qtblo

Hapax in a graffito from around the mid-7th c. BCE (during the rule of Psammetichus I), from the tomb of Montuemhat in Thebes.

[Zs.S.]

unknown

qtblo

E.Th 10

The attestation follows Adiego 2007a:408, but no photograph is available for checking since the graffito has never been published properly. Note that the inscription is written in scriptio continua, but the word’s segmentation is partly assured as it is followed by owdown[. The segmentation of its head is supported (but not proved) by the assonance with the personal name qtblem (see s.v.) as well as by the letters preceding qtblo (…oτ), which is a frequent nominal ending (see most recently Simon forthcoming).

[Zs.S.]

Schürr apud Adiego 1994a:43, Schürr 2010c:195 suggested that we are dealing with a personal name attested in Greek transmission as Κοτοβαλως (cf. also Adiego 2007a:408 [qtblo would be in nominative], for the source see Blümel 1992a:17f. and LGPN V.B:244). However, Adiego 1994a:43, Adiego 2007a:408 rightly emphasized that the context is unclear and thus, this proposal cannot be proved. Valério 2015a:344 n. 64 cautiously accepts this identification (“probably”) and suggests that its source was Proto-Luwic “*Hwitwal(i)-” ‘alive, living’ (transformed into an “a-stem”), see s.v. Cuneiform Luwian ḫuitwal(i)- ‘dto’.

Because of the current complete lack of understanding of the graffito the identification of this word with the name in Greek transmission can indeed not be verified, but this does not exclude Valério’s proposal since qtblo could also be an adjective. Valério’s proposal is semantically fitting and also shows a close formal similarity, see the discussion under *qtblem, which is very probably a cognate and derived by both Valério and Schürr 2010c:195 from a common root (this implies that the Greek spelling, if it is really connected to this word at all, shows a secondary anaptyctic vowel, which would require further investigation [for a formally and geographically [Lydian] inadequate analogy see Valério 2015a:344 n. 64]). However, the problem mentioned s.v. *qtblem applies also here: there is no independent evidence for the change *-dw- > -tb- in Carian instead of the expected *-db-. Thus, while Valério’s proposal remains attractive, it cannot be considered proved.

[Zs.S.]

Last updated: 24 November 2020