zilatiya

The ca. 35-40 attestations of the lexeme come from the NH period, predominantly from oracles, prayers and prescriptions in treaties.

[E.R.]

Checked against the photograph of the Konkordanz. – The spelling is always the same, i.e. zi-la-ti-ia, except for the few attestations with clitics in which the glide can be left out. The instance of the spelling with gloss wedge given above is the only one in Hittite tradition.

[E.R.]

The meaning was elucidated by Sommer as early as 1922 (see Sommer 1922a:56-60). As noticed already by Sommer 1922a, zilatiya and ziladuwa are used interchangeably, see e.g. zilatiya on the Bronze tablet (Bo 86/299 iii 35) and the parallel passage in the Ulmi-Tešub Treaty (KBo 4.10 obv. 43’).

[E.R.]

Opinions as to the Luwian or Hittite origin of zilatiya diverge (Luwian origin: Laroche 1959a:115, CLL:283; Hittite origin: Weitenberg 1984a:296f.; unclear HEG W-Z:723). While it is clear that its counterpart ziladuwa is Luwian, because it attested in Hieroglyphic-Luwian (see under Lemma) now, indications for Luwian provenance of zilatiya only have cumulative value: its single occurrence with a gloss wedge, its late appearance in Hittite texts (as opposed to Hitt. appa-šiwatta ‘in future’, see HW 2nd ed. A:166-168) and its obvious etymological connection with Luw. zila ‘afterwards, then, in future’ and congeners. Nevertheless, the evidence tips the scales in favor of a Luwian loanword in Hittite.Outdated Kronasser 1966a:40, who assumes a Hurrian loanword.

[E.R.]

For the lemma head see [2466] CLuw. *zi-.