zalt(i)-

The Cuneiform Luwian corpus shows two attestations on a single fragment in a birth ritual (Tauriša tradition).

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Starke 1995a:41 n. 94 (followed in HHw:s.v.) classifies the word as an adjective, assuming that ^GIŠzaltaya ‘cart’ still reflects the ablaut of the i-suffix. However, the sequence -aya- has undergone re-interpretation as the relational formant -ai(ya)- suffixed to a non-mutated collective form or -a- stem (see Rieken 2005b:68; see also CLuw. kummai(ya)- and Lyc. adai(je)-; less likely the attempt in Rieken 2004d:538). Accordingly, no independent reflex of a full grade suffix exists.

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Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv.

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No concrete meaning for zaltiš has been suggested so far (CLL:275, HHw:s.v., not mentioned in DLL:112). Tischler (HEG U-Z:639) is skeptical regarding the relationship with zalt(i)- attested in Hittite transmission (see under Lemma) and even rejects the one with ^GIŠzaltaiya- ‘cart’. Only Starke 1995a:41 n. 94 suggests tentatively that zalt(i)- in both Luwian and Hittite transmission might denote an animal (probably based on zaltin at KUB 35.145 iii 16, see under Lemma) and thus be a cognate of ^GIŠzaltaiya- ‘cart’ (undecided Carruba 2000c:63 n. 15).

Unfortunately, the context of zaltiš is fragmentary, but starting from the working hypothesis that it shares a common base with ^GIŠzaltaiya- ‘cart’ and perhaps represents the common gender singular of collective ^GIŠzalta, some indications in support of this hypothesis can be found. First, on the reverse of the fragment (ibid. iii 3’), ^GIŠ]mar.gíd.da ‘cart’ is attested, which could be the Sumerographic spelling for the word. The Sumerogram is probably used in the context of the sky (ta-ap-p[a-š°), which brings to mind the motive of the Sun-wagon crossing the Sky. Secondly, zaltiš is the subject of a transitive sentence (object =an). If it denotes a cart, a transfer verb could be restored. Thirdly, in the next line (ii 5’) the sentence pa=aš pa-ap-ti-it-ta-ar prompts an etymologically inspired translation “and he falls”, supported by the content of the following two lines (ii 6’f.) relating that the Sun-god looks down from the sky and demands the Tutelary deity become active. Admittedly, the reconstruction of the overall context involves a certain amount of speculation, but it shows that the tentative meaning ‘cart’ is more than compatible with it.

The attestation at ii 13’ does not offer new context, but repeats that of ii 4’.

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The nom. sg. zaltiš points to a mutated stem zalt(i)- (see CLL:275, Starke 1995a: 41 n. 94).

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1. zaltaiya-

In Hittite transmission, the stem zalt(i)- is attested only once in a ritual with Luwianisms that has strong parallels with stock elements in the birth ritual of Pittei (see Beckman 1983a:191). The collective form is found once in a letter, a MS historical text.

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Erroneous interpretation of ^GIŠza-al-ta as stem form in Rieken 2004a:538.

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Checked against the photographs in the Mainzer Fotoarchiv and the handcopy.

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The lexeme zaltin is left untranslated in the editions and citations (Starke 1990a:282, Beckman 1983a:194f., Bachvarova 2013a:150, unclear Oreshko apud Bachvarova 2013a:150 n. 87), likewise in CLL:275. It occurs in a spell composed of a stock of elements in a fixed formula: [kui]š=mu alwanzaḫḫ[i] X Y aušdu “Who bewitched me, shall see the X, (namely his) Y.” In each main clause, Y describes extraordinary destructive states or features of X. The list of X comprises Heaven and Earth, several deities, ruin^?, dangerous animals, then zalt(i)-, and finally the items that the ritualist holds in her hand. Thus, the zalt(i)- is at the border between the two categories of items listed, which leaves room for more than one interpretation. The relevant clause runs as follows: ^(16’)za-al-ti-in pa-ra-a-ma a-uš-du “he (scil. who bewitched me) shall see zalt(i)-, (namely his) paramman-” (Starke 1990a:282) Syntactically unconvincing the analysis in HEG U-Z:638) of parāma as Hitt. parā=ma; cf. the spelling of patalḫiyama ‘fetters’ ibid. iii 15’. [2044]Starke 1995a:41 n. 94 suggests that zalt(i)- is yet another animal, while Tischler (HEG U-Z:638f.) proposes only a generic ‘something terrifying’.

In CLL:166 parāmman- is analyzed as deriving from the verb para-^(ti), which was interpreted as ‘to drive, chase’ at the time. Based on the new contextual analysis of the verb offered by Melchert 2016a:203-206 resulting in a translation ‘to carry (off)’, its abstract noun parāmman- should mean something like ‘transport, removal’. Within the sentence “he shall see zalt(i)-, (namely his) transport/removal”, a meaning ‘cart’ as suggested for CLuw. zalt(i)- does not seem impossible. Since it is the function of the cart to carry items away, it may be seen as a perversion that the cart itself is removed – as would be the flattening of the arched firmament (ibid. iii 7’) or the fettering of a wolf (ibid. iii 15’).

The attestation of ^GIŠzalta in fragmentary context alone permits no secure semantic interpretation, but it is noteworthy that the word is coordinated with érin^meš like ^GIŠzaltaiya-. However, there is no reason to assume that ^GIŠzalta- and ^GIŠzaltaiya- are one and the same word (see under the lemma of ^GIŠzaltaiya-). Based on the meaning ‘retinue (a kind of troops related to carts)’ assigned to ^GIŠzaltaiya- derived with the relational suffix -i(ya)-, its base word ^GIŠzalta- (coll.) can be interpreted as ‘wagon, cart’, which makes perfect sense in the putative context of “I will t[ake] the troops and carts.”

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The acc. sg. zaltin belongs to the mutated stem zalt(i)- also seen in CLuw. zalt(i)- (see CLL:275, Starke 1995a: 41 n. 94). However, nothing stands in the way of supposing that the most straightforward analysis of ^GIŠzalta is a nom./acc. collective, as presupposed by its derivative ^GIŠzaltaiya-.

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1. zaltaiya-

Oettinger 1994b:74 presupposes that zalt(i)- originates in Luwian. The same is assumed in Starke 1995a:41 n. 94, based on the equation with CLuw. zalt(i)- and ^GIŠzaltaiya- ‘cart’ (for its Luwian origin, see under Lemma). Independent of the likely identity with its Cuneiform Luwian homophone, also the phonological shape with initial za- points into this direction.

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For the lemma head, see Luw. */zal(l)-/.