> My own search shows that I may indeed have been wrong about the
> non-attestation of *h2ans- 'loop, handle' in Celtic. However, the
only
> example I've been able to dig out is *ansi- 'rein(s)'. Nothing to
do
> with cauldrons.
>
a-ni-ja "rein(s)" Mycenan Greek
he:nìa id. Homeric Greek
he:níai id. Greek
e:(i)si pl. "reins" Old Irish
a:nsa "handle" Latin
æ:s f. id. Old Norse
na:syam "bridle passed though the nose" Sanskrit
I think I saw somewhere an image of a situla being carried by straps
(or harness). The last gloss would be a good semantic transition.
Perhaps, like small pots have ears, big pots had noses. Some situlas
have duck-spouts.
Torsten