The Novallas bronze tablet dates to the late first century BCE and is the longest known Celtiberian text in Latin orthography. Though fragmentary, the text seems to discuss agreements between different cities in the region for how wide spaces between buildings and fields should be, presumably for purposes of right of way.[1]
The fragmentary tablet measures 18.1 centimeter high at its longest, 22.5 cm. at its widest, and .2 cm thick.[2] A small square hole at what seems to be the top would suggest that the plaque was nailed to a wall or some other structure, as was common with official notices.[3] The carefully incised Latin capitals are between 0.7 and 0.9 cm high.[4]
The Novallas Bronze was discovered by chance at the Chicharroya III site, which is in the district of Novallas (Zaragoza), Spain, in the early 21st century.[5] It was placed in the Zaragosa Museum in 2012.[6]
- ^ Francisco Beltrán Lloris , Carlos Jordán Cólera, Borja Díaz Ariño1, and Ignacio Simón Cornago. "The Novallas bronze tablet: An inscription in the Celtiberian language and the Latin alphabet from Spain." Journal of Roman Archaeology 34 (2021), pp. 713, 722. doi:10.1017/S1047759421000635
- ^ Cólera, Carlos Jordán. "Chronica Epigraphica Celtiberica XI" Zaragoza: Institucion "Fernando el Catolico" Palaeohispanica (Zaragoza), 2022-01, Vol.22, p.275. "8. El Bronce de Novallas" p. 304.
- ^ Cólera, Carlos Jordán. "Chronica Epigraphica Celtiberica XI" Zaragoza: Institucion "Fernando el Catolico" Palaeohispanica (Zaragoza), 2022-01, Vol.22, p.275. "8. El Bronce de Novallas" p. 305.
- ^ Beltrán Lloris, F., Carlos Jordán Cólera, Borja Díaz Ariño1, and Ignaci, Simón Cornago. "The Novallas bronze tablet: An inscription in the Celtiberian language and the Latin alphabet from Spain." Journal of Roman Archaeology 34 (2021), 713–733, 717 doi:10.1017/S1047759421000635
- ^ Francisco Beltrán Lloris, Carlos Jordán Cólera, Borja Díaz Ariño1, and Ignacio Simón Cornago. "The Novallas bronze tablet: An inscription in the Celtiberian language and the Latin alphabet from Spain." Journal of Roman Archaeology 34 (2021), p.714. doi:10.1017/S1047759421000635
- ^ Francisco Beltrán Lloris , Carlos Jordán Cólera, Borja Díaz Ariño1, and Ignacio Simón Cornago. El Bronce de Novallas (Zaragoza) y la epigrafía celtibérica en alfabeto latino Museo de Zaragoza. Zaragoza, p.46 (2021)