Oscan language

Uncommon card · No. 172704

Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian and South Picene. Oscan was spoken by a number of tribes, including the Samnites, the Lucani, the Aurunci (Ausones), and the Sidicini. The latter two tribes were often grouped under the name "Osci". Oscan is part of the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic family and a number of poorly attested varieties of the eastern central Italian highlands – Hernican, Marrucinian, Paelignian and possibly Vestinian – are conventionally grouped with Oscan, though their exact position within Sabellic remain disputed. Adapted from the Etruscan alphabet, the Central Oscan alphabet was used to write Oscan in Campania and surrounding territories from the 5th century BC until at least the 1st century AD.

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