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Concept
Camunic language
Summary
The Camunic language is an extinct language that was spoken in the 1st millennium BC in the Valcamonica and the Valtellina in Northern Italy, both in the Central Alps. The language is sparsely attested to an extent that makes any classification attempt uncertain - even the discussion of whether it should be considered a pre–Indo-European or an Indo-European language has remained indecisive. Among several suggestions, it has been hypothesized that Camunic is related to the Raetic language from the Tyrsenian language family, or to the Celtic languages.
The extant corpus is carved on rock. There are at least 170 known inscriptions, the majority of which are only a few words long. The writing system used is a variant of the north-Etruscan alphabet, known as the Camunian alphabet or alphabet of Sondrio. Longer inscriptions show that Camunic writing used boustrophedon.
Its name derives from the people of the Camunni, who lived during the Iron Age in Valcamonica and were the creators of many of the stone carvings in the area. Abecedariums found in Nadro and Piancogno have been dated to between 500 BC and 50 AD.
The amount of material is insufficient to fully decipher the language. Some scholars think it may be related to Raetic and to Etruscan, but it is considered premature to make such affiliation. Other scholars suggest that Camunic could be a Celtic or another unknown Indo-European language.
File:Iscrizione in alfabeto camuno - Parco di Naquane R 50 - Capo di Ponte (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|Inscription from [[Capo di Ponte]] ([[Val Camonica]])
File:Incisione in alfabeto camuno - Foppe R 6 - Nadro (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|Inscription from [[Nadro]] ([[Val Camonica]])
File:Iscrizione_-Foppe_R_23-_Nadro.jpg|Inscription from [[Nadro]] ([[Val Camonica]])
File:Iscrizione - Museo Sondrio (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|Inscription from the museum of [[Sondrio]] ([[Valtellina]])
Mancini, Alberto. 1980. "Le iscrizioni della Valcamonica" in Studi Urbinati di storia, filosofia e letteratura. Supplemento linguistico 2, pp. 75–166.
Official source
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