The Rongorongo script of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) remains undeciphered and its status as language notation is not proven. Only very recently has a full corpus of Rongorongo, with carefully edited texts, appeared, while a consensual inventory of signs remains a desideratum. We report the 3D-modeling of Rongorongo Tablet C, which provides new detail on certain portions of its text, and a new drawing and transcription, complete with paleographic commentary. We also revisit the structure and possible contents of its text - a crucial step towards decipherment. In addition to a previously identified calendar (list of the nights of the moon), Tablet C may include words related to agriculture, well as other lexical lists, perhaps copied for the purpose of learning. We thus combine new technologies and more conventional approaches to offer new insight on an undeciphered inscription.

The Rongorongo tablet C. New technologies and conventional approaches to an undeciphered text / Valerio, Miguel; Lastilla, Lorenzo; Ravanelli, Roberta. - In: LINGUE E LINGUAGGIO. - ISSN 1720-9331. - 2(2022), pp. 333-367. [10.1418/105968]

The Rongorongo tablet C. New technologies and conventional approaches to an undeciphered text

Lastilla, Lorenzo;Ravanelli, Roberta
2022

Abstract

The Rongorongo script of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) remains undeciphered and its status as language notation is not proven. Only very recently has a full corpus of Rongorongo, with carefully edited texts, appeared, while a consensual inventory of signs remains a desideratum. We report the 3D-modeling of Rongorongo Tablet C, which provides new detail on certain portions of its text, and a new drawing and transcription, complete with paleographic commentary. We also revisit the structure and possible contents of its text - a crucial step towards decipherment. In addition to a previously identified calendar (list of the nights of the moon), Tablet C may include words related to agriculture, well as other lexical lists, perhaps copied for the purpose of learning. We thus combine new technologies and more conventional approaches to offer new insight on an undeciphered inscription.
2022
3D-modeling; Easter Island; methods of decipherment; paleography; Rapa Nui; Rongorongo
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
The Rongorongo tablet C. New technologies and conventional approaches to an undeciphered text / Valerio, Miguel; Lastilla, Lorenzo; Ravanelli, Roberta. - In: LINGUE E LINGUAGGIO. - ISSN 1720-9331. - 2(2022), pp. 333-367. [10.1418/105968]
File allegati a questo prodotto
File Dimensione Formato  
Valério_The Rongorongo-tablet-C_2022.pdf

solo gestori archivio

Note: articolo
Tipologia: Versione editoriale (versione pubblicata con il layout dell'editore)
Licenza: Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved)
Dimensione 845.42 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
845.42 kB Adobe PDF   Contatta l'autore

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1696647
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus 3
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 1
social impact