wazzis-

This lexeme is found in a grave inscription from Tlos, dated to the reign of Alexander the Great (331–323 BCE), and from Limyra, dated to the reign of Perikles (first half of 4^th c. BCE), as well as on the inscribed pillar of Xanthos, dated contextually to shortly after the ascension of Artaxerxes II in 405-404 BCE and stylistically to around 400 BCE (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:19f.).

[D.S.]

Most semantic approaches of the Lycian word wazzis- rely on its morphology. The suffix -s- is found not only in place names and ethnica, e.g. trm̃mis- ‘Lycia’, arñnas- ‘Xanthos’, zemuris- ‘Limyrean’, kerθθis- ‘the one from Kerdisos’, kinship terms, e.g. tuhes- ‘nephew, niece’, but also in abstract nouns, e.g. arus- ‘citizenship’. While some scholars tried to see an ethnicon from a place name *wazi (Neumann apud Borchhardt 1988a:122) or a kinship term ‘heir’ (Carruba 1977a:308), others prefer to see some kind of office, whether sacral or secular (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:81, 83, DLL:78). The latter approach is supported only by the phrase lusñ[tr]e ẽti wazisse (TL 104a.2-3) ‘within (or under) the wazisse of Lysandros’ (accompanied by a military relief Schürr’s earlier suggestion that it means ‘relief’ is abandoned in Schürr 2017-2018a:270f., because it is not supported by the other attestations of the word. ). It is noteworthy that wazzis- occurs three times in military contexts. For example, the context of the inscribed pillar of Xanthos makes it clear that it is something donated to Trbbẽnimi by the Athenians for his rebellion (see Sasseville 2021a:52):

trbbẽnimi ẽnẽ : sm͂[ma]ṭe terñ hatã [m]ẹ=ị=tã[n]ãi : ub[ẽte] wazisñ [te]lẽzijehi : qlaj ese tre[le(.)] (TL 44b.11-13)

‘When Trbbẽnimi made a binding hatã, the Athenians donated him a wazisñ. The military precinct was in Tre[le].’

Considering that the following sentence specify the location of a military precinct after the donation of a wazzis- to Trbbẽnimi, it leads to the interpretation that wazzis- refers to a military troop. This is further supported by another example from a different inscription, but which also refers to a war:

ñtepi : wazzisñ : xalxxa : edrijeusehñ (TL 29.5)

‘I was in control of the wazzisñ of Idrieus.’

In this inscription, the author tells us that he led into battle a certain military troop belonging to the Carian Satrap Idrieus. Concerning the most cited example, it is most likely that Tebursseli wishes to specify that he fought during the war in a military troop led by Lysandros, which would harmonize with the military relief (for which see Borchhardt 1988a:98-120).

tebursseli : prñnawate : lusñ[tr]e : ẽti wazisse (TL 104a)

‘Tebursseli built the grave-house, within the wazisse-military troop of Lysandros’.

[D.S.]

The stems in -s- show a non-mutated consonantal inflection and the common gender. On the function of the suffix -(i)s-, see Melchert 2014d:206. For an inflectional analysis of these stems, see Schürr 2017-2018a.

[D.S.]