šadmẽ-

This lexeme is attested several times on stone inscriptions found in various locations in Sardis as well as the lower valley of Kaystros, but also on a seal of uncertain provenance. The Sardian inscriptions are roughly datable to the to the 5^th or 4^th century BCE., the seal inscription may have been produced in late 6^th or early 5^th century BCE, the inscription from the Koloe region dates back to the mid-fourth century BCE.

[I.Y.]

The restorations are certain, except perhaps for the one in LW 26.4

[I.Y.]

The noun šadmẽ- frequently occurs at the beginning of inscriptions (LW 26, LW 70), accompanied by the demonstrative pronoun ‘this’, thus pointing out either to the inscriptions themselves or to the inscribed objects. The earlier attempts to assign a meaning to this noun yielded ‘relief’ (Brandenstein 1929a:272) and ‘tomb’ (Vetter 1959a:190). They can be considered fully superseded, since šadmẽ- is also used to describe objects other than stelae or tombs. Considerably more plausible was the tentative translation ‘inscription’ (Gusmani 1964a:189f.), which strove to provide a common denominator for all the occurrences of šadmẽ- known at the time. Later, however, the inscribed seal LW 74 came to light, where šadmẽ- must refer to the seal as a whole, rather than the inscription alone.  This prompted Gusmani to revise his suggestion, suggesting the basic meaning that was similar to Gk. σῆμα ‘sign, relief, tomb’ (Gusmani 1980a:87, Heubeck 1983a:65f., Dusinberre 2003a:231, neglected by Melchert 2004b:141 ‘injunction, instruction, bidding’). I would rather suggest that the likely common denominator of ‘inscription’ and ‘seal’ is ‘impression’, with an implication that the Lydians we also using flexible materials, such as the waxed wooded boards, for writing purposes. This is conducive to the derivation of the noun in question from the Anatolian root meaning ‘to press’, from which the Hittite and Luwian words for ‘seal’ are also derived (thus also Sasseville 2018c:130 n. 4).

[I.Y.]

For the lemma head, see Lyd. ši-.