Botorrita plaque

Photograph of Botorrita I (both sides)

The Botorrita plaques are four bronze plaques discovered in Botorrita (Roman Contrebia Belaisca), near Zaragoza, Spain, dating to the early 1st century BC, known as Botorrita I, II, III and IV.

Botorrita II is in the Latin language, but Botorrita I, III and IV, inscribed in the Celtiberian script, constitute the main part of the Celtiberian corpus.

Botorrita I

Botorrita I was found in 1970. It is the longest inscription in Celtiberian consisting of a text in 11 lines, on the front face, continued by a list of names on the back side.

A.1. tiricantam bercunetacam tocoitoscue sarnicio cue sua combalcez nelitom

A.2. necue [u]ertaunei litom necue taunei litom necue masnai tizaunei litom soz aucu

A.3. arestaio tamai uta oscues stena uerzoniti silabur sleitom conscilitom cabizeti

A.4. cantom sancilistara otanaum tocoitei eni: uta oscuez boustomue coruinomue

A.5. macasiamue ailamue ambitiseti camanom usabituz ozas sues sailo custa bizetuz iom

A.6. asecati ambitincounei stena es uertai entara tiris matus tinbituz neito tiricantam

A.7. eni onsatuz iomui listas titas zizonti somui iom arznas bionti iom custaicos

A.8. arznas cuati ias ozias uertatosue temeiue robiseti saum tecametinas tatuz somei

A.9. enitouzei iste ancios iste esancios uze areitena sarniciei acainacubos

A.10. nebintor tocoitei ios ur antiomue auzeti aratimue tecametam tatuz iom tocoitoscue

A.11. sarniciocue aiuizas combalcores aleites iste icues ruzimuz abulu ubocum

B.1. lubos counesicum melnunos bintis letontu litocum

B.2. abulos bintis melmu barauzanco lesunos bintis

B.3. letontu ubocum turo bintis lubinaz aiu bercanticum

B.4. abulos bintis tirtu aiancum abulos bintis abulu louzocum

B.5. uzeisunos bintis acainaz letontu uicanocum suostuno/s

B.6. bintis tirtanos statulicum lesunos bintis nouantutaz

B.7. letontu aiancum melmunos bintis useizu aiancum tauro [bin]/tis

B.8. abulu aiancum tauro bintis letontu leticum abulos bintis

B.9. [ ]ucontaz letontu esocum abulos bintis

Translation

Although the general contents of the inscription are known with some confidence, there is as yet no unified, agreed-upon translation. On the first side, David Stifter (2001), for example, indicates that <tiricantam> is an "assembly of 300", similar to Gaulish tricantia, while <combalcez> according to Bayer (1994) is something like "was (deemed) suitable (by the assembly)" (cf. Latin complacere 'to please'). The sequences with nelitom and necue ... litom with infinitive in -aunei are clearly something like "(it is) not permitted to...", and mentions some kind of monetary and property fines for ignoring the prohibitions. The second side clearly consists of names, presumably prominent members of the assembly. The names are in the Celtiberian formula, e.g. lubos counesicum melnunos, that is "Lubo of the Kounesiko (people), [son] of Melnon"; for this reason, it has been suggested that <bintis> is actually <kentis>, i.e. /gentis/ 'son', as this clearly fits the context.

Botorrita II

This bronze plaque is inscribed in Latin and was discovered in an illegal excavation of the Contrebia Belaisca site, and was obtained in December 1979 by editor Fatas. The inscription is fully decipherable and relates how the senate of Contrebia Belaisca was called upon by neighboring towns for a decision concerning the right of the town of Salluia to build a canal through the territory of the Sosinestani, an initiative to which the neighboring Allauonenses objected. Based upon the names of Roman officials, the text has been dated to May 87 BC. ^[1]

1. Senatus Contrebie[n]sis quei tum aderunt iudices sunto. Sei par[ret ag]rum quem Salluienses

2. [ab Sosinest]ane[is] emerunt rivi faciendi aquaive ducendae causa qua de re agitur Sosinestanos

3. [iure suo Sa]lluiensibus vendidisse inviteis Allavonensibus;tum sei ita [p]arret eei iudices iudicent

4. eum agrum qua de re agitur Sosinestanos Salluiensibus iure suo vendidisse; sei non parr[e]t iudicent

5. iur[e] suo non vendidi[sse.]

6.Eidem quei supra scriptei [sunt] iudices sunto. Sei Sosinestana ceivitas esset, tum, qua Salluiensis

7. novissume publice depalarunt qua de re agitur, sei [i]ntra eos palos Salluiensis rivom per agrum

8. publicum Sosinestanorum iure suo facere licere[t ] aut sei per agrum preivatum Sosinestanorum

9. qua rivom fieri oporteret rivom iure suo Salluie[n]sibus facere liceret dum quanti is a[ger] aestumatu[s]

10. esset,qua rivos duceretur, Salluienses pequniam solverent, tum, sei ita [p]arret, eei iudices iudicent

11. Salluiensibus rivom iure suo facere licer[e]; sei non parret iudicent iure suo facere non licere.

12.Sei iudicarent Salluiensibus rivom facere licere,tum quos magistratus Contrebiensis quinque

13. ex senatu suo dederit eorum arbitratu pro agro preivato q[u]a rivos ducetur Salluienses

14. publice pequniam solvonto. Iudicium addeixit C.Valerius C.f. Flaccus imperator.

15.Sentent[ia]m deixerunt: quod iudicium nostrum est qua de re agitur secundum Salluienses iudicamus. Quom ea res

16. ud[ic]atas[t mag]is[t]ratus Contrebienses heisce fuerunt: Lubbus Urdinocum Letondonis f. praetor; Lesso Siriscum

17. Lubbi f. [ma]gistratus; Babbus Bolgondiscum Ablonis f. magistratus; Segilus Annicum Lubi f. magistratus;

18. [--]atu[----]ulovicum Uxenti f. magistratus; Ablo Tindilicum Lubbi f. magistratus.Caussam Sallui[ensium]

19. defen[d]it ---]assius [-]eihar f. Salluiensis. Caussam Allavonensium defendit Turibas Teitabas f.

20. [Allavo]n[en]s[is]. Actum [C]ontrebiae Balaiscae eidibus Maieis, L. Cornelio Cn. Octavio consulibu[s].9*

Botorrita III

Botorrita III, discovered in 1979, is inscribed in four columns on one side of a plaque, introduced by a heading of two lines. A part of the plaque is missing, but the inscribed portion is complete. It is heavily corroded, and the text was only legible by x-ray.

01: risatioka : lestera[:]ia : tarakuai : nouiz : auzanto

02: eskeninum : taniokakue : soisum : albana

Botorrita IV

Botorrita IV, discovered in 1994, consists of 18 lines on both faces of the plaque. The text is fragmentary. The tirikantam of Botorrita I reappears in line A.1.

A.1. [...]tam:tirikantam:entorkue:toutam[...]

A.2. [...]:sua kombal[.]z:bouitos:ozeum:[...]

A.3. [...]i:turuntas:tirikantos:kustai:bize[...]

A.4. [...]a:karalom:aranti:otenei:ambi[...]

A.5. [...]kom:atibion:taskue:.a.s[...]

A.6. [...]kue:usimounei:[...]

A.7. [...]karalom:ios:lu.e.s[...]

A.8. [...]oi.u..ti:esta[...]

A.9. [...]uta:...kue[...]

A.10. [...]ti.. n.e[...]

B.1. [...]e .. i[...]

B.2. [...]atuz:uta:e[...]

B.3. [...]isum:..ti:[...]

B.4. [...]olo...:iom:u[...]

B.5. [...]toke...ta:.ue:tizatuz[...]

B.6. [...]l..lez.l.toioan[...]

B.7. [...]toruonti:stoteroi:tas[...]

B.8. [...]ko..esusiomo..o[...]

References

Further reading

• Beltrán Lloris, Francisco (1996): «Useisu aiankum tauro no era bintis. Una nota de lectura sobre la cara B de Botorrita 1», La Hispania prerromana, pp. 51–63.
• Beltrán Lloris, Francisco (2002): «El cuarto bronce de Botorrita», Palaeohispanica 2, pp. 381–393.
• Beltrán Lloris, Francisco - de Hoz, Javier - Untermann, Jürgen (1996): El tercer bronce de Botorrita (Contrebia Belaisca), Zaragoza.
• Jordán, Carlos (2004): Celtibérico, Zaragoza.
• Stifter, David (2001): "Neues vom Keltiberischen: Notizen zu Botorrita IV", Die Sprache (Sonderheft): Chronicalia Indoeuropaea 38/3 [1996], pp. 89–110.
• Stifter, David (2006): "Contributions to Celtiberian Etymology 2", Palaeohispanica 6, pp. 237–245.
• Untermann, Jürgen (1997): Monumenta Linguarum Hispanicarum. IV Die tartessischen, keltiberischen und lusitanischen Inschriften, Wiesbaden.
• Velaza, Javier (1999): «Balance actual de la onomástica personal celtibérica», Pueblos, lenguas y escrituras en la Hispania Prerromana, pp. 663–683.
• Villar, Francisco - Díaz, Mª Antonia - Medrano, Manuel Mª - Jordán, Carlos (2001): El IV bronce de Botorrita (Contrebia Belaisca): arqueología y lingüística, Salamanca.