Iguvine Tablets
The tablets contain religious inscriptions that memorialize the acts and rites of the Atiedian Brethren, a group of 12 priests of Jupiter with important municipal functions at Iguvium.
[citation needed] Moreover, their content deals with the rituals (sacrifices and prayers) addressed to the highest gods of the local community and to some extent may reflect the common religious beliefs and practices of the Italic peoples.
The first attempt at deciphering their meaning was made by Bernardino Baldi in the beginning of the 17th century, and he was followed by Adriaan van Schrieck, who believed the tablets were in the Low German language, and interpreted them accordingly.
Review of the city militia and expulsion (extermination) of the traditional enemies of Iguvium (Tadinates, Etruscans, Nahartes, Iapuzcoi) by the arfertur and the two prinovatus (augures or their attendants): Four more triplet sacrifices: Near the small fontains three red boars shall be sacrificed to Çerfos Martios.
The Hondia (elements that pertain to ritual sacrifice to Hondus, an earth deity) Preparations made by the arfertur: readying of the victim(s), grains, strues, fertum;[10] incense or meal, wine; salt, mola; mandraculum (white linen used to wrap the officiant's hand), vases; pure water; ignition of the fire at the ara.
The topic has been the object of a study by Dominique Briquel: he opines the reason should lie in the repressive and henceforth military connotation of the notion of divine sanction of the law.
In particular the sacrificial offerings roughly correspond to those of Rome in their three functional significance and the sixfold invocations of VIa 30 and 39, VIb 13 and 32 (nerf, arsmo; veiro, peiquo; castruo, fri: princes, priests; men, cattle; fields, land produce) show a direct connection to the sovereign, military and productive activities.
[21] Jörg Rüpke remarks the association of Hondos with Jupiter is one among the numerous in the tablets, in which a complex multilevel and hierarchic structure of relationship among theonyms is envisaged.
It has been suggested that the theonym Hunte Çefi (Honde Serfi), referring to a chthonic god,[22][23] derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰōm-to 'earth',[24][25] a stem attested in several branches.
These deities are invoked and receive sacrifices aimed at obtaining their favour for the protection of the arx itself, of the community and of the fields in connexion to the lustration rites of the Iguvian citadel at different locations of augural relevance.
The rites concerning the Praestota and the two Tursae involve a complex of libations aimed at obtaining a twofold action: the safety for the Iguvine community and the offsetting and expulsion of its traditional enemies.
Such a meaning is connected to the Umbrian word for border, tuder: Tursa is written Tuda in the Etruscan tablets, the intervocalic d being pronounced as a weak rs (i.e.: ḍ).
This view though might create interpretative problems concerning the theology of Mars and of the two deities who in Rome are associated with the sphere of law and defence, i. e. gods Jupiter and Semo Sancus Dius Fidius.
Other mentioned offices include the fratrecs interpreted as curator arcae,[34] the cvestor and the prinovatus, probably agrimensors, attendants of the person who takes the auspices.
Tablets VI and VII relate the ritual actions such as circumambulations, libations, kneelings and dance in minute detail recording all the prayers and the other augural formulae.
Instances in Rome include the Lupercalia and a parallel may be found in the Augurium Canarium[39] and the Robigalia, both held in late Spring for the propitiation of a good harvest and for the preservation of the grains from mildew respectively.
Another ritual aimed at protecting corn in danger from fires concerned foxes which were set afire in the Circus Maximus on the last day of the Cerialia (Cerealia).
[41] Finally dogs were crucified on the Capitol at the beginning of August, time of the canicula to avert the rabies contagion or lessen their barking which disturbed sick people.
At Iguvium the description of some sacrificial rites documents both the use of spits for the viscera and the presence of prosiciae displayed on the table of the offerings beside the fire and perhaps consecrated and burnt to the gods.
They include the praeire verba, i.e. the uttering of the words to be repeated by the arfertur, the legum dictio, the rules for the taking of the auspices such as silence (silentium) and the avoidance of other incidents, the definition of the boundaries of the augural templum, the nuntiatio, announcement of the appearance of the expected signs from birds, the circumambulation of the army with fire.
Here below is the text (VIa 1-5) with Poultney's translation of the passage: Este persclo aveis asseriater eneto: parfa curnace dersua, peiqu peica merstu.
According to a new etymology, de Vaan connects this noun to Latin cognate urbs, both having the meaning of defined space for augural observation, from a PIE root *u(o)rb(h) plus /d(h)-h(2) enclosure, enclosed area.
anclar VIa 16: oscines "songbirds, messengers", literally "those who call out" < *an-kla:- compare Latin clamo "I cry (out)" combifiatu VIa 17: conspectum capito, nuntiato, "(the augur) shall announce the appearance of the auspices."
perne postne sepse sarsite uouse auie esone VIb 11: antice postice septe sarcte voce (et) ave (i. e. auspicio) divina, "from before and behind, clear and cut (fully, wholly) voice and bird sacred.
Studies have been devoted recently to identifying the location of the rituals described in the tablets, particularly of the Fisian Arx, which has been placed with certainty on Monte Ingino, to the southwest of Gubbio.
inumek tertiama spanti triia tefra pru-sekatu eřek supru:sese erecluma vesune puemunes pupřices pur-tuvitu strucla petenata isek ař-veitu
erererunt kapiřus puemune vesune pur-tuvitu asam-ař ereclum-ař a-secetes karnus i-seceles et vempesuntres supes sanes pertentu persnimu ař-peltu statitu
inuk vesticia mefa purtupite skalceta kunikaz apehtre esuf testru sese asa asama pur-tivutu sevakne sukatu The ritual must be performed during the ordinary bimonthly ceremonies:
dei grabouie, orer ose, persei ocre fisie pir orto est toteme iouine arsmor dersecor (27) subator sent, pusei neip heritu.
Jupiter Grabovius, by the effect of this [ox bring it to pass that], if on the Fisian Mount fire hath occurred or in the state of Iguvium the due rites (27) have been omitted, that it be as not intended.
