sixla-

This lexeme is attested in two inscriptions. One is the Letoon trilingual inscription (N 320), most commonly dated to 337 BCE, the first year of the Achaemenid king Arses, during the reign of the Carian satrap Pixodaros (Badian 1977a:49f, Bryce 1986a:48f, Keen 1998a:10, Wagner 2011a:156). The second (TL 57) is a sepulchral inscription belonging to a certain Idamaxzza.

[O.B.]

dat./loc. sg.	sixli	TL 57.5 (Antiphellos)
acc. pl.	sixlas	N 320.22 (Xanthos)
dat./loc. pl.	sixla	TL 57.6 (Antiphellos)

It has been universally recognized since Schmidt 1876a:22 that Lyc. A sixla- refers to some sort of currency, as the word appears on TL 57 in formulae where the currency unit ada- is usually expected to occur. On the trilingual N 320, sixlas corresponds to Gr. δύο δραχμάς ‘two drachmas’ (but lacking the numeral present in the Greek version), confirming that sixla- denotes a currency.

In the literature, Lyc. A sixla- is most often translated as ‘shekel’ or ‘siglos’ (Gr. σίγλος), e.g. in Schmidt, Deecke 1887a:149, 1876a:22, Savelsberg 1878a:32, Laroche 1979c:101, Bryce 1986a:76, DLL:58, Neumann 2007a:324, Christiansen 2020a:208. However, according to Frei 1977a:70ff., Lyc. A ada- is a more likely candidate to denote the Persian coin siglos, although the sixla- most likely shares origin with this word (see Origin). Frei also cogently argues that sixla- specifically denotes the Lycian minted stater coin, normally weighing between 8.3-8.6 grams (thus also in Oreshko 2020a:25). In TL 57, sixla- occurs twice, once in the singular and once in the plural specifying the monetary values of the lower and upper burial-chambers respectively. The plural form is preceded by a numeral (i.e. tupm͂me), whereas the singular form is not. Since the singular form refers to the price of the less valuable lower burial-chamber, it is reasonable to analyze the lack of numeral as signifying ‘(one) sixla’ (cf. Neumann 2007a:325). We may subsequently assume a similar construction in the trilingual, where the non-quantified acc. pl. form sixlas equates to Gr. δύο δραχμάς. The plural may be understood as distributive, since the subject is also in the plural (i.e. ‘each of the X does one Y’). It follows that one Lycian sixla- is worth two Greek drachmas. Two Athenian drachmas weigh 8.74 grams, which is roughly equal to a Lycian stater, i.e. 8.3-8.6 grams. Consequently, it is likely that Lyc. A sixla- refers to a stater coin minted in Lycia specifically, and therefore this meaning has been given in the lemma heading (slightly differently in Kolb & Tietz 2001a:380: not specifically a Lycian stater but the value equal to one, i.e. 1 ½ Persian siglos).

[O.B.]  

Lyc. A sixla- is a common gender a-stem, as verified by the unambiguous acc. pl. form sixlas.

[O.B.]

Lyc. A sixla- most likely shares its linguistic origin with the Gr. σίγλος and the Persian siglos coin, ultimately originating in the Semitic root š-q-l ‘to weigh’ through an unverifiable medium language (cf. Oreshko 2020a:25f.).

[O.B.]