

<Zilaχnce avil XI.> "[He] had been chief eleven years." (REE 40, n75)

The Liber Linteus (Linen Book) is a unique ancient document, being both the longest Etruscan text and the only linen book extant. ... The Liber Linteus (Linen Book) is a unique ancient document, being both the longest Etruscan text and the only linen book extant. ... The Liber Linteus (Linen Book) is a unique ancient document, being both the longest Etruscan text and the only linen book extant. ... The Liber Linteus (Linen Book) is a unique ancient document, being both the longest Etruscan text and the only linen book extant. ... The Liber Linteus (Linen Book) is a unique ancient document, being both the longest Etruscan text and the only linen book extant. ...

External links

• The Etruscan Texts Project A massive online database open to the public which contains all known Etruscan texts known to date. A valuable resource for budding Etruscanologists.
• 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