- chapter 22: The Etruscan language –
one of the short-sides with 22 rows, for a total of 128 words. It is the transcript on stone
of a judgment concerning property issues between the Velthina and Afuna families of
Perugia.
The other “long texts” are even shorter: four inscriptions, which are here listed and
briefl y described. The “Santa Marinella Plaque” (Cr 4.10) is a sheet of lead, found in
the sanctuary of Punta della Vipera.^8 It is preserved in two non-joining fragments. The
text, for a total of about 80 words (of which only 40 are legible) is incised on both
sides. It dates from the late sixth or early fi fth century bc, and is believed to be an
oracular response. The “Lead Plaque of Magliano” (AV 4.1) is also a lead plaque, roughly
circular in shape.^9 The inscription runs in a spiral on both sides (Fig. 22.6), and dates
back to the mid-fi fth century bc. It consists of about 70 words and is thought to be a
description of rituals. The “Inscription of Laris Pulenas” (Ta 1.17) (Fig. 22.7) is carved on
the volumen (scroll) held in the hand of a fi gure of the deceased, carved on a sarcophagus
lid found in Tarquinia. The text, dating back to the fi rst half of the second century
bc, consists of 59 words and deals with the genealogy and the events of the life of the
Figure 22.6 Lead plaque from Magliano, late fi fth century bc
(Florence, Museo Archeologico Nazionale).Figure 22.7 Sarcophagus of Laris Pulenas, from Tarquinia, 250–200 bc
(Tarquinia, Museo Archeologico Nazionale).