ciwla-^(d)

This lexeme is found in an inscription that has recently been dated to shortly after the death of Croesus, i.e. early in the second half of the 6^th century BCE (Euler & Sasseville 2019a:139).

[D.S.]

3sg. pres. act.

ciwlad

LW 62.6 (Kaystros valley)

Heubeck 1980a:53 and Gusmani 1980a:47 posit tentatively a nom./acc. sg. n (followed by Oettinger 1995b:41). However, the paradigm of the Lydian mutated suffix -l(i)- takes a nom./acc. sg. n. ending in -id (Sasseville 2017a). Euler & Sasseville 2019a:138 n. 44 interpret it instead as a denominative verb in -a-^(d) derived from a non-attested agent noun *ciwla- or *ciwala- (attested in Lyc. B ziwala- c.). A word formation in -ala- derived from the noun ciw- ‘god’ would denote a priestly title, which is in turn supported by the context (followed by Sasseville 2021a:107f.).

[D.S.]

Upon publication of the inscription, Gusmani 1964b:132 recognized the connection with the Lydian word ciw- ‘god’, but no concrete meaning was assigned (neither in Heubeck 1980a:53 nor in Gusmani 1980a:47). The meaning ‘to perform one’s function as ciwla-priest’ is suggested by Euler & Sasseville 2019a:138f. on both morphological and contextual grounds. The subject of the verb is perhaps Tas, who is supposed to perform his function as ciwla-priest for the temenos of the deified king Croesus.

[D.S.]

For the lemma head, see Lyd. ciw-.