kãtaqe-

This lexeme is found once in the poetical inscription engraved on the lion sarcophagus of Antiphellos, dated on stylistic grounds to the beginning of the 4^th century BCE (Zahle 1979a:318, Mühlbauer 2007a:91).

[D.S.]

acc. sg.	kãta!qẽ	TL 55.2 (Antiphellos)
	kñ!ta〈q〉ẽ	TL 55.3 (Antiphellos)

For the convincing emendation of kãtdqe- (TL 55.2) to kãtaqe-, see Shevoroshkin 2014a:230 (contra Schürr 2005a:140). The word kñ^!ta〈q〉ẽ was properly deciphered by Kalinka 1901a:54, except for the segmentation, i.e. he split kuprimesikztaẽ (TL 55.3) into kuprime sikztaẽ instead of the correct kuprimesi kztaẽ. A different reading was suggested by Friedrich 1932a:71, i.e. sik[ñ]trẽ. An improved edition of the inscription was published by Schürr 2005a:121, which confirms the transliteration of Kalinka. The letter -z- between two consonants is emended rightly by Shevoroshkin 2014a:230 to ñ (hesitantly Schürr 2005a:141). Since the two vowels a and ẽ cannot co-occur in Lycian, the consonant -q- is restored between them, which gives us a second attestation of kãtaqe-. The vacillation of -ã- and -ñ- between the two words is phonologically regular. Differently, Schürr (apud Shevoroshkin 2002c:412) suggests interpreting ẽ as a separate word. However, the preceding genitival adjective kuprimesi speaks in favor of a full substantive; cf. under Meaning.

[D.S.]

Shevoroshkin 2014a:233 points out that the compound kãta-qe- occurs in a sentence, which mentions a feast (see Lyc. B zppli). Therefore, he suggests that the first member *kãta- is etymologically related to Hitt. kant- c. (a type of grain) (HW 2nd ed. K:88-90). This would result in a plausible translation of the first passage.

               zppli=de : kãta^!qẽ : trqqñtạ[s]az … (TL 55.2-3)

               ‘the priests of the Storm-god … for the feast(?) a grain-qe…’

In the second passage, the noun kñtaqẽ is the direct object of the verb xis-^(ti) ‘to offer in sacrifice’, whose semantic assignment as something pertaining to “grain” is likewise adequate for the context.

               sebe=kuprimesi kñ^!ta〈q〉ẽ : xị[sñ]tej epñ (TL 55.3)

               ‘they offered back in sacrifice the grain-qe of the chosen (thing)’

Despite the attractive etymological connection, it is not yet possible to ascertain if kata-qe- has anything to do with grain, although its relation to food used in a slaughtering or feast seems assured.

[D.S.]

The agreeing genitival adjective preceding kñtaqẽ, i.e. kuprimesi, assures us that the substantive *qe- is a common gender e-stem.

[D.S.]

For the first member of the compound, see the derivational base of Lyc. B kñtre, and for the second member, see Lyc. B *qe-.