MAGNUS.URCEUS-
‘Chief Cup-bearer (?)’
- Language
- Hieroglyphic Luwian
- Grammar
- subst, c.
- ID
- 3276
1. Individual Anatolian Languages
1.1 Hieroglyphic Luwian
MAGNUS.URCEUS-
‘Chief Cup-bearer (?)’1.1.1Transmission
This hapax is attested in a single inscription from Tabal, dating to c. 740–730 BCE.
[A.P.]
1.1.2Forms
| nom. sg. | /…/ | MAGNUS.URCEUS-sa6 | SUVASA insc. B (Tabal) |
[A.P.]
1.1.3Graphic Features
1.1.3.1Phonological Interpretation
For a lack of syllabic renditions, the phonological interpretation of this word remains unclear. Since the logograms MAGNUS (sign *363) and URCEUS (*345) otherwise usually represent HLuw. /ura(/i)-/ ‘great’ and HLuw. /muKa-/ ‘jug’ respectively, it may be hypothesised that the underlying word could be a combination of the two, possibly with further derivation.
The sign MAGNUS is consistently placed above other signs it belongs with, and its relative placement therefore does not necessarily have any bearing on the order of the words; cf. the discussions below.
[AH.B.]
1.1.4Meaning
Even though it is attested only once, the meaning of this word can be deemed certain. It was elucidated already by Hrozný 1933a:382 incl. n. 2 based on the logograms used and the context; his interpretation found immediate acceptance among other scholars, cf. e.g. Meriggi 1957c:226 and Laroche 1960c:183. The symbol for URCEUS is very pictographic and easy to understand, not least because the combination with MAGNUS renders it a perfect image of Hittite GAL.GEŠTIN ‘Chief Cub-bearer’ (cf. Meriggi 1975a:284). The SUVASA inscr. B reads: sax+ra/i-ia-sa (DEUS)SARMA-ma-sa6 ARMA.REX SACERDOS-sa6 wa/i4-su-SARMA-ma-sa MAGNUS.REX-sa7-´ HEROS-sa4 PRAE-na MAGNUS.URCEUS-sa6, approx. /Sariyas Sarrumas(sa) warpallawis …-lis Wasusarmas(sa) hantawatturis hastalis parran …-s/, meaning ‘Sariya, priest of the warlord Sarruma, Chief Cup-bearer before Great King Wasusarma, the hero’ (cf. Hawkins 2000a:462).
[AH.B.]
1.1.5Stem
Since the word can be assumed to refer to an animate entity, it can be hypothesised to be a common gender. If it should represent a compound of the type MAGNUS.REX, i.e. /hantawattura-/ ‘Great King’, it may be hypothesised to have a shape such as /muKa-…-ura(/i)-/ (cf. Yakubovich 2017a:41f.), likely with at least one intervening suffix like /-alla/i-/ vel sim. However, only syllabically spelt evidence can verify this.
[AH.B.]