The Botorrita plaques are four bronze plaques discovered in Botorrita (Roman Contrebia Belaisca), near Zaragoza, Spain, dating to the late 2nd century BC, known as Botorrita I, II, III and IV.
Although Botorrita II is in the Latin language, Botorrita I, III and IV, inscribed in the Celtiberian script, constitute the main part of the Celtiberian corpus.
Botorrita I Botorrita I was found in 1970. It is the longest inscription in Celtiberian consisting of a text in 11 lines, on the front face, continued by a list of names on the back side.
Side A A.1. A.2. A.3. A.4. A.5. A.6. A.7. A.8. A.9. A.10. A.11.
Side B B.1. B.2. B.3. B.4. B.5. B.6. B.7. B.8. B.9.
Translations
J. Eska (1988)Eska, Joseph F. (1988) Towards an interpretation of the Hispano-Celtic inscription of BotorritaUniversity of Toronto (Canada) ProQuest Dissertations Publishing NL43452
1. "Regarding a well-wrought boundary structure, the senators of Tocoitom and of Sarnicios [have agreed/decided that] [it is] not permitted"
2. "[that it] be demolished or destroyed or broken apart by violence." (from soz to tamai remains untranslated, probably a tag on the preceding prohibition)
3-4. "and whoever carries out these things, he should give cut [pieces] of silver [namely] 100 sanclistera of otanas at Tocoitom."
F. Villar (1990)Villar, F. "La linea inicial del bronce de Botorrita" in Studia indogermanica et palaeohispanica in honorem A. Tovar et L. Michelena. Salamanca, 1990, pp. 375-392, as found in Adrados, 1995
1. "In relation to the trescantos [named] Berkuneteca of Tokoit and Sarnicia, this is the settlement/accord:"
W. Meid (1983)W.Meid Die Erste Botorrita-Inschrift: Interpretation eines keltiberischenSprachdenkmals. Innsbruck: Inst, für Sprachwissenschaft der Universität Innsbruck. 1993. 132 S., 8 Abb., 8°. ISBN 3-85124-639-X (Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissen-schaft, 76)) (as reviewed by Karl Horst Schmidt in 1998, Indogermanische Forschungen, 103, pp. 281 ff.)
1. "Concerning the hilly region of Togoit and of the Sanricii, the following has been decreed as not allowed"
2. "It is not allowed to do [anything], neither is it allowed to perform/carry out [works], nor is it allowed to perpetrate breakage/harm" [except by permission of the directors]."
Rodriguez Adrados (1993)Rodríguez Adrados, Francisco. "Propuestas para la interpretación de Botorrita I". In: Emerita: Revista de lingüística y filología clásica. Vol. 63. Nº 1. 1995. pp. 1-16
1. "With regard to the place Tricanta ("the meeting of three roads" or "of three boundaries") of Togotus and of Sarnicius, the council [has determined] thus--[it is] forbidden:"
Notes
Although the general contents of the inscription are known with some confidence--apparently a set of prohibitions ( "must neither...nor..." A.2 with litom < *l(e)ik-to, cf. Latin licitum < *lik-e-to) with specifications of punishments (including payment in silver = A.3) for violations (side A), and a list of guarantors on side B (though the list seems to start at the end of A.11 with )--there is as yet no unified, agreed-upon translation.Lejeune, Michel (1990) (Review of Eska, Joseph F. (1988) Towards an interpretation of the Hispano-Celtic inscription of BotorritaUniversity of Toronto (Canada) ProQuest Dissertations Publishing NL43452.) Études celtiques 27 pp. 380-381. It is still not clear, for example, whether the text presents sacred laws concerning a temple or municipal regulations.Prósper, Blanca María El bronce celtibérico de Botorrita I. Pisa-Roma, Fabrizio Serra editore, 2008 (Ricerche sulle lingue di frammentaria attestazione, 6)
On the first side, David Stifter (2001), for example, indicates that <> is an 'assembly of 300', similar to Gaulish , while <> according to Bayer (1994) means something like 'was (deemed) suitable (by the assembly)' (cf. Latin 'to please'). The sequences with and with infinitive in are clearly something like '(it is) not permitted to...', and mentions some kind of monetary and property fines for ignoring the prohibitions.Stifter, David (2001): "Neues vom Keltiberischen: Notizen zu Botorrita IV", Die Sprache (Sonderheft): Chronicalia Indoeuropaea 38/3 , pp. 89–110 F. Villar has suggested that kombalkez in the first line is 3rd sing. of the perfect of a root*bh el- ' to speak'--"he has spoken."Cólera, Carlos Jordán (2007) "Celtiberian," e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies: Vol. 6, Article 17. p. 752. Available at: https://dc.uwm.edu/ekeltoi/vol6/iss1/17 retrieved June 18, 2023
In line 2, the form tizaunei is considered to come from *di-dyāmnei (compare Greek δίζημαι "seek out, look for") by Jordán Cólera,Jordán Cólera, C. "La forma verbal cabint del bronce celtibérico de Novallas (Zaragoza)"Emerita, Revista de Lingüística y Filología ClásicaLXXXII 2, 2014, pp. 327-343, p. 338. ISSN 0013-6662 doi: 10.3989/emerita.2014.07.1329 though the Greek form is generally thought now to go back to a Proto-Indo-European root *ieh2- ‘to pursue.'Beekes, R. Etymological Dictionary Of Greek. Brill, 2010. p. 333 But Prósper takes the form tizaunei from *dhi-dhh1-mn-e "to place."Prosper, Blanca María. "Some Thoughts on the Gaulish Result of Common Celtic -mn- in Galatian" Celtic Studies 3. 2008. pp. 189-199, p. 190
For in lines A.2-3, Prosper (2006) translates: "[all] this (is) valid by order of the competent authority" based on the following analyses: : [all] this (< *sod); : final, valid (< *h₂eug-os 'strong, valid', cf. Latin augustus 'solemn'); : of the competent authority (gen. sing. < *pr̥Hi-steh₂-lo- 'competent authority' < *pr̥Hi-sto 'what is first, authority'); : by order (instrumental fem. sing. < *dʰoh₁m-eh₂ 'establish, dispose'). In lines 3 and 6, stena may be related to the word for "thunder" and the name of the Celtic storm god, Taranos (< *Taran-), forms also seen on Botorrita III below.Koch, John T. (2020). Celto-Germanic, Later Prehistory and Post-Proto-Indo-European vocabulary in the North and West. University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. pp. 142-144 ISBN 9781907029325.
In line A 4, the second element in Togoitei eni 'in Togotis' is from *h₁en-i (cf. Lat. in, OIr. in 'into, in'). For Togoitei itself, Matasovic points to Proto-Celtic *tonketo- ‘destiny’ with the cognate in OIr. tocad saying this form is in the dative/locative singular, and connected to the apparent theonymn TOGOTI in the dative singular, but adding that: "The attribution of the Celtiberian forms to this root is as uncertain as anything else in this language."Matasovic, R. Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic Brill, Leiden 2009, p. 383
Later in the same line, bou-sto-mue probably contains in its first element a reflex of the PIE term for "cow": PIE *gwōw- > Lat. bōs, OHG chuo, Sanksrit gáu-, Tokarian A ko, Armenian kov... through Proto-Celtic *bow- whence OIr. bó, Middle Welsh bu, Middle Bretton bou-tig ‘stable’ and the Gaulish personal name Bo-marus. The meaning, therefore, may be "stable," like the Bretton form, but the form seems to be identical historically to Old Irish búas "riches, wealth (in cattle)" from Proto-Celtic *bow-sto-.Addenda et corrigenda to Ranko Matasović’s Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Brill, Leiden 2009) Zagreb, December 2011, p. 6 The form at the end of line 4, kabizeti, can be derived from *gabiyeti, a third person singular present indicative (or subjunctive?), from the Proto-Indo-European root *ghHb "take, hold" but here, possibly "give" (whence Latin habeo "hold" and possibly Gothic geben "give"), assuming that *-(i)y- becomes -z- in Celtiberian, as seen also in *nowyo- > CeltIb. nouiza.Matasovic, R. Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic. Leiden: Brill. 2006. pp. 148-149
In line 6, is probably a subjunctive form of indeterminate meaning.
And in line 7, is probably a present third person plural indicative form meaning "they sow."Stefan Schumacher, Die keltischen Primärverben: Ein vergleichendes, etymologisches und morphologisches Lexikon (Innsbruck: Institut für Sprachen und Literaturen der Universität, 2004).
For (A.8-9), Jordán (2004) translates: "of these, he will give the tithe/tax inside of this territory, so [may it] be fenced as [it should] be unfenced" based on the following analyses: "of these" (< *sa-ōm) "the tithes, the tax" << *-dekam-etos < *-dkm-etos; compare Gaulish decametos 'tenth', Welsh degfed 'tenth', O.Ir. dechmad 'tenth'Cólera, Carlos Jordán (2007) "Celtiberian," e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies: Vol. 6, Article 17. p. 758 Available at: https://dc.uwm.edu/ekeltoi/vol6/iss1/17 retrieved June 18, 2023 "he will pay, will give" (< PIE *deh2-tо̄d 3rd person singular imperative)Cólera, Carlos Jordán (2007) "Celtiberian," e-Keltoi: Journal of Interdisciplinary Celtic Studies: Vol. 6, Article 17. p.762 Available at: https://dc.uwm.edu/ekeltoi/vol6/iss1/17 retrieved June 19, 2023 "inside, in" (< *h₁en-i) : of this (loc. sing. < *so-sm-ei 'from this') "territory" (loc. sing. < *touzom 'territory' < *tewt-yo-) "so (be) fenced" "as (be) unfenced."Jordán Cólera, Carlos (2004). "Celtibérico". Monografías de Filología Griega. Zaragoza: Universidad de Zaragoza. 16 (IV). ISBN 84-96214-38-9.
The first word of A.10, , may be the negative (ne-) of a verb meaning "strike, harm" in the 3rd person imperative middle, from Proto-Celtic *bi-na- ‘strike, hit’—compare Old Irish benaid (same meaning), from PIE *bheyH- "strike"; whence Old Latin perfines "you should strike" and Old Church Slavonic biti.Addenda et corrigenda to Ranko Matasović’s Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Brill, Leiden 2009). Zagreb, December 2011, p. 5 And for in A.10, De Bernardo (2009) translates: "In Togotis, he who draws water either for the green or for the farmland, the tithe (of their yield) he shall give."De Bernardo, P. "La gramática celtibérica del bronce de Botorrita. Nuevos Resultados". In Palaeohispanica 9 (2009), pp. 683-699. The form in line 10 is the nominative singular masculine of the relative pronoun from Proto-Indo-European *yo- (Sanskrit ya-, Greek hos), which shows up in Irish only as the aspiration for leniting relative verb forms. Line 7 has the accusative singular and the dative singular of the same root.Matasovic, R. Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic. Leiden: Brill. 2006. p. 436
The second side clearly consists of names, presumably prominent members of the assembly. The names are in the Celtiberian formula, e.g. , is 'Lubo of the Kounesiko (people), [son] of Melnon'; for this reason, it has been suggested that <> is actually <>, i.e. // 'son', as this clearly fits the context (seen notes on plaque III below), but it may merely be a title of a kind of magistrate.Francisco Beltrán Lloris and Carlos Jordán Cólera (2020) "Celtiberian" PALAEOHISPANICA: revista sobre lenguas y culturas de la Hispania antigua pp. 631-690. I.S.S.N. 1578-5386 DOI: 10.36707/palaeohispanica.v0i20.395 Whether this means the sign <Bi> can elsewhere be interpreted as indicating a velar—which would lead, for example, to new possible etymologies for as from *ups- plus *ag- "drive" and from *dhingh- "shape, build"—in this text is still unclear. It is generally agreed that in A.5 means "path," a form also seen in Gaulish, borrowed into Late Latin as cammīnus, and from there into the modern Romance languages.Lambert, Pierre-Yves (2012) (Review of Prósper, Blanca María El bronce celtibérico de Botorrita I. Pisa-Roma, Fabrizio Serra editore, 2008 (Ricerche sulle lingue di frammentaria attestazione, 6) ) in Études celtiques 38 pp. 301-302