--- In cybalist@..., "Piotr Gasiorowski" <gpiotr@...> wrote:
>
> A possible PIE derivation is from *k^onk- 'hang', an item we have
> just discussed (without mentioning shells): *k^onk-h2-o-s 'bangle,
> hanging ornament' > 'sea-shell, conch'. To be sure, its limited
> geographical distribution is problematic; on the other hand, if it's
> an eastern loanword, it must be a very old one, and the borrowing
> trajectory remains to be explained (the Greek word, with its initial
> k-, can't have been taken directly from Indo-Aryan).
>
> Piotr
>
Evidently, Greek konkhos is not a PIE word. In the early
Iron age it must have entered Greece from India via the Oriental
contacts. Like domestic chicken.
In the last mail, I've given the explanation from
Dravidian Tamil examples of koGku meaning 'curve, bend, ...'
and, Dravidian seem to give birth to both Skt. zaGkha and
Gr. konkhos.
Triton myth complex along with gorgon-perseus also points in that
direction.
It'll be interesting to see if Indian sacred chanks are
exported to Greece in BCE centuries archaeologically, and
also checking Greek records of imports from India will help
to ascertain of conches are also exported for example,
peacock feathers, pearls from S. India find a mention.
Regards,
N. Ganesan