CAPUT-ti
‘(noble)person’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst
- ID
- 2171
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
CAPUT-ti-
‘(noble)person’1.1.1Transmission
This lexeme is attested 37 times in Cilicia, Karkamiš, Aleppo, Malatya, Maraş, Commagene, Tell Ahmar and Tabal, dating from second half of the 13th to the early 7th century BCE.
[A.P.]
1.1.2Forms
The above table offers a representative selection, omitting broken attestations.
In the attestations at ALEPPO 6, §11 and KARAHÖYÜK, §22, the sign CAPUT is preceded by the “crampon” sign *386, which is later used as the word divider 〈 | 〉 and has developed from the earlier VIR2. In these early and transitional inscriptions, however, it may still be used as VIR2 and is therefore included in the transcription, see Hawkins 2011a:3f.
[A.P.] [AH.B.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
The phonological form of this word is debated, not least since similar spellings have been taken to represent the same word by some scholars, cf. e.g. Melchert 2002a:140 and Melchert 2021a:287-289 who considers CAPUT and CAPUT.VIR to represent /zid(i)-/, although HLuw. VIR (*313) is commonly held to represent just that already. By contrast, Hawkins 2011a:4 deems the interpretation of CAPUT uncertain precisely because of VIR established as /zid(i)-/, instead comparing Hittite antuḫša- ‘human, person’ (cf. German Mensch), and his stance is followed here. That CAPUT represents a word different to VIR /zid(i)-/ receives further support from some of the attested spellings for the cases with /a/ as a stem vowel, i.e. the gen., abl./instr., and dat./loc. pl., see the table under Forms. These all employ the signs 〈ta, tá〉 for /tta, nta/, but make no use of 〈tà〉 for /da/, nor do any of the forms show rhotacism for the sound in question, although the latter might be considered as due to chance.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
The meaning assigned to this word first and foremost depends in which phonological interpretation is followed. In his edition of the bilingual text KARATEPE 1, Bossert 1948a:177 passim translates it as ‘man’, regardless of the Phoenician equivalents in the various contexts,Note that, at the time, scholars commonly used Sumerograms well-known from Hittite texts to render the HLuw. logograms, in this case LÚ for CAPUT. which is followed by e.g. Melchert 2002a:140 and Melchert 2021a:287. Differently, Hawkins 2011a:4 translates it as ‘person’ with reference to Hittite antuḫša- ‘human, person’, and in Hawkins 2000a:56, he tentatively suggests ‘prince’ as a contextual alternative in KARATEPE 1 Hu., §60. While the contexts suggest that CAPUT-tt(i)- references men, it still appears to denote something other than /zid(i)-/, whence the different translation. Cf. e.g. KARKAMIŠ A18h, §1: za-wa/i STELE-ni-zi! VIR-ti-sa (DEUS)SOL-wa/i+ra/i-ma-sa-´ CAPUT-ta-sa, approx. /za=wa wani=za zidis Tiwadamas …-ttas/, meaning ‘This (is) the stele of Zidi, of the (sun-god) Tiwad’s person’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:181), in which the word /zid(i)-/ ‘man’ occurs as a personal name. Likewise instructive is the passage in KARKAMIŠ A2+3, §24, the apodosis of a curse formula: *a-wa/i-sa DEUS-na-za CAPUT-tá-za-ha *336-na-na (DEUS)TONITRUS-tá-ti-i (LOQUI)ta-tara/i-ia-mi-sa i-zi-ia-ru, approx. /a=wa=as massananz …-ttanz=ha usinan Tarhuntadi tadariyammis izziyaru/, translating as ‘He shall be made accursed by (the storm-god) Tarhunt in the presence of gods and humans’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:110).Naturally, idiomatic English would employ the phrase ‘in the presence of gods and men’ here with the inclusive meaning intended for the latter (thus also Hawkins 2000a’s translation), but it should be noted that the HLuw. choice is precisely not /zid(i)-/ ‘man’ in this case.
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
The attested forms show an in-mutated inflection for this common gender noun. Moreover, the choice of signs (see the discussions above) seems to imply a stem ending in /-tt(i)-/ rather than /-d(i)-/, but the rest of the word will likely remain out of grasp until further textual evidence has surfaced, or a viable etymological connection has been proposed.
[AH.B.]