kulaim(i)-

Attested in Hittite inventory texts in NS.

[Zs.S.]

nom. sg. c.	ku-˹la˺-i-˹mi˺-iš	KUB 42.59 rev. 17’	(CTH 243, NS)
nom. pl. c.	ku-la-i-me-en-zi	KUB 42.69 obv. ii? 16’	(CTH 245, NS)

The attestations follow CLL:114 (cf. also Starke 1990a:236 n. 809; HED K:236) checked against the photos of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv, but, contra Melchert and Starke, without kuwalīti of KUB 17.12 ii 25, which belongs to another word, see the discussion under Meaning. Starke 1990a:236 n. 809 includes “ku-la-i-[m°” from KBo 27.25 obv.^? 2’ as well (CLL:114 leaves the question open), but this is to be read as ku-la-a-m[a(-) (de Roos 2007a:144, supported by the hand copy, no photo is available in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv).

These forms are generally identified as participles (Starke 1990a:236 n. 809; CLL:114; HED K:236; Tischler 2008a:92, Tischler 2016a:272; also Siegelová 1986a:342, 457, 602 allows this possibility), although they do not need to be since the context does not necessarily require a participle and the non-geminate spelling rather points to a deverbal -ma/i- nominal suffix (for which see Melchert 2003b:195).

[Zs.S.]

Some scholars translate this word as ‘pendant’ or ‘provided with a pendant’ (Košak 1978a:116, Košak 1982a:132–134 [‘pendant’]; Siegelová 1986a:342, 457, 602 [both]; HED K:236 [‘pendant’]; similarly Ünal 2007a:357, Ünal 2016a:289 [‘provided with pendant’, with question mark in the English and Turkish version, without in the German version]), while others identify it as the participle of the verb ‘to turn’ (Starke 1990a:237 with n. 810; CLL:114; Tischler 2008a:92, Tischler 2016a:272), without even mentioning the other view.

The context in KUB 42.69 obv. ii^? 16’ is clear: it describes golden earrings, and four out of them are “ku-la-i-me-en-zi GUŠKIN NA₄” (Košak 1978a:115 and Siegelová 1986a:456). Since these are anyway golden earrings, it does not make sense if GUŠKIN ‘gold’ refers again to the earrings themselves, as Starke 1990a:237 n. 810 translated (“Ohrringe aus Gold, davon 4 gedrehte aus Gold mit Steinen”) – if the author wanted to indicate that these four pieces have an additional stone, NA₄ would have been perfectly enough. In other words, ‘gold’ must refer to another part of these earrings, which, accordingly can only be a pendant. Thus the meaning of this phrase is ‘provided with a pendant of gold and stone’. The meaning ‘provided with a pendant’ fits the other passage as well, where kulaimiš (KUB 42.59 rev. 17’) qualifies a red mazaganni-garment.

It is also clear from this analysis that this word cannot be a participle or derivative of the verb kuwal(a)i- ‘to turn’ due to semantic reasons (contra Starke 1990a:236 n. 809; CLL:114, and Tischler 2008a:92, Tischler 2016a:272;), not even if this word originally referred to the pendant only, since a pendant is not necessarily globular or twisted.

[Zs.S.]

There is a general agreement that we are dealing with a Luwian word (HED K:236; van den Hout 2007a:248; Tischler 2008a:92, Tischler 2016a:272; but not included in the list of Luwianisms of Melchert 2005a), clearly demonstrated by its Luwian ending in KUB 42.69 obv. ii^? 16’.

[Zs.S.]

Last updated: 28 August 2020