‘Liber Linteus’ – Unique History Of Ancient ‘Linen Book’ Written In Etruscan That Still Remains Poorly Understood
A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The Etruscan language has never been conclusively shown to be related to any other language in the world. The writing remains poorly understood.
The only known longer text, written in the Etruscan language and dated to around 250 BC, is the "Liber linteus". It has circa 1330 words and represents the longest, single and well-preserved Etruscan text.
Above: Liber linteus zagrabiensis, the linen book of Zagreb, third-second century BC (© Zagreb Archaeological Museum; Below: Mummy at the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb. Source
"Liber linteus" is also known as 'Liber Zagrabiensis' (the 'Linen Book,' 'Book of Zagreb' or even better known as the 'Mummy Wrappings of Zagreb'), has a unique history because of the way it was preserved.
The original book had been torn, forming bandage strips that were subsequently used to bind an Egyptian mummy. Additionally, it is the only example of a linen book in the entire classical world. The significance of this ancient work being written in Etruscan is that very little remains of this mysterious language today.
Originally, Etruscan was widespread over much of the Mediterranean. This can be seen by the thousands of small grave inscriptions and votive gifts dating back to 700 BC and found in Italy, in the Balkans, Africa, Elba, Corsica, Elba, Greece, and the Black Sea.
The language was spoken and written in the Etruscan civilization that existed in what is today Italy in a time before the rise of the Roman Empire.
'Liber linteus' Has A Unique History
Liber Linteus originally consisted of twelve columns of text, written on canvas in black and partly red ink, from right to left. At present, most of the first three columns are missing.
Very little remains of this mysterious language today. Source
According to some other interpretations, the text was written by Etruscan priests in one of the temples in the vicinity of the Lake Trasimeno, Perugia, Italy, the area originally occupied by the Etruscans. One theory is that the Liber Linteus was written in Egypt in the first century BC for the needs of the romanized group of Etruscans settled at that time in North Africa.
The work was not rolled, but folded, just like modern books. With the extinction of the Etruscan language, the book lost its practical significance, as it no longer served its original religious purpose.
Priceless Literary Work Cut In Pieces
At some point, the book was cut into narrow strips, several of which served an unknown embalmer as wrappings for the mummified body of a woman. In 1848, the mummy was purchased in Alexandria as a souvenir and remained on display in a private home.
Finally, in 1867, both the mummy and the manuscript have been stored in Zagreb, Croatia, where four years later, it was first realized that the writing was not the Egyptian hieroglyphs. In 1891, Jacob Krall, an expert on the Coptic language. At first, he expected to identify the writing to be Coptic (Egyptian written in Greek letters), or an extinct language known as Carian, spoken in Caria, a region of western Anatolia, and related to Lydia and Lycia.
Liber Linteus Zagrebiensis. Image credit: SpeedyGonsales - CC BY 3.0
Krall examined the mummy wrappings and became the first to identify the language as Etruscan. He put the strips back together in the right order, but he was not able to translate the text.
Genesis Of The Mummy Debated
One theory proposed that the woman was of Etruscan origin who would have left Italy for Egypt, due to the uncertain political situation in her country. Many Etruscans fled from Sulla (138 BC – 78 BC), a Roman general and statesman, during the Roman-Etruscan Wars. She died in Egypt and her remains were embalmed and buried.
Later, the mummy was identified as belonging to a young, wealthy Theban woman named Nesi Hensu, wife of a tailor, Paler Hensu. The woman died during the era of Ptolemaic reign in Egypt (305 - 30 BC), but how the 'Liber linteus' found the way to Egypt will probably remain a mystery, forever.
The question still remains: why was it so easy for Mihajlo Barić (1791–1859), a low ranking Croatian official to purchase a sarcophagus containing a female mummy, as a souvenir?
One possibility is that the sarcophagus was bought from grave robbers or antique traders in Alexandria.
Today this rare literary work is in good hands and undoubtedly, it represents an invaluable treasure for linguists, historians, and archaeologists who specialize in the Etruscan language.
Written by – A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com Senior Staff Writer
Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com
Expand for referencesReferences:
Wood, J. R. "The Position of Herbig's 'New Fragment' in the Etruscan Liber Linteus at Zagreb." Glotta 55, no. 3/4 (1977): 283-96.
More From Ancient Pages
-
Untouched 1,300-Year-Old Grave Of Merovingian Warrior With Complete Armor Found In Ingelheim, Germany
Archaeology | Sep 19, 2023
-
Evidence Ancient Civilizations Had Knowledge About Planets In Our Solar System Thousand Years Ago
Featured Stories | Mar 10, 2021
-
3,500-Year-Old Neo-Hittite Hieroglyphs Found In Cappadocia
Archaeology | May 27, 2019
-
1,500-Year-Old ‘Magical Mirror’ To Protect Against Evil Eye Discovered By A Teenager In Israel
Archaeology | Aug 9, 2023
-
8,000-Year-Old Petroglyphs Discovered In Oldest Impact Crater In South Africa
Archaeology | Jun 21, 2019
-
Luxor – Ever-Lasting Legacy Of The Ancient Egyptian Civilization And The Pharaohs
Featured Stories | Mar 29, 2021
-
Easter Island’s Society Was Sophisticated And Its People Shared Information And Collaborated
Archaeology | Aug 14, 2018
-
History Mystery: Gold Tool Found In Jerusalem Cemetery Baffles
Archaeology | Dec 25, 2015
-
Real-Life Excalibur Found Underwater In Bosnia – Medieval Sword In Stone Pulled Out
Archaeology | Oct 31, 2019
-
What Was The Medieval Shame Flute?
Ancient History Facts | Jan 27, 2020
-
Neanderthals Died Out 40,000 Years Ago, But There Has Never Been More Of Their DNA On Earth
Archaeology | Sep 6, 2022
-
What Caused The Unexplained Change In Europeans’ DNA 4000-5000 Years Ago? Scientists Say The Genetic Turnover Remains A Mystery
Archaeology | Aug 27, 2014
-
First Humans Appeared In Europe 1.4 Million Years Ago – Stone Tools Found At Korolevo Reveal
Human Beginnings | Mar 8, 2024
-
Forgotten Graves Of The Knights Templar In Staffordshire Discovered By A Historian?
Archaeology | Aug 19, 2023
-
How Did A Major Cooling Event 8,200 Years Ago Affect Hunter-Gatherers?
Archaeology | Jan 28, 2022
-
Mystery Of Biblical Adam – A Hidden Story Within A Story Open To Interpretation
Biblical Mysteries | Jan 18, 2018
-
Beautiful Neolithic Ornate Necklace With Over 2,500 Stones Found In A Child’s Grave
Archaeology | Aug 2, 2023
-
Figurines Unearthed At 9,000-Year-Old Çatalhöyük Site Symbolize Elderly Women, Not Goddess Cybele
Archaeology | Mar 1, 2017
-
Huge Defensive Wall Excavated At Tel Erani, Israel Is More Than 5,300 Years Old
Archaeology | Sep 12, 2019
-
Saint Botvid – Viking Who Was Killed By A Slave He Granted Freedom
Featured Stories | Apr 10, 2023