hrm̃maza-(ti)

This lexeme is found in a grave inscription dated historically to shortly after 330 BCE., during the reign of Alexander the Great.

[D.S.]

1sg. pret. ind. act.

hṛṃazaxa

TL 29.8 (Tlos)

Based on the cognate hrm̃ma- and the general Lycian rules of orthography, the form hrmazaxa is misspelled for hrm̃mazaxa. Thus, it should be emended to hṛ<m̃>ṃazaxa (van den Hout 1995b:115). Schürr 2001e:134 suggests a different reading, i.e. ha[x]lazaxa, in order to retrieve the agent noun haxlaza-. This is refuted by Tekoğlu 2006a:1704, who offered a new collation of the inscription with an autography and a photo.

[D.S.]

The meaning of the verb hrm̃maza- can be deduced from its morphological makeup. The substantival base of the denominative verb is not attested, but one may reconstruct an agent noun in -aza- c., i.e. *hrm̃maza- ‘the one in charge of the hrm̃ma’. The base of the derivation in -aza- c. is the attested noun hrm̃ma- c. ‘temenos’ (DLL:25). Thus, the agent noun can be translated as ‘the person in charge of the temenos’ (Sasseville 2015a:289). A factitive verb derived from the agent noun by conversion would yield a meaning such as ‘to make someone or something in charge of the temenos’. This is appropriate for the context with an approximate translation:

                ẽmu m͂maja hrmazaxa ñzzijaha ‘I made our houses/building properties (substantized adjective; cf. see m̃mai(je)-) in charge of the temenos.’

[D.S.]

The assumption that hrm̃maza- is a factitive verb in -a-^(ti) is not entirely secured yet due to the lack of attestations, but it constitutes the best option from a morphological perspective.

[D.S.]

For the lemma head see Lyc. A hrm̃ma-.