The Oscan language

Oscan is one of the Sabellic languages, together with Umbrian and the so-called minor dialects, from which differs for some peculiar grammatical features. Sabellic languages belong to the Indo-European family and are classified as Italic languages together with Latino-Faliscan, even though Sabellic shows some specific peculiarities.

Oscan is a fragmentary language attested in South Italy from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD. It is attested mostly epigraphically, even though a flourishing Oscan literature seems to have existed before the spread of the Latin language. Nothing remains from Ludi Osci or Fabulae Atellanae which were introduced from Campania to Rome. Beyond the inscriptions, Oscan linguistic features which survived the latinisation can be detected in isolated glosses (Varro and Phaestus) and within the local toponymy (mostly hydronyms and names of cities).

Oscan is known from circa 800 inscriptions found over much of southern Italy, mostly in Campania, Samnium, Hirpinia, Lucania, Bruttium to Messina, where Mamertinian is found. Their dating spans from the 6th century BC to the Pompeian graffiti, which attest the surviving of Oscan at the time when the city was destroyed (79 AD).

The cippus from Tortora, found in Lucania and dated to the end of the 6th century BC, is one of the most archaic inscriptions. It appears to be connected to an archaic south Sabellian setting prior to the samnitisation of Lucania. Among the archaic inscriptions are the iuvilas from Capua, i.e., clay tablets dating from the 6th to the 3rd century BC, the inscriptions on bucchero oinochoai from Sorrento and Vico Equense (6th-5th century BC) and some inscriptions on kylikes from Nola (6th-5th century BC), the inscription on a bucchero oinochoe from Nocera (6th-5th century BC) and some inscriptions on kylikes from the Salerno area. The most flourishing period of the Oscan epigraphy goes from the 3rd century BC to the Social War (90-89 BC): after that period, Oscan was never again used in official texts. The Tabula Bantina and the lex from Roccagloriosa can be mentioned among the most important Oscan documents.

Different alphabets are employed, namely local alphabets deriving from Etruscan, which were common in Campania and in Samnium; alphabets derived from the Greek one, which were widespread in Lucania and Bruttium; the Latin alphabet for the later documents.

Different genres of texts can be found in Oscan inscriptions, i.e., votive dedications, inscriptions of possession on small objects, epitaphs, and inscriptions on border cippi. Graffiti from Pompei are written in the informal register typical of the spoken language. The epigraphical evidence also consists of more extended and complex texts such as defixiones and prescriptive and normative legal and religious texts.

- Rix, H. 2002. Sabellische Texte. Heidelberg: C. Winter.

- Crawford, M. H. et al. 2011. Imagines Italicae. London: Institute of Classical Studies.

- Prosdocimi, A.L. 1978. «L’osco». In Lingue e dialetti dell’Italia antica, a cura di Aldo Luigi Prosdocimi, 825–912. Popoli e civiltà dell’Italia antica 6. Roma - Padova: Biblioteca di storia patria.