Conventions and Abbreviations

From Lexicon Leponticum

Contents 1 Principles 1.1 Inclusion of texts/readings 2 Transliteration 2.1 General remarks 2.2 Characters 2.3 Ambiguous reading 2.4 Damaged or fragmentary inscriptions 3 Reconstructions, Symbols, etc. 3.1 Other signs, marks, and symbols 4 Geographic coordinates 5 Bibliography

Principles

Inclusion of texts/readings

• LexLep is inclusive, not exclusive. This means that texts and readings are included in the lexicon even if we do not consider them Celtic or correct.
• Everything separately written or engraved on an object that contains an Italo-Celtic inscription will be considered an inscription itself and will accordingly be furnished with a separate sigil.
• Ornamental, not-script-based engravings are considered a part of an inscription when in according relation to it (e.g., the triangle in VB·3.1).
• Latin seals of manufacturers imprinted on the objects are treated separately (e.g., AVILLI on NO·12 Oleggio).
• Continuous texts that switch between languages, like those on PG·1 Todi, will be treated as consisting of several inscriptions.

Transliteration

• Generally following Schumacher 2004: 112-120, 318-319.
  Deviations:
  1. Squared brackets [ ] cannot be used in the transliteration of words; parentheses ( ) are used instead (e.g. )tiris???v?().
  2. Character variants: We do not distinguish between t¹ (= "etruscan" T ) and t² (= "andreas cross" T ) in our transliterations (cf. General remarks).
  3. Ambiguous or variant readings: We did not employ annotations that combine more than one reading variant (cf. Schumacher 2004: 114-115). For not readable signs we employ <?> instead of <x> (e.g. )tiris???v?().
  4. The direction of writing is not displayed with an arrow; instead it is listed separately under "Direction of Writing" on the Inscription pages (e.g. CO·11).

General remarks

Our reading of the epigraphic texts is divided in two parts: the transliteration, and the graphical display of the specific character variants.

• In our transliterations we do not distinguish between the various character variants (see "Reading in Transliteration" in the Inscription pages, e.g. NO·1).
• The various character variants can be identified in the graphical rappresentation of the specific signs employed by the writer (see "Reading in Original Script" in the Inscription pages, e.g. NO·1).

Reading variants:

• The main reading is listed under "Reading in Transliteration" (e.g. CO·11).
• Other reading variants are listed under "Variant Reading" (e.g. CO·11).

Characters

Every character or mark on an object that contains an Italo-Celtic inscription is rendered in the transcription by a special sign.

• Representing Vowels: A, E, I, U, O
• Representing Consonants: B, C, V, I, K, L, M, N, P, Ś, R, S, T, U, Φ, Χ, X
• Other characters/signs:
  • Word separator: <:>
  • Not identifiable sign: <?>
  • Line break: </>
• Non-character sign: <§>

Ambiguous reading

• Remark on p and l: in sinistroverse inscriptions, and in dextroverse inscriptions can both be read as p or as l (cf. Schumacher 2004: 113-114). When the transliteration is ambiguous both reading variants are listed.

Damaged or fragmentary inscriptions

• Corrupted or reconstructed characters are marked with a subscribed point at the concerned letter, e.g. <ṣ> in ]tiriṣ???v?[ (CO·11).

Following signs have been employed to mark the incompleteness of an inscription/ of words:

• Transliteration of Inscriptions (e.g. CO·11, TI·45.2)
  • ] : beginning of the inscription is missing
  • [ : ending of the inscription is missing
  •  ? : not readable sign; if the gap corresponds to the width of e.g. 3 unidentifiable signs, ??? is employed
  • [...]: gap due to damage; letter(s) is/are missing

• Transliteration of Words (e.g. )tiris???v?(, uesa?a(...)ai)
  • ) : beginning of the word is missing
  • ( : ending of the word is missing
  •  ? : not readable sign
  • (...): gap; letter(s) is/are missing

Reconstructions, Symbols, etc.

• Generally following Schumacher 2004: 160-163.
  Deviations:
  1. In diphthongs the unsyllabic element is marked as unsyllabic, e.g. /a^u̯/.

Other signs, marks, and symbols

• Ornaments in the context of inscriptions are rendered by square brackets with denomination of the ornament, e.g. "[zigzag]" in NO·1.
• Isolated ornaments and figures are rendered by <§>.

Geographic coordinates

• On "Site" pages, a point in the centre of the respective location (main square, town hall,...) is used for determining the values for the coordinate entries.
• On "Object" pages, ideally the exact coordinates where the objects were found are used. If these are unavailable, the coordinates of the site are used instead.
• On "Museum" pages, a point at the entrance of the museum is used for determining the coordinates.

Bibliography

Lejeune 1971	Michel Lejeune, Lepontica, Paris: Société d'Édition "Les Belles Lettres" 1971. (reprint of the article "Documents gaulois et para-gaulois de Cisalpine", Études Celtiques 12/2, 1970-1, pp. 357-500)
Morandi 2004	Alessandro Morandi, Celti d'Italia. A cura di Paola Piana Agostinetti. Tomo II: Epigrafia e lingua dei Celti d'Italia [= Popoli e civiltà dell'Italia antica 12.2], Roma: Spazio Tre 2004.
Schumacher 2004	Stefan Schumacher, Die rätischen Inschriften. Geschichte und heutiger Stand der Forschung, 2nd, extended edition [= Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Kulturwissenschaft, Sonderheft 121], Innsbruck: Institut für Sprachwissenschaft 2004.
Solinas 1994	Patrizia Solinas, "Il Celtico in Italia", Studi Etruschi 60 (1994 [1995]), 311-408.