The discovery in 1983 that two of the apparently redundant punctuation marks were in reality simplified letters led to an incremental improvement in their understanding and a first translation in 1985.

As the known history of the Picentes does not begin until their subjugation by Rome in the 3rd century, the inscriptions open an earlier window onto their culture as far back as the late Roman Kingdom.

On a typical gravestone is the representation of the face or figure of the deceased with the inscription in a spiral around it or under it reading in a clockwise direction, or boustrophedon, or vertically.

[6] To them are added inscriptions on a bronze bracelet in central Abruzzi and two 4th-century BC helmets from Bologna in the Po Valley and Bari on the southeastern coast.

South Picene nouns decline for two grammatical numbers (singular and plural) and six attested cases (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, ablative, locative).

The attested declensional endings for nouns include: Like in Latin, South Picene has rather free word order in terms of the position of the subject, object, and verb in a given sentence.

For example: maverykupríwellkoramcommemorative.stone.ACCopsútmake.PERF.3SGaninisAninius.NOMma kuprí koram opsút aninisvery well commemorative.stone.ACC make.PERF.3SG Aninius.NOM"Aninius made the commemorative stone very well"apaesAppaeus.NOMqupatlie.3SGesmínhereapaes qupat esmínAppaeus.NOM lie.3SG here"Appaeus lies here"safinúsSabines.NOMestufhereeśelsiterect.PRES.3PLmúfqlúmmonument.ACCsafinús estuf eśelsit múfqlúmSabines.NOM here erect.PRES.3PL monument.ACC"The Sabines erect a monument here"Nevertheless, some principles of South Picene syntax can be drawn.

[11] oftorimstele.ACCesmenhereadstaeomsset.up.PERF.1PLoftorim esmen adstaeomsstele.ACC here set.up.PERF.1PL"we set up a stele here"Copular clauses consist of the complement followed by the copular verb: a[l]siesAlsius.GENesumbe.1SGa[l]sies esumAlsius.GEN be.1SG"I am [property] of Alsius"uelaimesVelaimus.GENstatiesStatius.GENqoracommemorative.stone.NOMkduíúbe.called.1SGuelaimes staties qora kduíúVelaimus.GEN Statius.GEN commemorative.stone.NOM be.called.1SG"I am [called] the commemorative stone for Velaimus Statius"In South Picene, adjectives and genitive noun phrases usually precede the nouns they modify:[12] kaúi-eisGaius-GENpuql-ohson-DATkaúi-eis puql-ohGaius-GEN son-DAT"for the son of Gaius"safin-úmSabines-GENnerfmen-ACCsafin-úm nerfSabines-GEN men-ACC"the men of the Sabines"Alínt-iomAlentes-GENokr-eícitadel-LOCAlínt-iom okr-eíAlentes-GEN citadel-LOC"in the Alentes' citadel"púmpúni-sPomponian-NOM.SGnírman.NOM.SGpúmpúni-s nírPomponian-NOM.SG man.NOM.SG"the Pomponian man"safin-asSabine-GEN.SGtút-ascommunity-GEN.SGsafin-as tút-asSabine-GEN.SG community-GEN.SG"the Sabine community"Demonstratives also must occur before their associated noun.