padafuni-

The only attestation of this lexeme comes from the Sardis cemetery. The relevant inscription can be approximately dated to the 5^th or 4^th century BCE.

[I.Y.]

This verbal form was previously read as padafunidν; cf. Gusmani 1964a:76f., but the discovery of the inscription LW/N 115 made it clear that the third letter in the base noun padafu- must be <d> (Gusmani & Akkan 2004a:144). The same conclusion must be extended to its derivative. The new reading is, in fact, better compatible with the photograph of LW 7 (Buckler 1924a: Plate III).

[I.Y.]

The object of the verb consists of several burial installations; the clause where it occurs is followed by a curse formula. The person who issued the threat presumably either was in charge of the respective installations, or constituted their beneficiary, i.e. was or expected to be buried there. This consideration alone speaks against the translation ‘I sanctified’, adopted in Gusmani 1964a:76 and much of the previous and subsequent literature.
The new interpretation of pawafu- as ‘successor’ or ‘locum tenens’ also opens new possibilities for interpreting the derived verb. The inscription was likely left by a new person who became in charge of the respective burial complex. Since the responsibility of maintaining the burial plot probably ran within the family, the same person may well have expected to be buried on the same plot. Therefore, he may have not only an obligation but also a vested reason to defend it against potential desecrators.

[I.Y.]

The verb is derived from its base noun with the help of the suffix -ni-. For a formally similar pattern of denominative derivation, cf. Lyd. fẽtamνi-.

[I.Y.]

For the derivational base see Lyd. padafu-.