Pontic Scythian | |
---|---|
Old Scythian [1] | |
Native to | Scythia, Scythia Minor |
Region | West Asia, Eastern Europe |
Ethnicity | Scythians |
Era | 8th-2nd centuries BC? [1] |
Indo-European
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | xsc |
xsc | |
Glottolog | None |
![]() The approximate distribution of Eastern Iranic languages and peoples in 100 BC appears in green. | |
Pontic Scythian was a Scythian language formerly spoken in western Asia and eastern Europe between the 8th and 2nd centuries BC by the Scythians.
The Pontic Scythian language possessed the following phonemes: [2]
Front | Back | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Close | i | iː | u | uː |
Mid | eː | oː | ||
Open | a | aː |
Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labiovelar | Glottal | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | p | b | t | d (earliest) | k | ɡ | ||||||||||
Affricate | t͡s | t͡ʃ | d͡ʒ | |||||||||||||
Fricative | f | θ | ð (earlier) | s | z | ʃ | ʒ | x | xʷ | h | ||||||
Sonorant | m | l (later) | n | r | j | ( ŋ ) | w |
This article uses cursive theta ⟨ϑ⟩ to denote the Scythian voiceless dental fricative (IPA /θ/), and regular theta ⟨θ⟩ to denote the Greek aspirated, voiceless dental plosive (IPA /tʰ/).
The western dialects of the Scythian languages had experienced an evolution of the Proto-Iranic sound /d/ into the Proto-Scythian sound /ð/, which in the Cimmerian and Pontic dialects of Scythian became the sound /l/. Scythian shares the evolution of Proto-Iranic sound /d/ into /ð/ with all Eastern Iranic languages with the exception of Ossetian, Yaghnobi, and Ishkashimi; and the later evolution of /ð/ into /l/ is also present in several Eastern Iranic languages such as Bactrian, Pashto, Munjani, and Yidgha. [3] [2]
The primary sources for Scythian words remain the Scythian toponyms, tribal names, and numerous personal names in the ancient Greek texts and in the Greek inscriptions found in the Greek colonies on the Northern Black Sea Coast. These names suggest that the Sarmatian language had close similarities to modern Ossetian. [4]
Recorded Scythian personal names include:
Name | Attested forms | Notes |
---|---|---|
*Aryapaiϑah | Ancient Greek : Ἀριαπείθης, romanized: Ariapeíthēs | Composed of: [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] |
*Hiϑāmϑrauša | Ancient Greek : Ἰδάνθυρσος, romanized: Idánthursos | Meaning "prospering the ally." Composed of: [11] |
*Hupāyā | Ancient Greek : Ὀποίη, romanized: Opoíē | Composed of: [6]
|
*Pālaka | Ancient Greek : Πάλακος, romanized: Pálakos | From an earlier form *Pāδaka after the evolution of Proto-Iranic /d/ to Proto-Scythian /δ/ to Scythian /l/. Means "tall-legged" and "long-legged." Composed of: [12] [13]
|
*Pr̥tatavah | Akkadian : 𒁹𒁇𒋫𒌅𒀀, romanized: Bartatua or Partatua [14] Ancient Greek : Προτοθύες, romanized: Protothúes | Means "who is mighty in battle." Composed of: [15] [16] [17]
|
*Pr̥ϑutavah | Composed of: [18] [19]
| |
*Skilura | Ancient Greek : Σκίλουρος, romanized: Skílouros | From an earlier form *Skiδura after the evolution of Proto-Iranic /d/ to Proto-Scythian /δ/ to Scythian /l/. Means "sharp" and "victorious." [12] |
*Skula | Ancient Greek : Σκύλης, romanized: Skúlēs | From the Scythian endonym *Skula, itself a later dialectal form of *Skuδa resulting from a sound change from /δ/ to /l/. [20] |
*Spakayah | Akkadian : 𒁹𒅖𒉺𒅗𒀀𒀀, romanized: Išpakāya [21] | Hypocoristic derivation from the word *spakah, meaning "dog." [22] [23] [9] |
*Spargapaiϑah | Ancient Greek : Σπαργαπείθης, romanized: Spargapeíthēs | Composed of: [6] [24] [9] [10] |
*Tigratavā | Ancient Greek : Τιργαταὼ, romanized: Tirgataṑ | Means "with the strength of an arrow." Composed of: [25] [6]
|
*Uxtamazatā | Ancient Greek : Ὀκταμασάδης, romanized: Oktamasádēs | Means "possessing greatness through his words." Composed of: [6]
|
*Varika | Ancient Greek : Ὄρικος, romanized: Órikos | Hypocorostic derivation from the word *vari-, meaning "chest armour, armour." Compare with Avestan 𐬬𐬀𐬌𐬭𐬌 (vaⁱri-), 𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬌 (uuari-) "chest armour." [6] |
Recorded Scythian tribal names include:
Name | Attested forms | Notes |
---|---|---|
*Haxāϑrauša | Ancient Greek : Ἀγάθυρσοι, romanized: Agáthursoi | Means "prospering the friend/socius." Composed of: [11]
|
*Skuδa [26] [27] | Akkadian : 𒅖𒆪𒍝𒀀𒀀, romanized: Iškuzaya
Ancient Greek : Σκύθαι, romanized: Skúthai | *Skuδa, the Scythian endonym, [26] [27] From the Proto-Indo-European root *skewd-, itself meaning lit. 'shooter, archer', whence also English "shoot". [28] |
*Skula | Ancient Greek : Σκόλοτοι, romanized: Skólotoi [29] [2] | Later form of *Skuδa resulting from the evolution of Proto-Scythian /δ/ into Scythian /l/. [26] |
*Paralāta | Ancient Greek : Παραλάται, romanized: Paralátai [29] [2] | Cognate with Young Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬭𐬀𐬜𐬁𐬙𐬀 (Paraδāta), meaning "placed at the front." [9] |
Some scholars believe that many toponyms and hydronyms of the Russian and Ukrainian steppe have Scythian links. For example, Vasmer associates the name of the river Don with an assumed/reconstructed unattested Scythian word *dānu "water, river", and with Avestan dānu-, Pashto dand and Ossetian don. [30] The river names Don, Donets, Dnieper, Danube, and Dniester, and lake Donuzlav (the deepest one in Crimea) may also belong with the same word-group. [31]
Recorded Scythian place names include:
Name | Attested forms | Notes |
---|---|---|
*Baurustāna | Ancient Greek : Βορυσθένης, romanized: Borusthénēs | Means "place of beavers." Composed of: [32] |
*Pantikapa | Ancient Greek : Παντικάπαιον, romanized: Pantikápaion | Means "fish-path." Composed of: [33] |
*Rahā | Ancient Greek : Ῥᾶ, romanized: Rhâ | Means "wetness." Compare with Avestan 𐬭𐬀𐬢𐬵𐬁 (raŋhā) and Vedic Sanskrit रसा (rasā́). [34] |
*Varu | Ancient Greek : Ὄαρος, romanized: Óaros | Means "broad." [35] |
The Greek historian Herodotus provides another source of Scythian; he reports that the Scythians called the Amazons Oiorpata, and explains the name as a compound of oior, meaning "man", and pata, meaning "to kill" (Hist. 4,110).
Elsewhere Herodotus explains the name of the mythical one-eyed tribe Arimaspoi as a compound of the Scythian words arima, meaning "one", and spu, meaning "eye" (Hist. 4,27).
Name | Attested forms | Notes |
---|---|---|
*Tapatī́ | Ancient Greek : Ταβιτί, romanized: Tabití | Means “the Burning One” or “the Flaming One.” [46] [47] |
*Api | Ancient Greek : Ἀπί, romanized: Apí
| Related to Avestan 𐬀𐬞𐬌 (api), "water." [49] |
*Targī̆tavah | Ancient Greek : Ταργιτάος, romanized: Targitáos | Means "possessing the might of the goddess Tarkā." Composed of: [51]
|
Ancient Greek : Ἀρτίμπασα, romanized: Artímpasa | Composed of: [49]
| |
*Apatura | Ancient Greek : Ἀπάτουρος, romanized: Apátouros | Means "swift water." Composed of: [52]
|
*Gaiϑāsūra | Ancient Greek : Γοιτόσυρος, romanized: Goitósuros | Composed of: [9]
|
Ancient Greek : Θαγιμασάδας, romanized: Thagimasádas
| Composed of:
| |
*Lipoxšayah | Ancient Greek : Λιπόξαϊς, romanized: Lipóxaïs | From an earlier form [*Δipoxšayah] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script (pos 2: Δ) (help) after the evolution of Proto-Iranic /d/ to Proto-Scythian /δ/ to Scythian /l/. Means "king of radiance" and "king of heaven." Composed of: [54]
|
*R̥buxšayah | Ancient Greek : Ἀρπόξαϊς, romanized: Arpóxaïs | Means "king of the airspace." Composed of: [55]
|
*Kolaxšayah | Ancient Greek : Κολάξαϊς, romanized: Koláxaïs Latin : Colaxes | From an earlier form *Kauδaxšayah after the evolution of Proto-Iranic /d/ to Proto-Scythian /δ/ to Scythian /l/. Means "axe-wielding king," where the axe also has the meaning of "sceptre," as well as "blacksmith king," in the sense of "ruling king of the lower world." Composed of: [56]
|
Pliny the Elder's Natural History (AD 77–79) derives the name of the Caucasus from the Scythian kroy-khasis = ice-shining, white with snow (cf. Greek cryos = ice-cold).
In the comedy works of Aristophanes, the dialects of various Greek people are accurately imitated. In his Thesmophoriazusae , a Scythian archer (a member of a police force in Athens) speaks broken Greek, consistently omitting the final -s (-ς) and -n (ν), using the lenis in place of the aspirate, and once using ks (ξ) in place of s (sigma); these may be used to elucidate the Scythian languages. [57]
Middle Persian Arang/Arag renders Avestan Raŋhā, which is cognate with the Scythian name Rhâ (*Rahā) transmitted by Ptolemy