ištardalla/i-

This word is only once attested in a NS fragment of festival rituals from Kizzuwatna.

[A.B.]

nom./acc. pl. n.

iš-tar-da-al-⸢la⸣

KBo 20.75 rev. 14’

(NS, CTH 500)

The attestation follows Starke 1990a:416, and Ünal 2007a:283 (cf. 6717Ünal 2016a:238, not yet in Laroche 1959a or CLL). The transliteration has been checked against the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.

[A.B.]

The dictionaries that include this word do not indicate a meaning (cf. Tischler 2008a:74, Tischler 2016a:137, Ünal 2007a:283, Ünal 2016a:238). For the plausible suggestion ‘throne-like’ by Starke 1990a:418 see below.

The context of KBo 20.75 rev. 14’–15’ is fragmentary and shows the following (the transliteration is based on the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv, and in addition, the hand copy as well as the transliteration, restoration and translation of Starke 1990a:416–418 have been taken into account):

^(14’)[...]⸢šú⸣.aḪI.A iš-tar-da-al-⸢la⸣[ ...] ^(15’)[...]x bal-an-za-⸢kán⸣-x x[...]

^(14’)[...] the ištardalla seats [ ...] ^(15’)[...]x they make offerings [...]

Starke restores GIŠ at the beginning of line 14’, as determinative of šú.aḪI.A, which is most probably the noun qualified by ištardalla (cf. Starke 1990a:418, Tischler 2008a:74, Tischler 2016a:137; Ünal 2007a:283 and Ünal 2016a:238 only indicate that it “appears together with a seat”). Although GIŠ is not visible on the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv (and neither on the hand copy), this restoration seems likely since the Sumerogramm šú.a (written as a ligature here, cf. Rüster & Neu 1989a:219) with the meaning ‘stool, chair’ usually appears with this determinative. Starke 1990a:416–418 assumes a connection to HLuw. istarta- (cf. under the lemma HLuw. /ist(a)ratt(a)-/) ‘throne’ and suggests a meaning “thronartig” (‘throne-like’), which fits morphologically (cf. under Origin) and semantically.

[A.B.]

Although it does not appear in any of the Luwian dictionaries nor in the lists of Luwianisms of Melchert 2005a or van den Hout 2007a, this Glossenkeilwort is assumed to be of Luwian origin by Starke 1990a:416­–418 and Tischler 2008a:74 (cf. Tischler 2016a:137). Starke 1990a:416 analyzed ištardalla as a CLuwian adjective in “-lli-”(cf. also Ünal 2016a:960, who lists it as “ištardalli-” in his list of Luwianisms). The correct form of this very productive Luwian suffix is -alla/i- (it forms adjectives from nouns, cf. Melchert 2003b:197). The base would be a noun *ištarta-, which according to Starke 1990a:416 is attested in HLuw. istarta- (cf. under the lemma HLuw. /ist(a)ratt(a)-/) ‘throne’. Since this base is not attested in Hittite and the stem formation of ištardalla/i- is also Luwian, it is either a Luwian loan or foreign word in Hittite.

[A.B.]