The names on the silver plaque from Vrh gradu

Abstract

In the little group of Venetic inscriptions in Western Slovenia the letter T should be read /d/ as in other Venetic inscriptions. A peculiarity of some of these inscriptions is an inverse <l>. Hence, the inscription of Vrh gradu should be read “Woduros Wollknos”. The first name could be explained with reference to Indo-European *wodr̥ ‘water’. The second name might be formed not with the Celtic suffix -(i)knos, but with -nos, and could then be explained with recourse to Indo-European *wolk- ‘moist’. This would be an fitting pair of names.