North Picene: What remains of a 2500 year old language

North Picene is an unclassified language from Northeastern Italy, preserved on stelai fragments from the 800-650 BCE period. A quick look at the best preserved inscription, the Novilara Stele, suggests that the language might be IndoEuropean. Other proposals have also been suggested, but this is the one we're to look at today.

The Novilara Stele (6^th Century BCE)

mimniś erút gaareśtadeś

rotnem úvlin partenúś

polem iśairon tet

śút tratneši krúviś

tenag trút ipiem rotneš

lútúiś θalú iśperion vúl

teś rotem teú aiten tašúr

śoter merpon kalatne

niś vilatoś paten arn

úiś baleśtenag andś et

šút iakút treten teletaú

nem polem tišú śotriś eúś

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Picene_language

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/olditalic.htm#spicene

For an image of this stele:

http://www.maravot.com/novilara_stele.jpg

And according to this post in this forum:

http://s1.zetaboards.com/anthroscape/topic/1100195/1/

mimniś erút gaareśtadeś
rotneš úvlin parten úś
polem iśairon tet
šút tratneši krúš
tenag trút ipiem rotneš
lútúiś θalú iśperion vúl
teś rotem teú aiten tašúr
śoter merpon kalatne
niś vilatoś paten arn
úiś baleśtenag andś et
šút lakút treten teletaú
nem polem tišú śotriś eúś

possible alternative readings:
line 1: gaariśtadeś
line 2: partenúś
line 4: krúś
line 5: rotnem
line 8: merion
line 11: mút iakút

And as for the other fragmentary texts, also found in Novilara, according to that forum post:

2^nd Stele (left half of two lines)

úpeś
mresveat

The ú in line 1 might also be an L.
In line 2 ve could also be ev or ee.

3^rd fragmentary text

pa śatigot
kešoteri
amdet : nk
------ k --------

The p in line 1 is uncertain.

4^th fragmentary text

tiperašθe raiup bav---
-----ipš---------------------

I like how the user Arnth also added sidenotes:

"There appears to be some flexion at work: rotnem - rotneš, śoter - śotris.

Similarities to Greek words: polem - polis, śoter - soter, iśperion – esperios."

I noticed this as well, and they're (well at least some of them) transparently IndoEuropean! Though they also note how the -sv- element is also found in North Etruscan, as well as several other features also being possibly Etruscan (so it's not a done deal what language family this belongs to).

Now that we've presented the evidence of this language, let's start picking it apart, shall we?