zit(i)-

This lexeme is found in a grave inscription containing the biography of Payawa, a powerful Lycian man, who supported the Persian satrap Autophradates during the first half of the fourth century BCE.

[D.S.]

dat./loc. sg.

[z]iti

TL 40c.9 (Xanthos)

The reading of the first letter of [.]iti, which is partly destroyed, is debated. Kalinka 1901a:35 leaves it uninterpreted (likewise Friedrich 1932a:62). Shevoroshkin 1979a:189 restores the letter [z] based on the compound uhaziti and the Lycian B lexeme ziti (followed by DLL:89). Schürr 2012b:27 reads ḥiti, which cannot be verified on the picture published in his article. Moreover, there is no lexical cognate to support his reading, whereas the one with ẓ is strongly supported by the comparative evidence available.

[D.S.]

Since the word ziti occurs within a dating formula, i.e. 10 uhahi [z]iti, and also in the compound uhaziti, in which the first member means ‘year’, Shevoroshkin 1979a:189 suggests the meaning ‘time, interval’ (doubted by DLL:89). Thus, he translates 10 uhahi [z]iti as ‘at the time of the 10^th year’. Unfortunately, this is redundant and not likely, since the word for ‘time’ normally does not occur within a dating formula. One expects ‘in the 10^th year’ instead. Thus, ziti should refer to something more precise. The formula stipulates that Payawa, the author, has built the monuments at the ziti of the 10^th year since the occupation of Xanthos (by the Persians). In that case, we expect ziti to denote either the beginning of the end of the 10^th year. Etymological support for the meaning ‘end’ is found under Reconstruction, whence we translate ziti here with ‘end’, i.e. m(e)=e prñnawaxã 10 uhahi ziti ahãmadi arñnadi ‘I built them at the end of the 10^th year since the occupation of Xanthos.’

[D.S.]

1. uhazit(i)-

This lexeme is found in various grave inscriptions as well as on 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 et al. 1997-99a:19f.).

[D.S.]

dat./loc. sg.(?)	ziti	TL 44d.8 (Xanthos)
	ziti	TL 44d.47 (Xanthos)

The word ziti appears to be modified in TL 44d.47 by the adjective epre/i- ‘back’, although this is not assured. Shevoroshkin 1979a:189 translates epri ziti with ‘next time’; for his semantic assignment of ziti see under Lycian A zit(i)-. Shevoroshkin 2002a:228 translates ziti with ‘levy’, which is ad hoc. The context in which the two attestations of zit(i)- occur in Lycian B are obscure and thus cannot be used to argue for or against the semantic assignment of Lycian A zit(i)-. The grammatical agreement of epri and ziti in TL 44d.47 is not assured. Instead ziti could stand on its own as a dative/locative meaning ‘in the end’.

[D.S.]

For the lemma head see Lyc. *zi-.