Tabula Capuana
Encyclopedia
The Tabula Capuana now conserved in Berlin, represents the second most extensive surviving Etruscan
text, after the linen book the (Liber Linteus
) used in Egypt
for mummy
wrappings, now at Zagreb
. (The third longest Etruscan inscription now being the cast bronze inscription found at Cortona
in 1992, the Tabula Cortonensis
).
The Tabula Capuana ("Tablet from Capua") is a terracotta slab
, 60 by 50 centimeters, with a long inscribed text, apparently a ritual calendar
, of which about 390 words are legible.
Horizontal scribed line
s divide the text in ten sections. The writing is most similar to that used in Campania
in the mid 5th century BC, though surely the text being transcribed is much older. It is an archaic ten-month year beginning in March (Etruscan Velxitna). The only Etruscan name for a month that has survived to us is April (Apiras(a)).
Attempts at deciphering the text (Mauro Cristofani, 1995) are most generally based on the supposition that it prescribes certain rites on certain days of the year at certain places for certain deities. The text itself was edited by Francesco Roncalli, in Scrivere etrusco 1985.
The tablet was uncovered in 1898 in the burial ground of Santa Maria di Capua
Vetere.
Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
text, after the linen book the (Liber Linteus
Liber Linteus
The Liber Linteus Zagrabiensis is the longest Etruscan text and the only extant linen book...
) used in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for mummy
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
wrappings, now at Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. (The third longest Etruscan inscription now being the cast bronze inscription found at Cortona
Cortona
Cortona is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo.-History:...
in 1992, the Tabula Cortonensis
Tabula Cortonensis
The Tabula Cortonensis is a 2200-year-old, bronze artifact of Etruscan origin, discovered in Cortona, Italy. It may record for posterity the details of an ancient real estate transaction which took place in the ancient Tuscan city of Cortona, known to the Etruscans as Curtun...
).
The Tabula Capuana ("Tablet from Capua") is a terracotta slab
Clay tablet
In the Ancient Near East, clay tablets were used as a writing medium, especially for writing in cuneiform, throughout the Bronze Age and well into the Iron Age....
, 60 by 50 centimeters, with a long inscribed text, apparently a ritual calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
, of which about 390 words are legible.
Horizontal scribed line
Register (sculpture)
In art and archaeology, a register is a vertical level in a work that consists of several levels, especially where the levels are clearly separated by lines; modern comic books typically use similar conventions...
s divide the text in ten sections. The writing is most similar to that used in Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
in the mid 5th century BC, though surely the text being transcribed is much older. It is an archaic ten-month year beginning in March (Etruscan Velxitna). The only Etruscan name for a month that has survived to us is April (Apiras(a)).
Attempts at deciphering the text (Mauro Cristofani, 1995) are most generally based on the supposition that it prescribes certain rites on certain days of the year at certain places for certain deities. The text itself was edited by Francesco Roncalli, in Scrivere etrusco 1985.
The tablet was uncovered in 1898 in the burial ground of Santa Maria di Capua
Capua
Capua is a city and comune in the province of Caserta, Campania, southern Italy, situated 25 km north of Naples, on the northeastern edge of the Campanian plain. Ancient Capua was situated where Santa Maria Capua Vetere is now...
Vetere.