Gilt foil of Pyrgi, written in Etruscan.
Second half of the 20th century
Measurements: about 100x48 mm. Perfect condition
Magnificent testimony of one of the most important archaeological discoveries, of fundamental importance for the knowledge of the history and language of the Etruscans.
In 1964, three gold foils were found in the archaeological site of Pyrgi, today Santa Severa, in the province of Rome. About 20 centimeters high, they date back to the end of the 6th or the beginning of the 5th century BC. and contain a text in the Phoenician language and two in the Etruscan language. It is a sacred inscription: the documents testify to the consecration of the temple to the Etruscan goddess Uni, assimilated to the Phoenician Astarte.
Our sheet perfectly reproduces, in a slightly reduced size, the first sheet written in Etruscan, consisting of 16 lines, 36 or 37 words. Considered one of the first epigraphic attestations in an Italic language, the artefact is currently exhibited at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, in Rome.
Condition Report: For inquiries, detailed condition report and additional images please mail to info@badoemart.it.
Provenance: Property from an Italian private collector.