Re: Urartu.

Good post, thanks.

PIE *teu is found in Avestan as tevishi, Sanskrit as tuvi, Hittite as
dassas, Lydian as tavs'a, Carian as tavse, all of which mean 'strong,
powerful, mighty' etc. It also seems found in Hittite tuzzi and
Lycian tuta, 'army'. It seems to me to be the root of the centum
*Tues war-gods as well as (plausibly?) Gaulish teuto, Illyrian teuta,
Lith. tauta, Gaelic tuath, Goth thiuda, OHG diota, 'nation, people'.

But, by your suggestion, Teuspa and its cognates mean 'mighty steed',
which does not seem an improbable name in a culture that highly
valued war horses. This meaning does not, however, seem congruent
with the Hurro-Hittite storm-god Teshub. Storm gods normally had
chariots pulled by anything BUT horses.

cas

--- In cybalist@..., liberty@... wrote:
> 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