The Lamb Tablet
KN Db 1232
Scribe 117
.1 OVIS:m 23 , OVIS:f 27
.2 NA-PU-TI-JO / ti-ri-to , pe-ri-qo-ro-jo**
- na-pu-ti-jo | νηπύτιο(ς) (neputios) | a small child; childish
- OVIS:f | sheep: female; ewes
- OVIS:m | sheep: male; rams
- pe-ri-qo-ro-jo** | *περιχωρόζω (perikhorozo) | *to be round about a place, to dance or to caper about, to be among < περίχωρος (perikhoro“round about a place” + -ζω “to be”
- ti-ri-to | τρί(σ)το (tristos) | three
- ti-ri-to | τρίτος (tritos) | third
.1 rams 23, ewes 27
- 23 rams, 27 ewes
.2 νηπύτιο / τρίτο *περιχωρόζω
- three lambs capering about or three lambs among
Translation: three lambs among 23 rams and 27 ewes
Notes: Lambs are often born during the third month, around the commencement of Aries (the Ram). Cf. Τριτο-γένεια, an epithet for Athena that has been interpreted as either “born on the third day” or “born as the third child”.
** SMII clearly shows pe-ri-qo-ro-jo, whereas The Knossos Tablets [4th ed.] includes the following note: “pe-ri-qo-te-jo possibly over erasure”. Nevertheless, the transcription of pe-ri-qo-te-jo is consistent with the syntax in similar, sheep tablets, inscribed by hand 117. Thus far, there is no obvious translation for pe-ri-qo-te-jo. Is pe-re-qo-te-jo correct, or did hand 117 mis-scribe ‘te’ for ‘ro’? I’m not wholly satisfied with this decipherment but will allow it to stand for now. (05.27.23)
Reference:
- Athena. Greek Family History. 2011. Ret. on 27 Sep 2014 <theoi.com>.
- Chadwick, J., J.T. Killen, and J.-P. Olivier. 1971, The Knossos Tablets: A Transliteration [4th ed.], Cambridge University Press, pg. 73.
Updated on September 27, 2014 * May 27, 2023
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