pinta-

This word is only once attested in a NS manuscript of the Hittite version of the epic of Gilgameš.

[A.B.]

nom./acc. sg. n. or acc. pl. c.

pí-in-⸢ta⸣-an-za

KBo 22.91+KUB 8.50 rev. iii 27’

(CTH 341, NS)

The attestation follows Laroche 1959a:57, CLL:177, CHD P:268 (cf. EDHIL:676, HEG L–S:612f., HED Pe:76f., Ünal 2007a:541f., Ünal 2016a:415, Rosenkranz 1950a:195, Friedrich 1947b:4 and van den Hout 2007a:246).

The transliteration has been checked against the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv. The form is ambiguous, it could be either a nom./acc.sg.n. or acc.pl.c. (cf. CLL:177, HEG L–S:612f., HED Pe:76f., EDHIL:676); for the older rejected analysis as an ablative cf. HEG L–S:612f., CHD P:268 and Tischler 2010a:314 n. 21.

[A.B.]

Rosenkranz 1950a:195 indicates two gloss wedges, but according to the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv, this is the only Glossenkeilwort with a single diagonal as gloss marker in this text.

[A.B.]

Sommer (apud Friedrich 1929a:57) cautiously suggested a meaning “die Ruder”, cf. Friedrich 1947b:4, HEG:612f., Laroche 1959a:82 “rames”, CHD P:268 ‘oars?’, cf. EDHIL:268, Melchert 2005a:452 and Rieken et al. 2009b. Tischler 2008a:149 considers a meaning “Ruder?, Stange?” (cf. Tischler 2016a:277 “perche, tisson”). Weeks 1985a:141 suggests ‘tiller’, Beckman 2019a:84 ‘rudder’, cf. HED Pe:76f.: ‘rudder, tiller’ (vel sim.), Ünal 2007a:542 (cf. Ünal 2016a:415) ‘steering wheel?, oars?, rudders?’. Tischler 2010a:313f. suggests a meaning “Handgriff, Knauf (?)”. CLL:177 gives no meaning (cf. Zorman 2016a:589), Melchert (pers. com.) now more generally considers a “part of a boat”.

The proposed meaning is only based on the attested passage of this word in the epic of Gilgameš. The context of KBo 22.91+KUB 8.50 rev. iii 25’–27’ shows the following (the transliteration is based on the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv, and in addition, the hand copy as well as the transliterations, restorations and translations of Friedrich 1929a:26f., Friedrich 1947b:4, Rieken et al. 2009b, Beckman 2001a:165, Beckman 2019a:49, Tischler 2010a:313f., CHD P:268, HEG L–S:613 and HED Pe:76a have been taken into account):

^(25’)na-at-kán ⸢2?⸣-e-lu-uš-pát a-na GIŠmá ša-ra-⸢a⸣[…] ^(26’)⸢d⸣giš.gim.maš-⸢uš⸣ mur-ša-na-bi-iš-ša nu mur-š[a-na-bi- …] ^(27’)pí-in-⸢ta⸣-an-za šu-za e-ep-ta dgiš.gim.ma[š …]

^(25’)And just the two^? of them […] onto the boat […]^(26’)Gilgameš and Uršanabi. Urš[anabi …] ^(27’)seized the pinta(s) with the hand, Gilgame[š …]

As correctly pointed out by Tischler 2010a:314, Gilgameš and Uršanabi use poles to push the vessel forward (cf. also under the lemma winal- ‘pole’) instead of oars. Hence, the meaning ‘oar(s)’ assumed by many scholars fits only if it actually refers to these poles that have a similar function as oar(s).

Regarding the role of Uršanabi as captain or ferryman (cf. George 2003a:151), it would be possible to assume that he seizes something like a tiller to steer the boat (similar to what is depicted on the seal visible on the British Museum Photo, BM 89588, published in Foster 2001a:80 n. 10). Weeks 1985a:141, who assumes such a meaning, tried to connect it with the English nautical term pintle ‘rudder-pin’ via a PIE root *bend- ‘peak’ (cf. HED Pe:76f., HEG L–S:613), and Tischler 2010a:313f. also tries to connect the word to this root suggesting a meaning “Handgriff, Knauf (?)” (interpreting the fragmentary part at the end of line 23’ as šu^!-za [implying this to be the Sumerographic variant of pintanza] which is, however, problematic, cf. under the lemma pa[š^?-), but EDHIL:676 objected to this connection on formal grounds because *bend- should have led to *pant- in Luwian.

Hence, based on just this context (the respective Akkadian text passage only mentions the boarding and launching of the boat without further specifying the actions, cf. George 2003a:688f.), one can only say (with Melchert pers. com.) that pinta- is a part of the boat, most probably something like a tiller, oar(s) (or sim.), but since there is no similar word in Luwian to which it could be connected, its precise meaning remains unknown.

[A.B.]

The Glossenkeilwort pinta- is considered to be of Luwian origin due to its Luwian inflection (cf. the Luwian dictionaries of Laroche 1959a:82 and CLL:177, the lists of Luwianisms by Melchert 2005a:452 and van den Hout 2007a:246, it is furthermore assumed to be Luwian by CHD P:268, HEG L–S:612f., HED Pe:76f., EDHIL:676, Tischler 2008a:149, Tischler 2016a:277 and Ünal 2016a:968, Tischler 2010a:313f.). Since it appears with Luwian inflection in Hittite context, it is a Luwian foreign word in Hittite.

While the meaning of the base of this word (probably an unattested *pin-) remains unknown, pinta- could either include a Luwian suffix -t(t)a- forming adjectives (often then substantivized) from nouns, or a rare suffix -ta- that is added directly to the root (cf. Melchert 2003b:196). The former is more probable since it is more productive than the latter.

[A.B.]