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Linguistic Society of America

Oscan Deketasio- '*Decentarius'Author(s): J. WhatmoughReviewed work(s):Source: Language, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Jun., 1927), pp. 105-108Published by: Linguistic Society of AmericaStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/408963 .Accessed: 29/12/2011 05:11

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OSCAN DEKETASIO- *DECENTARIUS'J. WHATMOUGH

HARVARDUNIVERSITYThe magistrates described as degetasidis (n. pl. masc.) at Nola(Conway ID 93, cf. 94 = von Planta 124, 125) and as deketasidi(dat. sg. masc.) at Abella (Conway 95 a 5 = von Planta 127) have gener-ally been dismissed with a non liquet as to their precise functions. It isunfortunate that the etymology of their title is equally uncertain;for if that were precisely known it would, presumably, illuminate thenature of their office. But, the case being reversed, is it not reasonableto suppose that new light concerning the duties of a meddix degetasiswould serve to establish, at least as being definitely preferable, one ofthe alternative etymologies? In etymology meaning is, after all, no

less important than sound-change and word-formation. Buck (Gram.229), after pointing out that a connection with either Lat. decem ordecens is phonologically and morphologically possible, went on to addthat there is a reference in the title 'to some organisation of the city'sterritory or population of which we have no precise knowledge'; and,similarly, Brugmann (IF 11.110), criticising the proposed connectionwith decem,objected to it, declaring its originator Bronisch 'eine derar-tige Bezeichnung der meddices nicht rechtfertigen zu kdnnen'. It isexactly this point which the present note is meant to elucidate.There is in fact good reason for giving Bronisch's etymology pride ofplace. The medikei deketasidii niivlandi was appointed by the peopleof Nola to assist in the deliberations of the representatives of his owntown and of Abella who were elected to arrange for the joint adminis-tration and use of a temple of Hercules lying on the boundary of theirrespective territories (Conway 95, dated second half of the second cen-tury B.C.). From one of the other two inscriptions already cited (Con-way 93, the date of which cannot, on account of certain peculiarities inthe writing, be determined with exactness) it appears that there were twosuch officials at Nola, but not necessarily at the same time, for only oneis mentioned on the third inscription (from Nola, Conway 94, knownonly from 18th century copies, date uncertain, but probably contem-105

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106 J. WHATMOUGHporaneous with the Cippus Abellanus) as on the first (Conway 95).The Nolan officials evidently had charge of certain sums of money; themoney in the inscription Conway 94 is further described as having beenraised by means of fines, how or why levied is not stated. This inscrip-tion is with great probability thought to have belonged to an altar,which will thus be comparable with the Pompeian sundial (Conway43); the other Nolan inscription, if not actually cut on an altar, was atany rate dug up from under the ruins of an ancient temple.Now there is excellent evidence that the custom of offering tithesto Hercules was both widespread and ancient in Italy. The traditionwas that Hercules himself had offered the tenth part of his cattle (Plut.QR 18; Dion. Hal. 1.40; Festus 270 L.; [Aurel. Vict.] origo gen. Rom.6) and this tradition no doubt implies that the custom was very old.As much may be gathered not only from the more explicit statements ofPaulus (ex. Fest. 63 L.) decimaquaeque.ueteresis suis offerebant, f Varro(ap. Macrob. Sat. 3.12.2) maioressolitos decimam Herculi uouere, cf. LL6.54, and from the frequent allusions in comedy (Naev. frg. 27-9 Ribbeck;Plaut. Bacch. 666, Stich. 233, 386, Truc. 561, Most. 984 ), but also frominscriptional evidence of Republican date, some of it from quite earlydocuments. Especially to be noted are the words moribus antiqueis inthe Titulus Mummianus from Reate (CIL 12 632, end of second cen-tury B.C.), recording the dedication of a tithe, accompanied by aseparate gift, after the triumph of Mummius in 145 B.C. Latin in-scriptions of the last century B.C. attest the existence of the practice inother parts of Italy during the close of the Republic, and perhaps earlier,as at Sora (CIL 12 1531), Tibur (ib. 1482), Aquila (ib. 1805), Carsioli(CIL IX 4071 a), Capua (CIL X 3956 'saeculi Augusti'), and possiblyTarentum (CIL P2, 1698, where d.f. is usually regarded as abbreviatedfor decumafacta). For the dialect-speaking peoples we have not onlythe three inscriptions already discussed but also the Tabula Agnonensis(Conway 175) which gives a list of deities who had a statue or altar orboth erected to them in the 'grove of Ceres', amongst them a statueand altar in honor of Hercules 'Cerialis' (herekliii kerrfiifi), and thewhole grove is described in the words hirz dekmannidiis stait. Herethe word dekmannidiis must refer to the custom of offering tithes,whether it be taken as locative plural 'on the festival of the tithes' oras dative plural 'to the deities of the (sacred) tithes'. This was pointedout by Conway (Glossary, s.v.), but has not previously been noted inthe present connection. In degetasis (-ifds) therefore, quasi Latin*decentarius, he spelling with -g- is best regarded as due to contamina-

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OSCAN DEKETASIO- '*DECENTARIUS' 107tion either with uiginti (or a corresponding Oscan form), as Buck sug-gested, or with digitus (cf. Gr. 6 rerd~~-~), as Conway proposed.For in view of the evidence already quoted, we need hardly hesitate toconnect deketasifii with Latin decem (*dekentd-, cf. Umb. sestenta-siaru), and the practice of offering tithes to Hercules both at Rome, astestified by the numerous references in the literature, though not byinscriptions (unless, as Mommsen conjectured, CIL VI 277 refers to theofferingof a decuma),and also at several other towns in Italy (see above),with the appearance of the official described by this title on the inscrip-tions of Nola and Abella, one of which relates specifically to a temple ofHercules, and the other two, one on an altar, the second from a temple,are connected with some cult, though no deity is mentioned by name.Why fines were levied at Nola in such a connection we can only conjec-ture; but it may be that they were imposed for the non-payment oftithes. It is significant too that, like the treasury of the temple ofHercules belonging jointly to Nola and Abella, there was a wealthytreasury attached to the temple of Hercules at Tibur, enriched by suc-cessive dedications of decumae (CIL XIV 3679-thensaurus Herculis,cf. CIL F 1482) from which Augustus borrowed money in 42 B.C.(Appian BC 5.24).There are several instances of triumphing generals of the last centuryof the Republic who offered decumae to Hercules and at the same timefeasted the people handsomely (Plut. Aem. Paul. 17, cf. 19; id. Praec. Ger.Rei P. 20.4; Luc. 37; Sulla 35.1; Crassus 2, cf. 12; Appian BC 2.76), andit is now generally agreed that Mommsen was wrong when he attemptedto explain this as merely an old military custom revived by Mummius(CIL FIpp. 149 ff.), on which view the tithe was simply a tithe of thebooty gained in war and dedicated officially by the victorious general onbehalf of the state. The story told in the Saturnalia of Macrobius(3.6.11) of the flutist turned trader dedicating one tenth of his gains toHercules illustrates quite another aspect in which these offerings weremade to the same god. It seems clear in short that there should bedistinguished four different classes of decumaededicated to Hercules (1)the early one, which was afterwards entirely forgotten, no doubt tithesof agricultural produce, first-fruits in fact; two later ones, offeredrespectively (2) by traders and (3) by successful generals; and (4) ageneral practice of dedicating tithes by anyone relieved from any diffi-cult situation (e.g. CIL J2 1531). Oscan kerrfifii applied to Herculesin the Tabula Agnonensis probably refers to every kind of fertility,which must include the productiveness of the land and of live-stock.

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