Re: [tied] EteoCypriot

In a message dated 24/08/01 20:16:46 GMT Daylight Time,
glengordon01@... writes:

The Eteocypriot version is given on this site as:

   Ana matori umiesaimukulailasana arisitonose
   aratovanakasokoose kerakeretulosetakanaku (?)
   no (?) soli alo kailipolo.

which is a little different from what you give:

I am going by Cyrus H. Gordon's "Evidence for the Minoan language". Ventnor,
1966, and I have attached a bitmap of the inscription from his book.

He argues that the inscription is in a language related to Phoenician, and
translates it as "The Amathus-Mukul community, for this Ariston (son of) this
Artowanax - yea this City-of-X, erected (?) this over him as a memorial
monument". I can supply further details of the parallels he uses in the
translation if desired.

It did strike me that the feel of the EteoCypriot inscription was slightly
different from the EteoCretan texts also given in the book, but which he
claims is closely related. He points out that the Greeks referred to the
inhabitants of Cyprus as Phoenicians, but what would they know? As I am in no
position to pick holes in his Semitic, I just accepted it. As you can see
there are bits in scriptio continua which he has split up as he felt suited
his theory.

Hmm. Well, at any rate, some of the words look Rhaetic and some
look Lemnian or Etruscan. This is what I get out of it so far:

   This city(?) was dedicated by Muku [to] the people
   Ana matori umie-sai       muku-lai    lasana

   of Aristona, of Aristonaktos [and] of the Eupatrides
   Arisitono-se, Aratowanakasokoo-se   Kerakeretulo-se

   ?                    gave ?
   takana[----]soto/-li alo kailipoti/-lo.

I have no clue who or what Muku is :)

There is a bit of a problem with your ECy. /alo/ = Etr. /al-/ in that the
archaic Etruscan is /ali-/. I know the idea that Hurrian might have anything
to do with anything is quite anathema to you, but /ana/ ?= Hur. /anni/
"this", /umi-/ ?= Hur. /umi-/ "land" and /ailas-/ ?= Hur. /alaSiya/ "Cyprus".
I haven't a clue about anything else, but I thought /alaSiya/ was interesting
as any toponyms are not otherwise obvious in the EteoCypriot text. The only
potential Etruscan parallels I can see are /ana/ ?= Etr. /an/ "this",
/matori/ ?= Etr. /matar/ "urns", and /kail-/ ?= Etr. /cela/ "tomb".

Ed. Robertson