Numeri-form Sigla at Poggio Civitate (Murlo)

Bibliographic Data

ID22187263
AuthorsGabriel Appelbaum (Data Science, Lakeland Flying Tigers , Lakeland , Florida , USA), Brad Lidge (University of Massachusetts Amherst , Boulder , Colorado , USA), Anthony Tuck (0000-0002-3758-392X, Classics , University of Massachusetts Amherst , Amherst , Massachusetts , USA), Rex Wallace (University of Massachusetts Amherst , Columbus , Ohio , USA)
Year2025
Volume28
Issue1-2
Pages81-98
Publication date2025-11-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueEtruscan and Italic Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2566-9095 • E-ISSN: 2566-9109
PublisherWalter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1515/etst-2025-0016
LanguageEN
References cited11

Symbols incised and drawn on artifacts recovered from Poggio Civitate (Murlo) have intrigued scholars since the earliest days of its excavation. Dozens of different types of symbols, some alphabetic and others non-alphabetic, were placed on roofing tiles, ceramics, and in rare cases, weaving implements. A subset of these symbols, all incised on locally produced ceramic objects, resembles the forms of numerals found on Etruscan inscriptions and so are thought to have had numerical values. In this article, we present the numeri-form symbols found on ceramic objects – primarily pot sherds – from Poggio Civitate and discuss the vessel types on which they were found, their placement on the vessels, and their possible functions. Special consideration is given to the contexts in which these ceramics that bear numeri-form symbols were recovered. Geospatial data associated with the ceramic objects demonstrates that the remains are concentrated in the environs of the site’s main industrial area, OC2/Workshop, and thus illuminating another facet of the community’s economic and industrial practices probably related to numerical record-keeping

Tools

Open DOI