LÚnar[(-)

Although otherwise frequently attested in Hittite texts, this Sumerogram appears only once with gloss marker in a LNS ritual fragment.

[A.B.]

?

LÚnar[(-)

KBo 55.88 obv. i 3´

(CTH 470, LNS)

The attestation follows HEG U–Z:611 (under the lemma zaḫi-, not yet listed with attestation in other dictionaries), cf. Starke 1986a:161, Starke 1990a:479, n. 1752 and Zorman 2016a:598, referring to Starke 1990a.

The transliteration has been checked against the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv. The hand copy and literature indicate line 2’ for the attestation but note that on the photo there are traces of signs above line 1’, hence one should rather indicate line 3’ for LÚnar[(-).

[A.B.]

The Sumerogram LÚ/MUNUSnar without gloss marker is frequently attested in Hittite festival texts and can denote a male or female professional term for a musician, cf. HEG A–K:577f., HED K:182, Tischler 2008a:276 (cf. Tischler 2016a:164, 536), and Ünal 2007a:343f., 475 (cf. Ünal 2016a:369).

The LÚ/MUNUSnar sing and recite in different languages, including Hattian, Luwian, and Hurrian, and play a variety of stringed or percussion instruments; they also act as priests in rituals (see Schuol 2004a:98, 163–172 and Ambos 2006–2008a:502f. for more detailed information on this profession).

The context of KBo 55.88 shows the following (the transliteration is based on the photo of the Mainzer Fotoarchiv, and additionally the hand copy and the transliteration of Starke 1990a:479, n. 1752 have been taken into account):

(2’)[... -]an kar-a[p- ...] (3’)GIŠra-in LÚnar[(-) ...] (4’)mu-za-ma ḫar-ra-an-za p[a?- ...] (5’)ku-it-ki ú-da-aš [...]

(2’)[...]take the […] (3’)the GIŠra-in, the musician[…] (4’)but the year(ly crop? is) crushed / spoiled […] (5’)anything you(sg.) brought here […].

The end of the form LÚnar[(-) is damaged, and it is unclear whether the Sumerogram was complemented. Basically, the only real evidence for the meaning of this Glossenkeilwort is the already mentioned Sumerogram LÚ/MUNUSnar. In this context, LÚnar[(-) is preceded by another Sumerographic Glossenkeilwort, possibly a musical instrument (see under the lemma GIŠra-in). The remainder of the text is very fragmentary.

[A.B.]

The Sumerographic form LÚnar[(-) appears with gloss marker in this text, which could point to a foreign (e.g. Luwian) origin (cf. Starke 1990a:478f., n. 1752 and Weeden 2011b:1f. although it does not necessarily account for it (cf. Schwartz 1938a:75, 78 and Melchert 2005a:445). The form was also not (yet) included in CLL or in the general overviews of Luwianisms by Melchert 2005a or van den Hout 2007a.

Usually, LÚ/MUNUSnar is assumed to be the Sumerographic rendering of Hitt. kinirtalla-/kinartalla- (cf. HEG A–K:577f., HED K:182, Tischler 2008a:87, Tischler 2016a:536, Ünal 2007a: 343f., 475 and Ünal 2016a:369 as well as Schuol 2004a:98,163–172 and Ambos 2006–2008a:502f.), because in the lexical list KBo 1.52 obv. 15–16 LÚnar is identified with kinirtalla-/kinartalla- through back referencing with the particle -pát (cf. Alp 1950-1951a:132, n.103; Güterbock 1952a:35). If the Sumerogram refers to kinirtalla-/kinartalla- here as well, it represents a Hittite word. The suffix -(a)t(t)alla- forms agent nouns (cf. Hoffner & Melchert 2008a:57) like kinirtalla-/kinartalla-. According to Oettinger 1986b:45–47, the suffix -talla- goes back to a false analysis of Luwian loanwords in -alla/i-alli- that had previously been derived from Luwian -t-stems, and its use later expanded as a Hittite suffix typically used for technical terms (cf. Hoffner & Melchert 2008a:62). The base lexeme *kinir-/*kinar- is generally assumed to be a borrowing from the Semitic languages, cf. Akkadian kinnāru- ‘lyre’ (cf. CAD K:387), HEG A–K:577f., HED K:182 with refs.).

On the basis of the other attestations of the Sumerogram LÚ/MUNUSnar, the underlying word is probably kinirtalla-/kinartalla- (or a similar form). But it is unknown if the broken part directly after LÚnar[(-) included some complementation (like the preceding Sumerogram GIŠra-in) that could have indicated a different underlying word (of foreign origin?). Hence it remains open whether LÚnar[(-) refers to a Hittite or a foreign word.

[A.B.]