qezm͂me/i-

This lexeme is found in the inscription of the inscribed pillar of Xanthos, dated contextually to shortly after the ascension of Artaxerxes II in 405-404 BCE and stylistically to around 400 BCE (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:19f.).

[D.S.]

dat. sg.	qezm͂mi	TL 44d.6 (Xanthos)
unclear	qezm͂mi	TL 44d.38 (Xanthos)

The grammatical analysis of qezm͂mi (line 38) depends on whether it is taken to refer to the subject, the direct object, or the indirect object (ilẽne should be locative plural, and thus not the recipient). All three options are possible and should be kept in mind, as long as the semantics are not absolutely clear.

[D.S.]

The adjective or participle qezm͂mi is an attribute of the personal name zrppeduni ‘Sarpedon’The division adopted by Gehrisch 2018a:92 “zrppedu ni=ke” is syntactically awkward., which, together with the trlluba of the assembly, receives a sacrificial animal as an offering. The comparison with the Hittite and Luwian root ḫaš- ‘to beget’ should be considered outdated, because the letter 〈q〉 reflects a sound going back to *Hu̯ or *k^u̯., i.e. with a labial element; therefore, the meaning ‘descendant’ cannot be accepted (contra Shevoroshkin 1978a:237, DLL:126). Schürr 2018b:78 suggests a connection with Lyc. A qas-^(ti) ‘to destroy, kill’ (iterative in -s-^(ti)), which would thus imply a participle, i.e. *qas-m͂me/i- > (with vowel harmony and s > z /_R) qezm͂me/i- ‘destroyed, killed, slain (?)’ (Shevoroshkin 2014a:243 also adopts this etymology.) This is in principle possible, and the word would thus refer to Sarpedon’s demise during the Trojan war. A different approach would be to look for a connection with the Hittite root ḫueš- ‘to live’, but this would not contribute much to the understanding of the context especially vis-à-vis its status as an epithet for a long-deceased hero.

[D.S.]

If the semantic analysis adopted here is correct, qezm͂me/i- would be a participle derived from a verb attested so far only in Lycian A, i.e. qas-^(ti). See Sasseville 2021a:452 for the participles of this verbal stem class, i.e. -s-n͂t(i)- now beside -s-m͂me/i-.

[D.S.]