šarištros(i)-

This noun is attested three times, twice in a poetic dedicatory inscription (LW 11), and once in a fragmentary poetic inscription of uncertain content (LW 80). Both inscriptions were found in Sardis. The first one can be dated only loosely to the 6^th-4^th century BCE, while the second one can be dated more precisely to the 4^th century BCE.

[I.Y.]

Since Vetter 1959a:53, the syntactic parallelism between šarištrosλ and sfarda(ν)=k artimuλ in LW 11.7,9 was taken as an argument for šarištros(i)- referring to a deity. To this one can add the parallelism between šarištrosλ and astrkoλ ‘to the Lady (?)’ in LW 11.1 (Schürr 2003b:118). Nevertheless, the morphological structure of the stem šar-iš-tros(i)-, which cannot be formally separated from da-tros(i)- (Carruba 1959a:333 n. 26) suggests that we are dealing with a divine epithet rather than a personal name. Note that šarištrosλ and datrosiš apparently occur in the same sentence in LW 11.7-8. The verbal root tro-^(d) ‘to hand over’, presumably contained in both forms, conjures up the image of šarištros(i)- as a supreme dispenser of goods. Unfortunately, the available Lydian texts give us no clue regarding the identity of the deity that is hidden behind this epithet.

[I.Y.]

The available forms would be formally conducive to positing a consonantal stem šarištros-, but the presence of such stems among the Lydian common gender nouns is hardly expected. In addition, the inherited šarištros- would probably have merged the final stem consonant with the nominative ending. Therefore, it seems reasonable to posit the stem šarištros(i)- on the model of datros(i)-. Under such an analysis, nom. sg. šarištross would represent a result of a late syncope. The stem šar-iš-tros(i)- presumably contains the prefixes šar- and iš-. While the prefix iš- is abundantly attested as such, including the derived verb iš-tro-, šar- seems to be present in Lydian also as a root morpheme; cf. šaroka- ‘patronage’ and šarẽta- ‘patron’. The etymological meaning of šar- as a local adverb referring to the upward location can be established only by comparison with the other Anatolian languages.

[I.Y.]

For the lemma head see Lyd. tro-^(d).