/sukkalla-/, (LIGNUM)su-ka-la-

This lexeme is found in the inscription of EĞRİKÖY of unknown date.

[D.S.]

The phrase tara/i-wa/i-ni-i-sa SERVUS-la/i-sa ‘servant of the ruler’ stands in apposition to the word (“LIGNUM”)su-ka-la-sa, which makes the interpretation of a title for the latter very likely. Bossert 1960b:11 suggests a loanword and refers to Sumerian SUKKAL, Akkadian sukkallu and Hurrian šukkalli all meaning ‘vizier’; cf. Hawkins 2000a:496, Giusfredi 2010b:132f. The logogram LIGNUM (L.382) ‘wood(en) object’ has been interpreted as symbolizing a staff or a scepter, which can be used to determine a title (Bossert ibid. 13, Hawkins ibid.). This brings further evidence for the semantics of HLuw. /sukkalla-/ and for the association with the Mesopotamian title.

[D.S.]

Although there is consensus regarding the etymology of the lexeme /sukkalla-/, it is not certain how exactly it made its way into Iron Age Luwian. In other words, it is left open, from which language Luwian borrowed it. Hawkins 2000a:496 assumes that the lexeme was borrowed into the Hittite spoken language as well and refers to the sumerogram ^LÚSUKKAL occurring in Hittite texts. This allows the possibility that it made its way into Luwian via Hittite. Alternatively, it may have been borrowed directly from Akkadian sukkallu or intermediately from Hurrian šukkalli. Giusfredi 2010b:133 leaves the question open. The fact that HLuw. /sukkalla-/ is an a-stem should not affect the discussion regarding exactly which language transmitted it to Luwian, because it is very probable that Luwian speakers reinterpreted this loanword as an agent noun in /-alla-/, even if it was an i- or u-stem in origin. On Luwian agent nouns in /-alla-/ see Sasseville 2014-2015a.

[D.S.]