x-tiya-

Hapax in a Luwian ritual (MS).

[Zs.S.]

abl.-instr.

x-ti-ia-ti

KUB 35.103 ii 17’

(CTH 766, MS)

Attestation following CLL:174. Many commentators consider the first sign illegible (Starke 1985b:222; EDHIL:484; Francia 2014a:11), but CLL:174 suggests (with question mark) that it is a broken pa, duly noting that “reading not entirely assured”. In fact the hand copy and the photographs show only the top of a vertical wedge as well as the end of two vertical wedges below it. Thus the sign can not only be pa (note that this sign can be read as ḫad/t too), but several others as well, see for instance Carruba 1982a:49, who suggested “wi^?” here (although assuming a completely disappeared sign), which formally could also work, if he meant wi₅.

[Zs.S.]

While most of the glossaries do not book this word, probably due to its illegible first sign (Tischler 2008a, Tischler 2016a; Ünal 2016a); Carruba 1982a:49 entertains a meaning ‘water’ or ‘watery’ based on his reading “[wi^?]-ti-ja-ti” and CLL:174 suggests a meaning ‘of the foot’ (with question mark), based on his reading as [p]atiya- (he does not mention the idea of Carruba). EDHIL:484 and Francia 2014a:11 do not translate the term and do not refer either to Carruba or Melchert. Although Melchert’s reading is formally possible (as per above), the suggested meaning does not fit the context, a purification act, which requires a substance that can be sprinkled or its qualifying adjective (KUB 35.103 ii 15’-18’, Starke 1985b:222):

“[a]nniš=ku=wa=ti parnanza maddū[wati] [p]apparkuwatti tātiš=pa=wa=ti(y)=a[ta] x-tiyati pušuriya[ti] [p]appašatti”

‘The mother cleans the house with wine(-vinegar), and the father sprinkles it with x-tiya- (and) pušuriya-.’

Although Carruba’s suggestion would fit semantically, this is not the only possible liquid and there is no independent evidence for this meaning. Note that Carruba calls attention to the thematically parallel passages of lines 8’-10’, but the substances involved are not identical and thus they cannot be identified, as Carruba did with x-tiya- and ]wiriya- (Starke 1985b:222):

“[anniš=k]u=wa=ti parnanza dūnati [pappar]kuwatti tātiš=pa=wa=ta [   ] [   ]wiriyati pašūriyati [   ]”

‘[The mother] [cle]ans the house with urine(?), and the father [ ] with ]wiriya - (and) pašūriya-.’

[Zs.S.]