Noric language

The Noric language, or Eastern Celtic, was an unclassified Continental Celtic language. It is attested in only two fragmentary inscriptions from the Roman province of Noricum (one in Grafenstein, Austria, the other in Ptuj, Slovenia). These do not provide enough information to draw conclusions about the language. However, it was probably similar to other Celtic languages near to it, such as Gaulish. No evidence yet shows when it became extinct.

Noric
Native toAustria, Slovenia
EthnicityTaurisci
Eraattested 2nd century AD
Language codes
ISO 639-3nrc
nrc
Glottolognori1240

Ptuj inscription
ARTEBUDZBROGDUI (a facsimile of the original inscription, written right to left)

The Ptuj inscription, discovered in 1894, is written right to left in a northern Italic alphabet[1] and reads:

This is interpreted as two personal names: Artebudz [son] of Brogduos.[2] The name Artebudz may mean "bear penis"[3] (compare Welsh arth "bear" and Irish bod "penis"), while Brogduos may contain the element brog-, mrog- "country"[4] (compare Welsh bro "region, country"). Alternatively, the inscription may be interpreted as Artebudz [made this] for Brogdos, with the second name in the dative case.[5]

Grafenstein inscription
Grafenstein inscription & facsimile

The Grafenstein inscription, on a tile from the 2nd century AD that was discovered in a gravel pit in 1977, is incomplete, but the extant part has been transcribed as follows:[1]

MOGE · ES[

P· II- LAV · EX[
ṆE · SAḌỊÍES[
OLLO · SO · VILO[
ỌNẠ C[…]

OLLO · SO · ? [

P LṾGNṾ · SI

Here, Moge seems to be a personal name or an abbreviation of one, P· II- lav a Latin abbreviation indicating a weight, ne sadiíes a verbal form possibly meaning "you (singular) do not set", ollo so perhaps "this amount", and Lugnu another personal name. The text may therefore be a record of some sort of financial transaction.[1]

Other readings of the inscription have also been proposed, including:

MOGE · ES+[---]

PET(?) LAV · EX[---]
NE · SAMES[---]
OLLO · SO · VILO ·[---]
ONA O(?) + ++

OLLO · SO ·+

+ LVGNI · SI[6]

and

MOGV · CISS [---

PETILAV · IEX[---
NE · SADIIES[---
OLLO · SO · VILO ·[---
ONA DOM...OC[

OLLO · SO · VIA .[

ILVGNV.SI[[7]

References
  1. Stifter, David (12 October 2007). "Keltisch in Österreich (Powerpoint)" [Celtic in Austria (Powerpoint)] (in German). Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2008. Stifter, David (12 October 2007). "Keltisch in Österreich (PDF of lecture)" [Celtic in Austria (PDF of lecture)] (PDF) (in German). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  2. "Vase de Ptuj". Encyclopédie de l'arbre celtique (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  3. Il Vocabolario Celtico [The Celtic Vocabulary] (in Italian). pp. p. 87, p. 89. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  4. Falileyev, A. Dictionary of Continental Celtic Place-Names (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  5. "Quellentexte: Ptuj". Indogermanistik Wien, University of Vienna (in German). Archived from the original on 4 May 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  6. "Quellentexte: Grafenstein". Indogermanistik Wien, University of Vienna. Archived from the original on 4 May 2007. Retrieved 9 January 2008.
  7. "Tuile de Grafenstein". Encyclopédie de l'arbre celtique (in French). Retrieved 9 January 2008.
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