/kuruPil(i)-/, (“*478”)ku-tú-pi-li-
‘(an ovid)’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst, common
- ID
- 1516
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
/kuruPil(i)-/, (“*478”)ku-tú-pi-li-
‘(an ovid)’1.1.1Transmission
This hapax is attested in a single inscription from Karkamiš, dating to the second half of the 10th or early 9th century BCE.
[A.P.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom. sg. | /kuruPilis/ | (“*478”)ku-tú-pi-li-sa | KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §18d (Karkamiš) |
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The phonological interpretation of this word relies on its putative link with HLuw. /kuruPi-/ ‘(an ovid)’, whose sole attestation is spelt 〈OVIS-ru-pi〉. The sign 〈tú〉 is assumed to be a hypercorrect spelling for /r/ between vowels, since intervocalic /d, l/ undergo rhotacism.
The lexeme uses the logogram *478 for a determinative, see the discussion of the meaning below.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The precise meaning of the lexeme is unclear, but it is generally thought to denote a kind of sheep. The passage in KARKAMIŠ A11b+c, §18d is part of a list of sacrifices and runs: (DEUS)sa5+ra/i-ku OVIS-wa/i-sa (“*478”)ku-tú-pi-li-sa-ha, approx. /Sarku hawis kuruPilis=ha/, meaning ‘To (the god) Sarku a sheep and a kuruPili’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:103). In his commentary, Hawkins 2000a:107 notes that in the context of attestation, the sacrificial value of a /kuruPili-/ appears to be below that of other sacrificial animals such as /haw(i)-/ ‘sheep’ and /waw(i)-/ ‘bull’. He tentatively suggests that it may mean ‘lamb’ vel sim. Melchert 2012a:209 suggests ‘fire offering(?)’, but offers no further explanation. Payne 2018a:110f. and again Payne 2019b:92 argues that sign *478, used as a logographic determinative, represents an altar for burnt offerings, indicating that the /kuruPil(i)-/ would have been offered burnt or cooked. More evidence is needed for further analysis.
[AH.B.] [A.P.]
1.1.5Stem
The word could be a formation in /-alla/i-/ or a derivative in /-il(i)-/, originally an adjective but subsequently substantivized, based on the neuter i-stem noun /kuruPi-/ ‘(an ovid)’.
[AH.B.]