The Cippus Perusinus is a stone tablet discovered on the hill of San Marco, near Perugia, Italy, in 1822. The tablet bears 46 lines of Etruscan text exquisitely carved into it. This stone tablet is a memorial stele.

The cippus is assumed to be a text dedicating a legal contract between the Etruscan families of Velthina (from Perugia) and Afuna (from Chiusi), regarding the sharing or use of a property upon which there was a tomb belonging to the noble Velthinas.[1][2]

The date of the inscription is considered to be 3rd or 2nd century BCE. The Cippus is conserved in the National Archeological Museum of Perugia [1].

Original Text

Teurat tan-na larezu-l am-e vaχr. Lautn Velθina-š, ešt-la Afuna-s, spel eθ car-u tezan, fušler-i tesn-š tei-š Rašne-š ipa am-a hen. Naper χi-i Velthinaθur-aš ar-aš, perašcem-ul mlesc-ul, zuci enesc-i ep-l, tular-u. Aule-ši, Velθina-š Arnza-l, clen-ši, θi-i θi-l šcuna cen-u, epl=c feli=c Larθal-š Afuni-š, clan, θunχul θe fala-š. Χi=em fušl-e, Velθina hinθa cap-e, muni=cle-t, mas-u, naper šran=c zl, θi-i falš-ti. Veltina hut naper penez-š mas-u. Acnina cl-el Afuna, Velθina mler zin-ia. In temam-er cn-l Velθina zi-a šaten-e tesn-e, Eca Velθinaθur-aš tHaura hel-u tesn-e Rašn-e ce-i. Tesn-š tei-š Rašne-š χimθ, špel θuta šcu-na, Afuna men-a hen. Naper ci cn-l har-e ut-uš-e.

Reverse side:

Velθina šatena zuci enesc-i ipa spelane-θi fulum-χva. spel-θi, rene-θi. Esta=c Velθina, acil-un-e, tur-un-e, šcu-n-e. Ze-a zuci enesc-i aθumi=cš. Afuna-š penθ-na am-a. Velθina, Afun[a]θur, un-i ei-n zeri, una cla θi-l θunχulθ-l. Iχ ca ceχa ziχ-uχ-e.

Notes

References

• Bonfante, Giuliano; Bonfante, Larissa (2002). The Etruscan Language: an Introduction. Manchester, University of Manchester Press. ISBN 0-7190-5540-7. 
• Cristofani, Mauro, et al. (1984). Gli Etruschi: una nuova immagine. Firenze, Giunti Martello. ISBN. 
• Cristofani, Mauro (1979). The Etruscans: A New Investigation (Echoes of the ancient world). Orbis Pub. ISBN 0-85613-259-4. 
• Rix, Helmut (1991). Etruskische Texte. G. Narr. ISBN 3-8233-4240-1.  2 vols.

See also

• Etruscan civilization
• Tyrrhenian languages
• other Etruscan inscriptions:
  • Liber Linteus
  • Tabula Cortonensis
  • Pyrgi Tablets

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cippus Perusinus

• The Etruscan Texts Project A searchable database of Etruscan texts.
• The Languages of Ancient Italy
• An Etruscan Glossary
• Etruscan Glossary