User:LukasPietsch/Inscriptions
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In the context of Arvanites, someone quoted an author who wanted to show that certain ancient inscriptions were in the Arvanitic language rather than in Ancient Greek. One of the inscriptions involved is the famous Dipylon inscription, the oldest known Greek alphabetic inscription. I cannot judge how plausible the language of the alleged "Arvanitic" readings is in itself, but both inscriptions quoted are obviously Greek, as everybody with a smattering of Ancient Greek can easily recognize. To say that these texts are not Greek is like saying that this sentence here is not English. The "Arvanitic" readings, on the other hand, are full of unsupported conjectures, ad-hoc redefinitions of the basic letter values, and some clear misreadings of quite unambiguous letters. The claim quoted is most certainly pseudo-science.
Note that the letter shapes in the transcriptions are archaic when compared to classical Greek, but nevertheless clearly readable in the knowledge of the Phoenician prototypes. Note also that both inscriptions are perfectly spelled (except for the last few letters of the Dipylon inscription, which is agreed to be problematic). Non-classical spellings (such as <ο> for later <ω, ου>; <ε> for later <η, ει>, and <φσ> for later <ψ>) are completely regular for pre-5th century inscriptions. In addition, the Dipylon inscription forms a perfect hexameter in Greek.
The original letters in both inscriptions have to be read like mirror-images, from right to left.
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[edit] 1.1. Dipylon inscription, Greek reading
| Original |  |
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| Raw transcription | ΗΟΣΝΥΝΟΡΧΕΣΤΟΝΠΑΝΤΟΝΑΤΑΛΟΤΑΤΑΠΑΙΖΕΙΤΟΤΟΔΕΚΛ(Ι?)ΜΙΝ | ||||||||
| Word boundaries | ΗΟΣ | ΝΥΝ | ΟΡΧΕΣΤΟΝ | ΠΑΝΤΟΝ | ΑΤΑΛΟΤΑΤΑ | ΠΑΙΖΕΙ | ΤΟ | ΤΟΔΕ | ΚΛ.ΜΙΝ |
| Scholarly transcr. | hος | νῦν | ὀρχεστôν | πάντον | ἀταλότατα | παίζει, | τô | τόδε | κλ[.]μιν[...] |
| Modern orthogr. | ὃς | νῦν | ὀρχηστῶν | πάντων | ἀταλώτατα | παίζει, | τῶ | τόδε | ... |
| Translation | Whoever of the dancers now dances most lightly, to him... | ||||||||
[edit] 1.2. Dipylon inscription, Stylos' "Arvanitic" reading [1]))
| Original | |
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| Raw transcription | ΗΟΣΝΥΝΟΡΧΕΣΤΟΝΠΑΝΤΟΝΑΤΑΛΟΤΑΤΑΠΑΙΖΕΙΤΟΤΟΔΕΚΛ(Ι?)ΜΙΝ | |||||||||||||||
| Word boundaries | ΗΟ | ΣΝ | ΥΝΟΡΧΕ | Σ | ΤΟΝ | ΠΑ | Ν | ΤΟΝΑΤΑ | ΛΟΤΑ | ΤΑ | ΠΑΙ | ΖΕΙΤΟΤΟ | ΔΕ | ΚΛ | Ι | ΜΙΝ |
| Transcription | Πο | σνε̣ | βε̣νόρχε | --- | τον, | νγjα | νε | τόνατα | λjκjθα, | τα | νγjας | ζιέγγεουτου | τσιέ | κα | ι | μbε̣ν. |
| Translation | If any of our wine-servants approach our jugs, I will approach him in the fire that he has made | |||||||||||||||
Highlighted: Questionable readings, unjustified conjectures etc.
[edit] 2.1 Cumae inscription, Greek reading [2]:
| Original |  |
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| Raw transcription | ΤΑΤΑΙΕΣΕΜΙΛΕQΥΘΟΣHΟΣΔΑΝΜΕΚΛΕΦΣΕΙΤΥΦΛΟΣΕΣΤΑΙ | |||||||||
| Word boundaries | ΤΑΤΑΙΕΣ | ΕΜΙ | ΛΕQΥΘΟΣ | HΟΣ | Δ | ΑΝ | ΜΕ | ΚΛΕΦΣΕΙ | ΤΥΦΛΟΣ | ΕΣΤΑΙ |
| Literal transcr. | Ταταίες | ἔμι | λέκυθος, | ὃς | δ' | ἂν | μὲ | κλέφσει | τυφλὸς | ἔσται. |
| Modern orthogr. | Ταταίης | εἴμι | λήκυθος, | ὃς | δ' | ἂν | μὲ | κλέψῃ | τυφλὸς | ἔσται. |
| Translation | I am Tataia's jug; whoever steals me will go blind. | |||||||||
[edit] 2.2. Cumae inscription, Stylos' "Arvanitic" reading ([3])
| Original | |
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| Raw transcription | ΤΑΤΑΙΕΣΕΜΙΛΕQΥΘΟΣHΟΣΔΑΝΜΕΚΛΕΦΣΕΙΤΥΦΛΟΣΕΣΤΑΙ | |||||||||||||||
| Word boundaries | ΤΑΤΑΙ | Ε | ΣΕΜΙΛ | ΕQΥ | ΘΟΣ | HΟ | ΣΔΑ | ΝΜ | Ε | ΚΛΕΦΣ | Ε | ΙΤΥ | ΦΛ | Ο | ΣΕΣΤ | ΑΙ |
| Transcription | Τάται | ε | Σεμίλ | ήκjου, | ουός. | Πο | σδα | νε̣μ | ε | κλεφς | ε | jόιου, | φλε | ο | σηστ | αι |
| Translation | ??? | |||||||||||||||
Highlighted: Questionable readings, unjustified conjectures etc.
