Etruscan, Oscan, and Umbrian
The doctor is healing us!
A bronze mirror from Vulchi, IV century BC.
The text reads from left to right: ЧА(ЧАСНИ or ЧАРОДЕЈ, ЧАРОБЊАК); ЛЧ(ЛЕЧИ) ; АС(НАС), or in English " A magician (a doctor, or somebody with the celestial knowledge and powers) is healing us." As we can see the short inscription is somewhat deceiving and one could assume the message is a word long. However, with the careful examination it becomes obvious there are three abbreviated words-a common writing technique in ancient texts and those are: ЧА ЛЧ АС.
Helpful hints for easy reading with the cirilic letter first, followed by its English equivalent: ( Ч=tch; С -S; Н - N; Р-R; Д-D; Б -B; Њ -Ñ ). Etruscan is a phonetic language - a letter = a sound.
Taking a closer look
ЧА - first two letters of ЧАРОБЊАК (magician), or ЧАСНИ (honorable, revered). The abbreviation could also stand for Charon (Шура), the Etruscan ferryman of the lower world but his image as presented on the mirror's back does not match the one described by Fik Meijer in his Gladiators. Here is the description of Charon "His nose does not look human at all, but more like a bird's beak. He is dressed in tight-fitting clothes and wears leather shoes with pointed toes. " (p.159) However, knowing that 'sacerdos' is 'priest' in Latin makes perfect sense as '-cerd- is a cognate to 'чарод -еј'. Here is what I found in the Old Church Slavonic dictionary compiled by Григорій Дьяченко - Чародеѣцъ is the one who knows how to conduct religious ceremonies, knows herbs and their healing powers and how to use them to either help or bring troubles to a person ( same what we get from doctors today). Also the stem -cer- has its cognate in Old Church Slavonic - Чара, Чары (pl.) meaning a dish that looks like a half of sphere, which in older times meant a pitch, as it is explained in Дьяченко's dictionary. When observed attentively, in the picture above we can spot a pitch sitting on the ground behind the healer. Therefore, Чародеѣцъ is a priest (sacerdos) who uses Чары (a dish) while performing his rites. English word saucer (dish) originates from Чары as well.
ЛЧ- first and third letters of ЛЕЧИ (heals, is healing)
АС - last two letters of НАС (us)
Etruscan inscriptions are successfully deciphered by S.S. Bilbija - he explained in details his method used to read Etruscan texts in his book " Староевропски језик и писмо Етрураца ( not sure if an English translation exists), published by the Institute of Etruscan studies, Chicago (1984). I also don't think Bilbija payed attention to this particular mirror in his book - I felt tempted to apply what I learned from him and here it is .
® Jahorinskicaj8
Immage from www.mysteriousetruscans.com
The text reads from left to right: ЧА(ЧАСНИ or ЧАРОДЕЈ, ЧАРОБЊАК); ЛЧ(ЛЕЧИ) ; АС(НАС), or in English " A magician (a doctor, or somebody with the celestial knowledge and powers) is healing us." As we can see the short inscription is somewhat deceiving and one could assume the message is a word long. However, with the careful examination it becomes obvious there are three abbreviated words-a common writing technique in ancient texts and those are: ЧА ЛЧ АС.
Helpful hints for easy reading with the cirilic letter first, followed by its English equivalent: ( Ч=tch; С -S; Н - N; Р-R; Д-D; Б -B; Њ -Ñ ). Etruscan is a phonetic language - a letter = a sound.
Taking a closer look
ЧА - first two letters of ЧАРОБЊАК (magician), or ЧАСНИ (honorable, revered). The abbreviation could also stand for Charon (Шура), the Etruscan ferryman of the lower world but his image as presented on the mirror's back does not match the one described by Fik Meijer in his Gladiators. Here is the description of Charon "His nose does not look human at all, but more like a bird's beak. He is dressed in tight-fitting clothes and wears leather shoes with pointed toes. " (p.159) However, knowing that 'sacerdos' is 'priest' in Latin makes perfect sense as '-cerd- is a cognate to 'чарод -еј'. Here is what I found in the Old Church Slavonic dictionary compiled by Григорій Дьяченко - Чародеѣцъ is the one who knows how to conduct religious ceremonies, knows herbs and their healing powers and how to use them to either help or bring troubles to a person ( same what we get from doctors today). Also the stem -cer- has its cognate in Old Church Slavonic - Чара, Чары (pl.) meaning a dish that looks like a half of sphere, which in older times meant a pitch, as it is explained in Дьяченко's dictionary. When observed attentively, in the picture above we can spot a pitch sitting on the ground behind the healer. Therefore, Чародеѣцъ is a priest (sacerdos) who uses Чары (a dish) while performing his rites. English word saucer (dish) originates from Чары as well.
ЛЧ- first and third letters of ЛЕЧИ (heals, is healing)
АС - last two letters of НАС (us)
Etruscan inscriptions are successfully deciphered by S.S. Bilbija - he explained in details his method used to read Etruscan texts in his book " Староевропски језик и писмо Етрураца ( not sure if an English translation exists), published by the Institute of Etruscan studies, Chicago (1984). I also don't think Bilbija payed attention to this particular mirror in his book - I felt tempted to apply what I learned from him and here it is .
® Jahorinskicaj8
Immage from www.mysteriousetruscans.com