Idalion Tablet

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Line drawing of inscription, side 2?.

The Idalion Tablet, from Idalium, (Greek: Ιδάλιον), is a bronze tablet from the 5th century BC Cyprus. The tablet is inscribed on both sides.

The script of the tablet is in Cypro-Minoan syllabary and the inscription is in Greek. The tablet records a contract entered between "the king and the city":[1] the topic of the tablet rewards a family of physicians, of the city, for providing free health service to individuals fighting an invading force of Persians.[2]

Approximately two lines of the text states as follows:

"...they ordered Onasilon the (son) of Onasikupon the physician and the brothers to heal the men those in the battle wounded without fee."[3]

The Cypro-Minoan script and Greek

Idalion Tablet of bronze, 5th century BC. (very high resolution, expandible photo)

The example quote from the text in the Cypriot syllabary covers the end of the 2nd line (one and a half Greek words, side 1), and continues through the 3rd (40 total characters), and into the 4th line. The text is read right-to-left.

The following is the English translation, and below the Greek translation, associated with the Cypriot characters; (line 3 starts with Cypriot character ro (looking like 'loop of rope, open end down', loop, top half of character), line 4 starts with Cypriot ma, a distinctive Cypriot syllabic character, (an X, with a small upside-down-karat, topping, and between the X):


"...they ordered Onasilon the (son) of Onasikupon the physician and the brothers to heal the men those in the battle wounded without fee."[4]
"...anógon-(a-no-ko-ne) Onasilon-(o-na-si-lo-ne) ton Onasikuprón-(to-no-na-si-ku-po-(Line 3)ro-ne) ton iatéran-(to-ni-ja-te-ra-ne) kas-(ka-se) tos-(to-se) kasignétos-(ka-si-ke-ne-to-se) iasthai-(i-ja-sa-ta-i) tos-(to-se) (=men)a(n)thrópos-(a-to-ro-po-se) tos-(to-se) i(n) tái-(i-ta-i) makhái-(ma-ka-i) ikmamenos-(i-ki-(Line 4)ma-me-no-se) aneu-(a-ne-u) misthón-(mi-si-to-ne)..."[5]


References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cypriot inscriptions.
  1. ↑ Chadwick, 1987, Linear B, and related scripts, pp. 55-56.
  2. ↑ Chadwick, 1987, p. 55.
  3. ↑ Chadwick, 1987, p. 56.
  4. ↑ Chadwick, 1987, p. 56.
  5. ↑ Chadwick, 1987, p. 56.
  • Chadwick, John, 1987. Linear B, and related scripts, 1987, University of California Press & British Museum, 64 pages. Series: Reading the Past. (softcover, ISBN 0-520-06019-9)



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