Lezoux Plate



The Lezoux plate is a ceramic plate discovered in 1970 at Lezoux (Puy-de-Dôme), which contains one of the longer texts in the Gaulish language (in a Gallo-Latin cursive script) which has yet been found. Since it is fragmentary, only parts of the text can be read, and only a fragment of that can be reliably translated. From those bits, it seems to be a list of aphorisms directed toward a young man.


 * mesamobi molatus certiognu sue-ticon
 * “praise (molatus = Old Irish molad “praise”) by the worst (mesam-bi with a dative plural ending, the root related to Old Irish messam "worse") (is) self-damaging to the righteous”


 * nu, gnate, ne dama gussou
 * “now, my boy, do not yield to violence” (?)


 * batoron ueia sue-breto
 * “one should go one’s way by one’s own judgement”.

The last form, -breto is likely related to Old Irish bráth "judgement" but the vowel is unexpected.