Re: Urartu.

Often personal names with -(a)sp(a)- are of Iranian origin from
*aspa- 'horse' as in Višt-aspa-, Arjat-aspa- or Aspar. Thracian
asp 'horse' is of the same origin. The first element can be compared
to Indo-Iranian *tau-, *tu- 'to increase in size; great, mighty' as
in many Indic compounds with tuvi- such as tuvimaghá- 'having great
riches' or in Iranic Thussagetai 'the great Sakas' like Massagetai
with similiar meaning. It is also seen with the suffix -kha- in the
Digoron tuxæ 'strength'. I don't know if the ancient Persian name
Teaspes is related. I have read that the Cimmerians may have been
steppe Iranians or at least have had an Iranian ruling class.
-Davud

--- In cybalist@..., "Joseph S Crary" <pva@...> wrote:
>
> Assarhaddon provides a single Cimmerian personal name,
> Teuspa, possibly a high chief. Teuspa or Teu-spa is
> possibly similar to the Greek Teuhw-or proto-celt
> Teuga- meaning axe and the root word spa meaning a
> scyth's stroke.
>
> Teuhw-spa
> Teuga-spadh
>
> Teu may also be derived from the root word found in
> Teutates a Celt deity often associated with the war
> gods Aries/Mars.
>
> If so Teu-spa may mean something like the war god Teu's
> scyth stroke or Teu smites
>
> The Scythians were driven west by the Massagetae.
> Herodotus indicates the Massagetae inhabited the
> region southern Volga Basin northwest and west of the
> Caspian: Hdt. 1.201, Hdt. 1.204-208, Hdt. 1.211-214.
>
> Its clear that when Herodotus states the Scyths were
> driven over the Araxen river he's referring to the
> Volga. Hdt.1.202.4 to de hen tôn stomatôn tou Araxeô
> rheei dia katharou es tên Kaspiên thalassan.
>
> Rendered
> However, from it's start to mouth though out the Araxeô
> flows unsoiled into the Kaspiên sea.
>
> Turen is the river that the main body crossed
> when they departed Kimmeria. Turen or Tyran was a
> Greek colonial city on the west bank of the Dniester
> near Belgorod-Dnestrovskii. It is mentioned by several
> ancient sources and was established in the 6th
> century. B.C., was destroyed by the Getae in the
> mid 1st century but recovered to be destroyed around
> 240 A.D. The Greeks called the Dniester, Tytan after
> the colony. Thus, Herodotus says indirectly that
> after a period of civil war that the main body of
> the Kimmeri moved west over the Dniester into
> Eastern Europe as a smaller group retreated
> southeast and south into Asia Minor. By this
> Herodotus indicates the western boundary of Kimmeria
> was the Dniester.
>
> The Russian rivers Dnieper and Dniester
> (earlier Danapris and Danastius, respectively)
> Reconstructable as Danu apara and Danu ast
> Danu similar to Danu a proto-celt deity often
> associated with riverine settings and pastoralism
> apara similar to proto-celt abron Greek aparo Old
> Irish iar meaning After
>
> ast similar to Old Irish arsid meaning Before
>
> The Dnieper and Dniester river names have been
> linked to the Scythian and an Indo-Iranian language.
> However, I suggest that these terms may be more
> closely associated with the so-called Kimmeri
> culture and a pro-Celt or proto p-Celt/I Euro
> language group instead. They may represent the
> pre-eight century eastern (Dnieper) and western
> (Deniester) boundaries of Greater Kimmeria?
> The perceived Indo-Iranian aspect may just be
> an overlay?
>
> I know the use of proto p-Celt/I Euro may appear
> out of place, but I know of no other descriptive
> term for a late Bronze Age east-west differentiation
> of proto-I Euro languages. The geographic scope and
> diversity-scale of cultural assimilation of this
> language group alone demands such a conceptualization.
> Maybe it should be called east proto-I Euro and west
> proto-I Euro instead of proto-Celt and proto
> p-Celt/I Euro.
>
>
>
>
> JS Crary