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Thenortheastern Iberian script, also known asLevantine Iberian or simplyIberian, was the primary means of written expression for theIberian language. It has also been used to write Proto-Basque, as evidenced by theHand of Irulegi.[1] The Iberian language is also represented by thesoutheastern Iberian script and theGreco-Iberian alphabet. In understanding the relationship between the northeastern and southeastern Iberian scripts, some[who?] note that they are two distinct scripts with different values assigned to the same signs.[citation needed] However, they share a common origin, and the most widely accepted hypothesis is that the northeastern Iberian script was derived from thesoutheastern Iberian script. Some researchers have concluded that it is linked solely to thePhoenician alphabet, while others believe that theGreek alphabet also played a role.[citation needed]
All thePaleohispanic scripts, with the exception of theGreco-Iberian alphabet, share a common distinctive typological characteristic: they represent syllabic values for theocclusives and monophonemic values for the other consonants and vowels. In thiswriting system, they are neitheralphabets norsyllabaries; rather, they are mixed scripts that are typically identified assemi-syllabaries. The basic signary (non-dual) contains 28 signs: 5vowels, 15 syllabic signs, and 8 consonantal signs (including onelateral, twosibilants, tworhotics, and threenasals).
The northeastern script was nearly deciphered in 1922 byManuel Gómez-Moreno Martínez, who systematically linked thesyllabic signs to theirocclusive values. This decipherment was based on the existence of a large number of coin legends (some bearingLatin inscriptions) that could easily be associated with ancient place names known fromRoman andGreek sources.
There are two variants of the northeastern Iberian script: the dual variant, which is almost exclusive to ancient inscriptions from the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, is characterized by the use of a dual system. This system, discovered by Joan Maluquer de Motes in 1968, allows for the differentiation ofocclusive signs (dentals andvelars) betweenvoiced andunvoiced by the addition of an extra stroke. The simple sign represents the voiced value, while the complex sign represents the unvoiced value. The non-dual variant is primarily found in modern inscriptions from the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE.
The inscriptions that use the northeastern Iberian script have been found primarily in the northeastern quadrant of theIberian Peninsula, largely along the coast fromRoussillon toAlicante, as well as deep into theEbro Valley. These inscriptions have been discovered on various types of objects, includingsilver andbronze coins, silver andceramic vessels,lead plaques,mosaics,amphorae, stones (steles),spindle whorls, and more. Together, these represent 95% of the total finds (over 2,000 items), and nearly all the scripts were written from left to right. The oldest northeastern Iberian inscriptions date to the 4th or possibly the 5th century BCE, while the more modern ones date from the end of the 1st century BCE or perhaps the beginning of the 1st century CE.
In recent years, four northeastern Iberian abecedaries or signaries have been published: the Castellet de Bernabé signary, the Tos Pelat signary, the Ger signary, and the Bolvir signary, all of which belong to the dual variant of the script.
Media related toIberian scripts at Wikimedia Commons