Editing Iguvine Tablets (section)

==Augury==
[[Augury|Augural practices]] are presented in the tablets, most notably in the last two ones. They include the ''praeire verba'', i.e. the uttering of the words to be repeated by the ''arfertur'', the ''legum dictio'', the rules for the taking of the auspices such as silence (''silentium'') and the avoidance of other incidents, the definition of the boundaries of the augural ''templum'', the ''nuntiatio'', announcement of the appearance of the expected signs from birds, the circumambulation of the army with fire.

Tablet VIa begins with an '''augural song'''. Here below is the text (VIa 1-5) with Poultney's translation of the passage:

{{Verse translation |lang=non
|:''Este persclo aveis asseriater eneto:''
:''parfa curnace dersua,''
:''peiqu peica merstu.''
:''Poei angla asseriato eest''
:''esso tremnu, serse,''
:''arsferture ehuelto:''

:''"Stiplo asseriaia parfa dersua, curnaco dersua;''
:''peico mersto, peica mersta;''
:''mersta auei, mersta angla esona."''

:''Arfertur eso anstiplatu:''

:''"Ef asserio parfa dersua, curnaco dersua;''
:''peico mersto, peica mersta;''
:''mersta aueif merstaf anglaf esona;''
:''mehe, tote Iioveine,''
:''esmei stahmei stahmeitei."''

|This ceremony [the ''adfertor''--officiating priest] shall commence by observing the birds: 
a ''parra'' (perhaps jay, green woodpecker or hoopoe) and crow in the west, 
a (black) woodpecker and magpie in the east. 
The one who goes out to observe the messengers (or 'signs')
while in the tent, seated, 
shall call out to the adfertor:

"Demand that I observe a ''parra'' in the west, a crow in the west; 
a woodpecker in the east, a magpie in the east; 
in the east, birds; in the east, 
divine messengers."

The adfertor shall thus demand:

"There observe a parra in the west, a crow in the west;
a woodpecker in the east, a magpie in the east; 
in the east, birds; in the east, divine messengers; 
for me, for the state of Iguvium, 
for this established ordinance."}} <ref>Poultney, J.W. "Bronze Tables of Iguvium" 1959 pp. 231-232 https://archive.org/details/bronzetablesofig00poul/page/n19/mode/2up</ref>

Rules for the observation of bird signs are given in VIa 15-18: below a certain boundary line (''hondra esto tudero'' VIa 15) defined previously, the augur must see and hear the verse of a ''parfa'' (''parrha'') and a crow; above that line (''supu'') he must see and hear a woodpecker ''peiqu'' and a magpie ''peica''.

===Augural terminology===

''Aveis asseriates'' Ia 1; ''aves asseriates'' VIa 1: ''avibus observatis'', "having observed the birds."

''persnaies'', ''pusnaies'' Ia 1: ''antici, postici'', "(in the part) before and behind.

''dersua'' VIa 1: ''dextera'', "right hand, prosperous." The right hand was apparently seen as auspicious in Umbria as in Greece. Newman (Appendix II) cites the position of the augur in the inauguration of Numa, in which he faced east while Numa faced south. Right and left have both an auspicious and inauspicious meaning in Latin.<ref>Cicero ''De Divinatione'' II 39, cited by Newman p. 53.</ref> One problem with this enticing analysis is that there is a distinct and separate word that means 'right (hand)' in Umbrian: '''destre'''/''testre'' which is in the expected phonological form for a cognate of Latin ''dexter/dextra''. Poultney suggests a possible relationship of Umbrian ''dersua'' to Latin ''dorsum'' 'back' since when ''oriented'' toward the rising sun, the west is to ones back.<ref>Poultney, J.W. "Bronze Tables of Iguvium" 1959 pp. 302 https://archive.org/details/bronzetablesofig00poul/page/n19/mode/2up</ref>

''merstu'' VIa 1: ''iustissimus'', "rightest, most correct, propitious," superlative of ''mersos''. Adjective ''mersos'', from ''meḍos'' (literally ''medius''),<ref>Adjective derived from PIE ''medh-ios'' middle, cf. Latin ''medius'' middle, central: M. de Vaan ''Etymological Dictionary of Latin and Other Italic Languages'' Leiden 2008 sv.</ref> means ''iustus'' (cf. Oscan ''meddix'': supreme magistrate, ''iudex''). Both words in Latin and Osco-Umbrian have a broader meaning than just, lawful: they may mean augurally correct, favourable, in agreement with the divine forces.<ref>G. Dumézil ARR It. tr. p. 91 n. 7 on the authority of Plautus.</ref> But here again, the Umbrian word that fits this analysis: ''mers'' "law, right, custom" which is likely from the PIE root *med- as in Greek medomai "to think on". Also, Umbrian formed superlatives with -emo-/-temo-, not with -sto. The context seems to call for a direction that contrasts with ''destrua'' above. As Poultney points out, the most probable source here is PIE *merk- "spark" with cognates in Germanic meaning 'morning' (including that word itself). The semantic shift for words for "morning/sunrise" to words for "east" is, of course, ubiquitous.<ref>Poultney, J.W. "Bronze Tables of Iguvium" 1959 pp. 311 https://archive.org/details/bronzetablesofig00poul/page/n19/mode/2up</ref>

''anglaf'' VIa 1: ''oscines'', "giving signs through their voice." < ''*an-kla:-'', compare Latin ''cla-mo'' "I cry (out)", ''cla-rus'' "famous"

''stiplo'', ''anstiplatu'' VIa 2, 3: ''stipulare'', ''leges dicere'', "stipulate."

''mersta auei, mersta angla, esona'' VIa 3: "most propitious birds (auspices), most propitious singing, divine [signs]" or more likely "birds in the east, messengers in the east, divine [signs]" The last of these may refer to lightning, according to Poultney.

''stahmei stahmeitei'' VIa 5: ''statio statuta'', ''templum designatum'', "augural templum," the designated space of augural observation.

''neip mugatu'' VIa 6: ''ne mugito, muttito'', "that nobody shall make utterances, murmur." Silence is essential in augural practises,<ref>Festus sv. ''silentio surgere''.</ref>

''nep arsir andersistu'' VIa 6: ''ne divis intersistito'', "that nobody shall come in between, barge in," between the divine (signs) and the augur.

''disleralinsust'' VIa 7: ''alteravit'' (''eṛali, erali''=''alter'') "render irritual, impair the auspice"; 
''attero'' VII a 11, 27: "bad, unlucky."<ref>Festus s.v. alterum: " ''Alterum et pro non bono ponitur, ut in auguriis altera cum appellatur avis quae utique prospera non est...pro adverso dicitur et malo''". "Other is understood as meaning not good, as in the ''auguria'' when a bird is named ''other'' i. e. not propitious... it is said for adverse and evil". Ehlich ''Zu indogermanische Sprachengeschichte'' p. 78 as cited by Buck p. 308.</ref>

''verfale'' VIa 8: ''formula'' of the templum. According to a new etymology, de Vaan connects this noun to Latin cognate ''urbs'', both having the meaning of defined space for augural observation, from a PIE root ''*u(o)rb(h)'' plus /d(h)-h(2) enclosure, enclosed area.<ref>M. de Vaan ''Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages'' Leiden/Boston 2008 sv. urbs citing Driessen 2001 and Meiser 1998. Cf. Hittite ''uarpa-'' enclosure.</ref>

''stahmito'' VIa 8: ''statutum'', "designated, established."

''tuderato'' VIa 8: ''finitum'', "defined, provided with boundaries." From noun ''tuder'' boundary, Etruscan ''tular''.

''vapersus auiehcleir'' VIa 9: ''lapididibus auguralibus'' (ablative), "(near) by the augural stones, rocks." Note the change from ''*l-'' to ''v-'' in Umbrian, also seen in Umbrian ''vuco'' versus Latin ''locus''

''tuder'' VIa 9: "boundary, limit."

''anclar'' VIa 16: ''oscines'' "songbirds, messengers", literally "those who call out" < *''an-kla:-'' compare Latin ''clamo'' "I cry (out)"

''combifiatu'' VIa 17: ''conspectum capito'', ''nuntiato'', "(the augur) shall announce the appearance of the auspices." Literally ''confidato'' "confide".

''popler anferener'' VIa 19: ''populi recensendi, lustrandi'', "review of the levied army." Buck cites the parallel instance of the ritual circumambulation holding a lit torch performed by king Tullus Hostilius in Dionysius of Halicarnassus ''Roman Antiquities'' IV 22.

''perca arsmatia'' VIa 19: ''virga ritualis'', "ritual (and/or military) rod."

''perne postne sepse sarsite uouse auie esone'' VIb 11: ''antice postice septe sarcte voce (et) ave (i. e. auspicio) divina'', "from before and behind, clear and cut (fully, wholly) voice and bird sacred."<ref>Festus s. v. sarte p. 429 L: "''Sarcte in auguralibus pro integre ponitur. Sane sarcteque audire videreque''". " In augural lore ''sarcte'' means "wholly: hearing and seeing clearly and wholly". As cited by Newman from Aufrecht & Kirchhof.</ref> Or ''...voto, augurio, sacrificio'' "by vow, auspice and sacrifice."<ref>C. D. Buck p. 273.</ref>

''peiqu'': ''picus'' "woodpecker"; ''peica'' perhaps "magpie;" ''parfa'': ''parrha'', perhaps ''oxifraga'' or "upupa/hoopoe"; ''curnace'': ''cornix'', "crow" (VIa 1 etc.).

''prinovatus'': ''legatus'', assistant to the ''arsfertur'', possibly ''agrimensor'', land-surveyor: probably from Greek πρινος, Celtic ''prinni'' oakwood.<ref>G. M. Facchetti ''Appunti di morfologia etrusca'' 2002 p. 52.</ref>
 
''percaf poniçate'' Ib 15; ''perca poniçiater'' VIb 51: ''virgas Punicae-mali'' "rods," wands of pomegranate wood.

''fato fito'' VIb 11: it looks ''fito'' had an active meaning in Umbrian, i.e. "(having) become"; ''fato'' has been interpreted as a passive past participle of a verb corresponding to Latin ''fateor'', thence ''fato fito'': having become defined by utterance.