xawale-

This lexeme is found in the inscription of the inscribed pillar of Xanthos dated contextually to shortly after the ascension of Artaxerxes II in 405-404 BCE and stylistically to around 400 BCE (Borchhardt & Eichner 1997-1999a:19f.).

[D.S.]

acc. pl.

xawales

TL 44b.17 (Xanthos)

The word xawales occurs in military context. Unfortunately, the passage is fragmentary, which hinders a verification of any semantic assignment. Savelsberg 1878a:216 equates it with the Greek ethnicon Kabaleus, the inhabitants of Kabalia, which is possible but not provable. Gehrisch 2018a:69, 71 assumes an etymological connection with Lyc. xawa- ‘sheep’ (likewise Schürr 2019a:563), in which the l-extension would have a collective function and thus translates xawales as ‘sheep (pl.)’. However, this idea is not supported by the Lycian morphology and leaves the common gender e-stem unaccounted for.

[D.S.]

Morphologically speaking, it can be taken as a formation in -e- c., derived from a non-attested agent noun in -ala- c. (for which see Sasseville 2014-2015a). The agent noun may be built on the noun xawa- ‘sheep’, which would yield *xawala- c. with the meaning ‘shepherds’ (vel sim.). However, the formation in -e- c. remains unclear (on the derivational properties and origin of the Lycian non-mutating suffix -e- c. see 7951[10630]Sasseville 2021a:206-208, 213f.). Furthermore, the etymological connection with the word for ‘sheep’, though attractive, cannot be proven at this point.

[D.S.]