Folia archeologica 25.
János Harmatta: Two inscriptions scratched on fragments of pottery from Pannónia
100 J. HARMATTA portant because the knowledge of one forgery renders easier to recognize the other ones. The inscription was written in beautiful Greek uncial script of the 2nd and 3rd centuries and it reads as follows: Д .E Д Д TENI 1 [. Here — in case we regard the inscription as a forgery — the question can immediately be raised, why did the forger write it in Greek script. In Pannónia only a few inscriptions in Greek have come to light. Those who are no specialists mostly do not even know that such inscriptions exist, and thus they can hardly think of forging an inscription in Greek script on a fragment of Roman pottery. If because of some reason or other someone would still make up his mind to scratch a Greek inscription, then we could expect mostly the imitation of the book minuscule used today. In order to be able to forge this inscription one ought to have known at least the Greek inscription fragments of the palaestra at Aquincum, 2 on which the same uncial forms of the letters Е,1,Д,Ы can be observed. Thus, in case we presume a forgery, then the forger must have been a well trained specialist. Besides this it can also be stated that the letters have been incised by a highly skilled hand, because the tracing of the letters is sure and perfect. The tracing of the letters written by persons having no practice in the use of the Greek script is usually unsteady and very often defective. As regards the peculiar features of the inscription not only the fact is striking that it was written in Greek script, but also that it contains a Latin name. In fact the form Д .ЕД Д rEN4[ must apparently be restored as Д .ЕД Д E rNIl[OS], if it is not perhaps in genitive, in which case we must think of the restoration Д .E Д Д ETNI 1 [OY], Whatever the case may be, it is obvious to see in the inscription the Greek transliteration of the Latin name L. Ellenius. This can be regarded as a variant of the well-known name Elonius, because we have several examples indicating that in the names of this type the sound -/- can alternate with -II- and the suffix -enius with -onitis. Thus we can quote the forms of names Bullenius — Bullonius, Calenius — Callenius — C.allonius , Mellenius — Melonius — Mellotiius, V'ellenius — Velonius, etc., which furnish a perfect parallel to the pair of forms Ellenius — Elonius. In all these cases we have to do with names of Etruscan origin or Etruscan derivation. 3 The name Elonius itself is known from Mutina, 4 while a corresponding form elanu(< * elonu) occurs in a Raetic inscription. 5 The name Elonius occurs rarely, in Pannónia it is unknown so far, while its variant Ellenius has now come to light for the first time. After these it appears to be even more enigmatic, from where could a forger be acquainted with the name Elonius , why did he choose exactly this for the scratching and how could he reason out its variant Ellenius , which has not yet come to light elsewhere. Very likely we presume too much of a forger if we believe that he could have a knowledge of all this. Forgers generally copy such well-known 2 B. Thomas , E., BpR 16(1955) 89ff., esp. 97. 3 Schulde, W., Zur Geschichte lateinischer Eigennamen. AGGW Phil.-hist. K. N. F. Bd. V. No. 5. (Berlin 1933) 99, 171, 192—3, 279, 350, 525. (In the following = ZGLE.) 4 CIL XI 850. Cf. for this name Schulde, W., ZGLE 129. ь Conway, R. S. —Wbatmough, J. —Johnson, S. E., The Prae-Italic Dialects of Italy. (In the following = PID.) (London 1933) II. No. 37, 221, about the phonetic change o=»a see op. cit. II. 506.
