lataza-

This lexeme is found once in a funerary inscription from Myra.

[D.S.]

dat. pl.

lataze

N 309d.18 (Myra)

The word lataze occurs in a curse formula warning a potential offender that he will not be allowed among the lataze, if he commits an offence. Melchert (DLL:35) analyzes the word morphologically as a derivative in -aza- c. to the noun lãta- ‘dead’, i.e. ‘member of the dead’. Carruba 1977a:282 and Eichner 1993b:238 translate lataze as ‘necropolis’, which is not supported from the morphological point of view, unless one assumes a metonymy, i.e. ‘member of the dead’ → ‘(place where there are) members of the dead’. Therefore, a suitable translation would be: m(e)=ene ni : ñtepi hadu lataze ‘One will not allow him among the members of the dead (= necropolis).’ Therefore, the potential offender will lose future access to the necropolis entirely. Differently, Melchert 1989b:39f. believes that the potential offender will not receive a proper burial of his own, whereas Christiansen 2020a:246 n. 316 similarly suggests that the curse formula means that the potential offender shall find no rest and peace after his death and adduces parallels from Ancient Mesopotamia.

[D.S.]

The noun lataza- c. is a formation in -aza- c., which is used to designate professions or simply individuals.

[D.S.]

For the lemma head see Lyc. A la-^(ti).