Nestor's Cup 730 BCE (Aegean Lineage)
For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts
For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts
October 3, 2023) Nestor's Cup. It was found on the Italian island of Ischia off the coast of Naples. The text is scratched on the side of the cup half way down. It begins under the right handle. Its style is half way between Aegean Island and Philistine which agreed with its mid 700's date. The text was scratched onto the cup on the island. It is a defense of astrology magic relative to emotion magic. It reads:
The cup is now located at the Villa Arbusto Museum in the village of Lacco Amerno, in Ischia, Italy. Photo by Marcus Cyron (2018) via Wikimedia commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nestorbecher_auf_Ischia.jpg
(October 2, 2023) This cup, called Nestor's Cup, was found in 1954 by Giorgio Buchner on the island of Ischia off the coast of Naples, Italy. It was found in a mass grave near the ancient village of Pithikoussai. It is dated to the Geometric Period of iron age pottery (750-700 BCE) which was sequenced from the archaeology of Cyprus. This text has falsely been aimed to be one of the oldest Greek inscriptions but that is not true.
The was found in a grave containing at least three human individuals of different ages. None was a child. The grave also contained charred remains of a few animals which included a sheep, some birds, and possibly from one dog. Nestor’s cup was found in fragments scattered across a mound of black earth measuring 3.8 by 2 meters in diameter which Buchner identified as cremation remains (item number 168). This lens of blackish earth contained ashes, bones, and grave goods. (Gigante and all, Oct 2021)
(February 9, 2024 - fixed letter error) Top image has close up of right part of line 1. Lower image shows the rest of line 1. Base photo on tumbler blog dedicated to the memory of archaeologist Richard Miles: https://www.tumblr.com/tagged/richard%20miles?sort=top
October x, 2023) Top image has close up of right part of line 2. Middle image shows lines 2 and 3 missing their front ends. Bottom image shows the start of line 3.
(October 3, 2023) The biases of those seeking to prove the ancient reliability the Bible and the Greek Illiad and Odyssey a have corrupted ancient linguistics for a long time. This is a good example of the latter.
The first translators wanted to see the name “Nestor” on this cup in order to associate it with the Illiad quote.
The cup was so big that only Nestor could lift it from the table when it was full. The cup was used to drink a thick fortifying beverage reserved for heroes.
These pseudo Greek translations claimed for the cup are based upon wildly incorrect letter assignments. Most of their word definition are also wrong when compared to standard ancient Greek definitions. (Definitions here are the consensus of all the academic ancient Greek dictionaries at University of Chicago’s Logeion online at https://logeion.uchicago.edu)
Line 1
NEṢTOROZ: Nestoros (assumed proper name)
:
E[]I: ἔχω (B), bear, carry, bring,
:
EUPOT[ ]: εὔποτος, easy to drink, pleasant to the taste,
:
POTEPION: πότερον, whether (as in an alternative possibility in indirect question)
Line 2
ḪOZ: ἧος, while, until, in order that
DA: assumed to be “cup” again
TODE: ὅδε, ἥδε, τόδε, this (demonstrative pronoun)
P[ ]Ṣ: π[ῐε]σ-, squeezing, compression
:
POTERI[ ]
:
AUTIKA αὐτίκᾰ, immediately (adverb), to begin with
KENON: κενον (no word in Greek)
Line 3
ΗΙΜΕΡΟṢ: Hiμερος (no such word in Greek)
ΗΑΙΡΕṢΕΙ: Hαιρεσει (no such word in Greek)
:
KALLIṢTE[ ]NO καλλιστε[φα]νο Καλλιστέφανος, beautifully-crowned
:
APRODITEṢ: Ἀφροδῑτα, Aphrodite (with an incorrect masculine plural noun ending however), goddess of love