Etruscan Tiber Valley  Translations (550 BCE)

For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts

Map showing the Etruscan lands prior to their take-over by the Romans
Map showing the Etruscan lands prior to their take-over by the Romans. From https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Expans%C3%A3o_etrusca-es.svg

Etruscan History

(Sept. 14, 2022) The Greeks called them Τυρρηνοί (Tyrrhēnoi) and earlier Τυρσηνοί (Tyrsēnoi). The Latins called them Tusci or Etrusci. This seems to derive from the Akkadian compound word târu.ṣi meaning "turners of activity-powers" in which "turning" is the process of shaping pottery and "activity" is the process of growing life. The Etruscans used magic to shape the powers of life.

The Etruscans gained their wealth from the mining and trade of copper and iron. Their commercial interests collided with those of the Greeks after Greeks were pushed from Anatolia by the Persians. These Greeks founded colonies along the coast of Sardinia, Spain and Corsica and what is now Marseille France in 600 BCE. This led the Etruscans to ally themselves with Carthage who also spoke Akkadian.

After the Battle of Alalia around 540 BCE Carthage managed to expand its sphere of influence at the expense of the Greeks.  Etruria regained control of the northern Tyrrhenian Sea with full ownership of Corsica at the cost of losing their southern colonies to Carthage. In 480 BC, Etruria's ally Carthage was defeated by a coalition of Magna Graecia cities led by Syracuse in Sicily. A few years later, in 474 BC, Syracuse's tyrant Hiero defeated the Etruscans at the Battle of Cumae. Etruria's influence over the cities of Latium and Campania weakened and the area was taken over by Romans and Samnites.

Eturia came into conflict with Rome beginning in 396 BCE with the conquest of Veii by Roman army under M. Furius Camillus. This pressure ended temporarily when in 387 BCE the Gauls under Brennus sacked the city of Rome and presumably much of Eturia. The large Ara della Regina temple in Tarquinia dating to the 500’s BCE was possibly damaged during this time because between 380 and 350 BCE it was reconstructed and expanded. 

Veii seems to have revolted bringing parts of Eturia into conflict with Rome once again between 358 and 351 BCE. The war ended with Veii and Caere coming under Roman domination permanently. Rome then turned its attention to expanding southward against the Samnites.  Etruscans seem to have started their last failed war with Rome around 311 BCE while Rome was involved in a southern Italian war. After that they were absorbed into Roman society.

French stamp showing portrait of Frenchman Guillaume Postel
French stamp showing portrait of Frenchman Guillaume Postel who based on the similarity of Etruscan and Paleo-Hebrew letters pushed for a Biblical history connection between the two. Biblical history was the only pre-Classical history known at the time. Image from Harari (August 2022).

Early Theory of Etruscan Connection with the Middle East

(August 20, 2022) In 1551 French expert on Near Eastern languages, Guillaume Postel, wrote a book on the Etruscans entitled De Etruriae regionis which was published in Florence, Italy in 1551. In Postel’s view, the Etruscans originated from a migration of Assyrians to Italy just after the Great Flood led by Noah, alias Janus. Janus was saved by virtue of his famous Ark and introduced Near Eastern beliefs into Italy

References

Harari, Maurizio (August 2022)  The ‘Biblical Origins’ of the Etruscans in the 16th Century CE and Their Impact on European Politics. Online at: https://www.asor.org/anetoday/2022/08/biblical-origins-etruscans
bronze plaque of Cortona with letter assignments
This bronze plaque of Cortona was found in a ditch alongside candelabra base shown below although the 2 have nothing in common. It was found at località La Fratta, 2.8 km west of Cortona, Italy on September 14, 1840 (Modona 1977). The town of Cortana is on the upper regions of the Tiber River so it would have been taken over by the Latins around 550 BCE. It is now displayed at the Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona. Image from van de Meer (2011). Letter assignments by Olmsted.
Bottom view of a bronze candelabra base called the Lamp of Cortona
Found with the plaque was this bronze candelabra  called the Lamp of Cortona. This is the view of its bottom. Both seem to be from an Etruscan temple devoted to the life powers. This temple apparently was under threat from the Latins (probably the city of Tibur) who were also expanding up the valley at the time. This threat is why these valuable objects were hidden away in a field.
The outer ring of this image is certainly celebrating the power of life which correlates well with the text. Yet its center shows a panting carnivorous sun at the center indicating it is a drought causing sun. This type of sun seems to have evolved into the Greek Gorgon.
This candelabra base and plaque was found by peasants at località La Fratta, 2,8 km west of Cortona, Italy on September 14, 1840 (Modona 1977). It is now displayed at the Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona. Image from van de Meer (2011).

Etruscan Cortona Plaque Blaming Chaotic Emotions For Hiding the Intentions of the Enemy (Rome) 550 BCE

(August 17, 2022, Updated January 5, 2025) Based on letter "N" this dates to shortly after the composition of the golden Pyrgi foils putting it around 550 BCE. Compared to the Pyrgi foils, the letter the letters P, E, and I have been simplified. The letters P and E have one horizontal line removed while the I has its top and bottom horizontal lines removed.

Translation in Akkadian (Text Med 25)

(read right to left. Capital letters on stone. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs in italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words)
Chart Used: Aegean Lineage, Letter style is mostly Etruscan
  1. Ṭu  APu  Nu  A  :  Gi  UMu  Nu  Ya[B] (Med 25.1)
  2. INu  MuBu  E  Ilu  :  A  Ṭu  Gu  YaBu (Med 25.2)
  3. Mu  Alu  Ṭu  Nu (Med 25.3)

In English

  1. Thu is veiling these revelations (of fate) : Stormy emotion-energy  will not reveal the ene[my]
  2. The Moon-Eye (Su) is mobilizing none of the high-powers  :  Those Thu-powers are energizing the enemy
  3. Fertility-fluids of Alu reveal Thu

References

van de Meer, Bouke (2011) The Etruscan Bronze Lamp of Cortona, its Cosmic Program and its Attached Inscription. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/8179471/The_Etruscan_Bronze_Lamp_of_Cortona_its_Cosmic_Program_and_its_Attached_Inscription?email_work_card=title
Modona, A. Neppi (1977) Cortona etrusca e romana nella storia e nell’arte, Firenze, p. 125-134.

Etruscan Bronze called Putto Graziani

It is now displayed at Museo Gregoriano Etrusco which is the Vatican Museum devoted to the Etruscan civilization.https://m.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani-mobile/en/collezioni/musei/museo-gregoriano-etrusco/sala-iii--bronzi/putto-graziani.html

Etruscan Boy Statue Text (400 BCE)

(August 22, 2022, updated February 28, 2025)  This hollow cast bronze statue was found at Sanguineto, on the northern shores of Lake Trasimeno, in 1587 in the Tiber Valley.  Based on its artistic style some scholars dated it to about 200 BCE but its letter style points toward 400 BCE. Around his nect is a necklace representing the sun. He is holding a bird which represents the mid-layer deities of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm. These with the text indicate this is an infant version of the connective sun/rain god Hu. This infancy indicates he is still dependent on his mother for direction. The text indicates the goddess providing this direction is the celestial light goddess Selu/Selene who is the Druid motion source goddess.

Translation in Akkadian (Text Med 26)

(read right to left. Capital letters on stone. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs in italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words)
Chart Used: Aegean Lineage, Letter style is mostly Etruscan
  1. SeLu  EDu  EMu.  Šu  EBu  Zu.  ANu  Bu  Pu  EDu.

In English


  1. Selu/Selene can motivate the Supervisor (Hu) to equalize the sky-shell's emanations.  Considerations (focused emotions of emotion magic) can nourish the opening of motivations. 

The Fake Translation Going Around 

Often online webpages will claim the translation is:  

Yet none of these sites provides a source for this translation. The reader can easily see that the claimed letters are nothing like what actually exists on the bronze statue. Finally, no such language as Etruscan exists. As once can see from the letter charts just having a different letter style does not mean the underlying language is different.