Scripturae Linguaeque Phoeniciae


Scripturae Linguaeque Phoeniciae, also known as Phoeniciae Monumenta was an important study of the Phoenician language by German scholar Wilhelm Gesenius.
Precededed by his prelimary treatise Paläographische Studien, his full publication was originally intended to be published under the name Marmora Phœnicia et Punica, quotquot supersunt, edidit, et prœtnissâ commentatione de litteris et linguâ Phœnicum et Pœnorum explicuit G. Gesenius.
It was written in three volumes, combined in later editions. It was described by Reinhard Lehmann as "a historical milestone of Phoenician epigraphy".
It published all c.80 inscriptions and c.60 coins known in the entire Phoenicio-Punic corpus at the time.
Many of the Latin names that Gesenius gave to the inscriptions have remained foundational to the study of Phoenician-Punic. Gesenius listed the inscriptions by geographic findspot and in chronological order of their discovery.

History

In preparing for his publication, Gesenius traveled to Leiden, London, and Paris to inspect original inscriptions and coins, correcting prior scholarly errors based on casts or copies.
Gesenius' preliminary treatise, Paläographische Studien, began by translating and annotating a 1772 Spanish treatise by Francisco Perez Bayer, enhancing it with his own corrections.

Contents

Paläographische Studien (1835)

Paläographische Studien established two categories of Punic writing — Scriptura Urbana, found near Carthage and resembling classical Phoenician script known from Malta, Sardinia, Cyprus and Athens, and Scriptura Rustica, a looser, provincial script from inland Numidia. Gesenius reconstructed a “Numidian alphabet” to aid future decipherments.

Scripturae Linguaeque Phoeniciae (1837)

  • Full Title: The writing and language of all the surviving Phoenician remains, published and unpublished copies of the best examples, illustrated and explained by Wilhelm Gesenius.
  • First part: Containing the first two books on Phoenician letters and inscriptions , therein:
  • *First book: containing Phoenician palaeography
  • *Second book: illustrating the Phoenician inscriptions
  • Second part: Containing two later books on the gods and the language of the Phoenicians , therein:
  • *Third book: On the Phoenician gods
  • *Fourth book: Illustrating the Phoenician language
  • Third part: containing forty-six inscribed stone tablets

    List of inscriptions

Editions

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    Notable preceding works

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