fbpx
Wikipedia

Indo-Aryan superstrate in Mitanni

May 04, 2023

Some loanwords in the variant of the Hurrian language spoken in the Mitanni kingdom, during the 2nd millennium BCE, are identifiable as originating in an Indo-Aryan language; these are considered to constitute an Indo-Aryan superstrate in Mitanni (or in Mitanni Hurrian). The words in question are theonyms, proper names and technical terminology related to horses (hippological).[1]

It is generally believed that a militarily powerful, nomadic Indo-Aryan elite, known as the Maryannu, settled in Mitanni, and came to politically dominate the indigenous population, while also adopting the Hurrian language. Such a phenomenon might be considered to form a part of the Indo-Aryan expansion.

Linguistic context

Professor Eva von Dassow concurs with the presence of Indo-Aryan terms in Mitanni vocabulary, but cautiously advises against the notion of an "Indo-Aryan takeover".[2] Michael Witzel argues for the antiquity of the Indo-Aryan words attested in the Mitanni data, since they seem to predate linguistic developments attested in the Rigveda.[3]

In a treaty between the Hittites and Mitanni (between Suppiluliuma and Shattiwaza, c. 1380 BC), the deities Mitra, Varuna, Indra, and Nasatya (Ashvins) are invoked. Kikkuli's horse training text (circa 1400 BC) includes technical terms such as aika (Vedic Sanskrit eka, one), tera (tri, three), panza (pañca, five), satta (sapta, seven), na (nava, nine), vartana (vartana, round). The numeral aika "one" is of particular importance because it places the superstrate in the vicinity of Indo-Aryan proper (Vedic Sanskrit eka, with regular contraction of /ai/ to [eː]) as opposed to Indo-Iranian or early Iranian (which has *aiva; compare Vedic eva "only") in general.[4]

Another text has babru(-nnu) (babhru, brown), parita(-nnu) (palita, grey), and pinkara(-nnu) (pingala, red) for horse colours. Their chief festival was the celebration of the solstice (vishuva) which was common in most cultures in the ancient world.

The Mitanni warriors were called marya (Hurrian: maria-nnu), the term for '(young) warrior' in Sanskrit as well,[5] formed by adding the Hurrian suffix -nnu;[6] note 'mišta-nnu' (= miẓḍha,~ Sanskrit mīḍha) "payment (for catching a fugitive)".[7]

Sanskritic interpretations of Mitanni names render Artashumara (artaššumara) as Arta-smara "who thinks of Arta/Ṛta",[8] Biridashva (biridašṷa, biriiašṷa) as Prītāśva "whose horse is dear",[9] Priyamazda (priiamazda) as Priyamedha "whose wisdom is dear",[10][11] Citrarata as Citraratha "whose chariot is shining", [12] Indaruda/Endaruta as Indrota "helped by Indra",[13] Shativaza (šattiṷaza) as Sātivāja "winning the race prize",[14] Šubandu as Subandhu "having good relatives" (a name in Palestine[15]), Tushratta (tṷišeratta, tušratta, etc.) as *tṷaišaratha, Vedic Tveṣaratha "whose chariot is vehement". [16]

Attested words and comparisons

All of the following examples are from Witzel (2001).[17] For the pronunciation of the sounds transcribed from cuneiform as š and z, see Proto-Semitic language#Fricatives.

Names of people

Transcription of cuneiform Interpretation Vedic equivalent Comments
bi-ir-ya-ma-aš-da Priyamazdha Priyamedha "whose wisdom is dear"; /azd(ʰ)/ to [eːd(ʰ)] is a regular development in Vedic and its descendants (Indo-Aryan in the narrow sense)
bi-ir-ya-aš-šu-wa, bi-ir-da-aš-šu-wa Priyāśva ~ Prītāśva Prītāśva "whose horse is dear"
ar-ta-aš-šu-ma-ra Artasmara Ṛtasmara "who thinks of Arta/Ṛta"
ar-ta-ta-a-ma Artadhāma(n?) Ṛtadhāman "his abode is Ṛta"
tu-uš-rat-ta, tu-iš-e-rat-ta, tu-uš-e-rat-ta Tvaiša(?)ratha Tveṣáratha "whose chariot is vehement"
in-tar-ú-da, en-dar-ú-ta Indrauta Indrota "helped by Indra"; /au/ to [oː] is a regular development in Vedic; ú specifically indicates [u] as opposed to [o]

Names of deities

From treaties of Mitanni.

Transcription of cuneiform Interpretation Vedic equivalent Comments
a-ru-na, ú-ru-wa-na Varuna Varuṇa
mi-it-ra Mitra Mitra
in-tar, in-da-ra Indra Indra
na-ša-ti-ya-an-na Nasatya(-nna) Nāsatya Hurrian grammatical ending -nna
a-ak-ni-iš Āgnis Agni only attested in Hittite, which retains nominative -/s/ and lengthens stressed syllables

Horse training

From Kikkuli.

Transcription of cuneiform Interpretation Vedic equivalent Comments
a-aš-šu-uš-ša-an-ni āśva-san-ni? aśva-sana- "master horse trainer" (Kikkuli himself)
-aš-šu-wa -aśva aśva "horse"; in personal names
a-i-ka- aika- eka "1"
ti-e-ra- tera- ? tri "3"
pa-an-za- pańća- ? pañca "5"; Vedic c is not an affricate,[citation needed] but apparently its Mitanni equivalent was
ša-at-ta satta sapta "7"; /pt/ to /tː/ is either an innovation in Mitanni or a misinterpretation by a scribe who had Hurrian šinti "7" in mind
na-a-[w]a- nāva- nava "9"
wa-ar-ta-an-na vartan(n)a vartana round, turn

See also

References

  1. ^ Kümmel 2022, p. 246.
  2. ^ Dassow 2014, pp. 12–14.
  3. ^ Witzel 2001, pp. 5 and footnote nr. 8, 36, 49, 53–55.
  4. ^ Fournet 2010, pp. 26–40.
  5. ^ Mayrhofer 1998, p. 293.
  6. ^ Dassow 2014, p. 27.
  7. ^ Mayrhofer 1998, Entry “mīḍha”. p. 358.
  8. ^ Mayrhofer 1998, Entry “SMAR”. p. 780.
  9. ^ Mayrhofer 1998, p. 182.
  10. ^ Mayrhofer 1998, Entry “priyá-”. p. 189.
  11. ^ Mayrhofer 1998, Entry “medhắ-”. p. 378.
  12. ^ Mayrhofer 1992, p. 553.
  13. ^ Mayrhofer 1992, pp. 134.
  14. ^ Mayrhofer 1998, pp. 540, 696.
  15. ^ Mayrhofer 1998, pp. 209, 735.
  16. ^ Mayrhofer 1992, pp. 686, 736.
  17. ^ Witzel 2001, pp. 1–115.
Sources
  • Dassow, Eva von (2014). "Levantine Polities under Mittanian Hegemony". In Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum; Nicole Brisch & Jesper Eidem (eds.). Constituent, Confederate, and Conquered Space: The Emergence of the Mittani State. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. pp. 11–32. doi:10.1515/9783110266412.11. ISBN 9783110266412.
  • Fournet, Arnaud (2010). "About the Mitanni Aryan gods". Journal of Indo-European Studies. 38 (1–2): 26–40.
  • Kümmel, Martin Joachim (2022). "Indo-Iranian". In Thomas Olander (ed.). The Indo-European Language Family: A Phylogenetic Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 246–268. doi:10.1017/9781108758666.014. ISBN 9781108758666.
  • Mallory, J. P (1997). "Kuro-Araxes Culture". Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture. Chicago–London: Fitzroy Dearborn.
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred (1982). "Welches Material aus dem Indo-arischen von Mitanni verbleibt für eine selektive Darstellung?". In E. Neu (ed.). Investigationes philologicae et comparativae: Gedenkschrift für Heinz Kronasser (in German). Wiesbaden: O. Harrassowitz. pp. 72–90.
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992). Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan] (in German). Vol. I. Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag. ISBN 3-533-03826-2.
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred (1998). Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen (in German). Vol. II. Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag.
  • Mayrhofer, Manfred (2001). Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen (in German). Vol. III. Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag.
  • Thieme, Paul (1960). "The 'Aryan' Gods of the Mitanni Treaties". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 80 (4): 301–17. doi:10.2307/595878. JSTOR 595878.
  • Witzel, Michael (2001). "Autochthonous Aryans? The evidence from Old Indian and Iranian texts". Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies. 7 (3): 1–93. doi:10.11588/ejvs.2001.3.830.

Further reading

  • Campos Méndez, Israel (2021). "El primer testimonio mitraico" [The First Mithraic Testimony]. In Roberto Rodríguez (ed.). Sociedades antiguas del Creciente Fertil: territorios, memorias e identidades culturales (in Spanish). Vol. 3, book 1. Buenos Aires: Remitente Patagonia. pp. 23–50. ISBN 978-987-8464-15-2.
  • Dassow, Eva von (2022). "Mittani and Its Empire". In Karen Radner; Nadine Moeller & D. T. Potts (eds.). The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East. Vol. III: From the Hyksos to the Late Second Millennium BC, Oxford University Press. pp. 475–479. ISBN 9780190687601.
  • García Ramón, José Luis (2017) [2015]. "Old Indo-Aryan Lexicon in the Ancient Near East: Proto-Indo-European, Anatolian and Core Indo-European". Atti del Sodalizio Glottologico Milanese. X: 17–33. doi:10.13130/1972-9901/10277.
  • Gentile, Simone (2019). "Indo-Iranian personal names in Mitanni: A source for cultural reconstruction". Onoma. 54: 137–159. doi:10.34158/ONOMA.54/2019/8. S2CID 239241967.
  • Lahe, Jaan; Sazonov, Vladimir (2019). "Mitra esmamainimine Hetiidi kuninga Šuppiluliuma I ja Mitanni kuninga Šattiwaza lepingus? Lühiuurimus indoiraani usundiloost" [First mention of Mitra in the treaty between the Hittite king Šuppiluliuma I and the Mittannian ruler Šattiwaza? A short study into the Indo-Iranian religion]. Mäetagused. Hüperajakiri. 73: 5–14. doi:10.7592/MT2019.73.lahe_sazonov. S2CID 188199063.
  • Parpola, Asko (2015). The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization. Oxford University Press. pp. 83–91. ISBN 9780190226923.

May 04, 2023
indo, aryan, superstrate, mitanni, this, article, technical, most, readers, understand, please, help, improve, make, understandable, experts, without, removing, technical, details, april, 2020, learn, when, remove, this, template, message, some, loanwords, var. This article may be too technical for most readers to understand Please help improve it to make it understandable to non experts without removing the technical details April 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Some loanwords in the variant of the Hurrian language spoken in the Mitanni kingdom during the 2nd millennium BCE are identifiable as originating in an Indo Aryan language these are considered to constitute an Indo Aryan superstrate in Mitanni or in Mitanni Hurrian The words in question are theonyms proper names and technical terminology related to horses hippological 1 It is generally believed that a militarily powerful nomadic Indo Aryan elite known as the Maryannu settled in Mitanni and came to politically dominate the indigenous population while also adopting the Hurrian language Such a phenomenon might be considered to form a part of the Indo Aryan expansion Contents 1 Linguistic context 2 Attested words and comparisons 2 1 Names of people 2 2 Names of deities 2 3 Horse training 3 See also 4 References 5 Further readingLinguistic contextProfessor Eva von Dassow concurs with the presence of Indo Aryan terms in Mitanni vocabulary but cautiously advises against the notion of an Indo Aryan takeover 2 Michael Witzel argues for the antiquity of the Indo Aryan words attested in the Mitanni data since they seem to predate linguistic developments attested in the Rigveda 3 In a treaty between the Hittites and Mitanni between Suppiluliuma and Shattiwaza c 1380 BC the deities Mitra Varuna Indra and Nasatya Ashvins are invoked Kikkuli s horse training text circa 1400 BC includes technical terms such as aika Vedic Sanskrit eka one tera tri three panza panca five satta sapta seven na nava nine vartana vartana round The numeral aika one is of particular importance because it places the superstrate in the vicinity of Indo Aryan proper Vedic Sanskrit eka with regular contraction of ai to eː as opposed to Indo Iranian or early Iranian which has aiva compare Vedic eva only in general 4 Another text has babru nnu babhru brown parita nnu palita grey and pinkara nnu pingala red for horse colours Their chief festival was the celebration of the solstice vishuva which was common in most cultures in the ancient world The Mitanni warriors were called marya Hurrian maria nnu the term for young warrior in Sanskrit as well 5 formed by adding the Hurrian suffix nnu 6 note mista nnu miẓḍha Sanskrit miḍha payment for catching a fugitive 7 Sanskritic interpretations of Mitanni names render Artashumara artassumara as Arta smara who thinks of Arta Ṛta 8 Biridashva biridasṷa biriiasṷa as Pritasva whose horse is dear 9 Priyamazda priiamazda as Priyamedha whose wisdom is dear 10 11 Citrarata as Citraratha whose chariot is shining 12 Indaruda Endaruta as Indrota helped by Indra 13 Shativaza sattiṷaza as Sativaja winning the race prize 14 Subandu as Subandhu having good relatives a name in Palestine 15 Tushratta tṷiseratta tusratta etc as tṷaisaratha Vedic Tveṣaratha whose chariot is vehement 16 Attested words and comparisonsAll of the following examples are from Witzel 2001 17 For the pronunciation of the sounds transcribed from cuneiform as s and z see Proto Semitic language Fricatives Names of people Transcription of cuneiform Interpretation Vedic equivalent Commentsbi ir ya ma as da Priyamazdha Priyamedha whose wisdom is dear azd ʰ to eːd ʰ is a regular development in Vedic and its descendants Indo Aryan in the narrow sense bi ir ya as su wa bi ir da as su wa Priyasva Pritasva Pritasva whose horse is dear ar ta as su ma ra Artasmara Ṛtasmara who thinks of Arta Ṛta ar ta ta a ma Artadhama n Ṛtadhaman his abode is Ṛta tu us rat ta tu is e rat ta tu us e rat ta Tvaisa ratha Tveṣaratha whose chariot is vehement in tar u da en dar u ta Indrauta Indrota helped by Indra au to oː is a regular development in Vedic u specifically indicates u as opposed to o Names of deities From treaties of Mitanni Transcription of cuneiform Interpretation Vedic equivalent Commentsa ru na u ru wa na Varuna Varuṇami it ra Mitra Mitrain tar in da ra Indra Indrana sa ti ya an na Nasatya nna Nasatya Hurrian grammatical ending nnaa ak ni is Agnis Agni only attested in Hittite which retains nominative s and lengthens stressed syllablesHorse training From Kikkuli Transcription of cuneiform Interpretation Vedic equivalent Commentsa as su us sa an ni asva san ni asva sana master horse trainer Kikkuli himself as su wa asva asva horse in personal namesa i ka aika eka 1 ti e ra tera tri 3 pa an za panca panca 5 Vedic c is not an affricate citation needed but apparently its Mitanni equivalent wassa at ta satta sapta 7 pt to tː is either an innovation in Mitanni or a misinterpretation by a scribe who had Hurrian sinti 7 in mindna a w a nava nava 9 wa ar ta an na vartan n a vartana round turnSee alsoKikkuli Sindoi Substratum in Vedic Sanskrit Mitanni Gutian languageReferences Kummel 2022 p 246 Dassow 2014 pp 12 14 Witzel 2001 pp 5 and footnote nr 8 36 49 53 55 Fournet 2010 pp 26 40 Mayrhofer 1998 p 293 Dassow 2014 p 27 Mayrhofer 1998 Entry miḍha p 358 Mayrhofer 1998 Entry SMAR p 780 Mayrhofer 1998 p 182 Mayrhofer 1998 Entry priya p 189 Mayrhofer 1998 Entry medhắ p 378 Mayrhofer 1992 p 553 Mayrhofer 1992 pp 134 Mayrhofer 1998 pp 540 696 Mayrhofer 1998 pp 209 735 Mayrhofer 1992 pp 686 736 Witzel 2001 pp 1 115 SourcesDassow Eva von 2014 Levantine Polities under Mittanian Hegemony In Eva Cancik Kirschbaum Nicole Brisch amp Jesper Eidem eds Constituent Confederate and Conquered Space The Emergence of the Mittani State Berlin Boston De Gruyter pp 11 32 doi 10 1515 9783110266412 11 ISBN 9783110266412 Fournet Arnaud 2010 About the Mitanni Aryan gods Journal of Indo European Studies 38 1 2 26 40 Kummel Martin Joachim 2022 Indo Iranian In Thomas Olander ed The Indo European Language Family A Phylogenetic Perspective Cambridge Cambridge University Press pp 246 268 doi 10 1017 9781108758666 014 ISBN 9781108758666 Mallory J P 1997 Kuro Araxes Culture Encyclopedia of Indo European Culture Chicago London Fitzroy Dearborn Mayrhofer Manfred 1982 Welches Material aus dem Indo arischen von Mitanni verbleibt fur eine selektive Darstellung In E Neu ed Investigationes philologicae et comparativae Gedenkschrift fur Heinz Kronasser in German Wiesbaden O Harrassowitz pp 72 90 Mayrhofer Manfred 1992 Etymologisches Worterbuch des Altindoarischen Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo Aryan in German Vol I Heidelberg Carl Winter Universitatsverlag ISBN 3 533 03826 2 Mayrhofer Manfred 1998 Etymologisches Worterbuch des Altindoarischen in German Vol II Heidelberg Carl Winter Universitatsverlag Mayrhofer Manfred 2001 Etymologisches Worterbuch des Altindoarischen in German Vol III Heidelberg Carl Winter Universitatsverlag Thieme Paul 1960 The Aryan Gods of the Mitanni Treaties Journal of the American Oriental Society 80 4 301 17 doi 10 2307 595878 JSTOR 595878 Witzel Michael 2001 Autochthonous Aryans The evidence from Old Indian and Iranian texts Electronic Journal of Vedic Studies 7 3 1 93 doi 10 11588 ejvs 2001 3 830 Further readingCampos Mendez Israel 2021 El primer testimonio mitraico The First Mithraic Testimony In Roberto Rodriguez ed Sociedades antiguas del Creciente Fertil territorios memorias e identidades culturales in Spanish Vol 3 book 1 Buenos Aires Remitente Patagonia pp 23 50 ISBN 978 987 8464 15 2 Dassow Eva von 2022 Mittani and Its Empire In Karen Radner Nadine Moeller amp D T Potts eds The Oxford History of the Ancient Near East Vol III From the Hyksos to the Late Second Millennium BC Oxford University Press pp 475 479 ISBN 9780190687601 Garcia Ramon Jose Luis 2017 2015 Old Indo Aryan Lexicon in the Ancient Near East Proto Indo European Anatolian and Core Indo European Atti del Sodalizio Glottologico Milanese X 17 33 doi 10 13130 1972 9901 10277 Gentile Simone 2019 Indo Iranian personal names in Mitanni A source for cultural reconstruction Onoma 54 137 159 doi 10 34158 ONOMA 54 2019 8 S2CID 239241967 Lahe Jaan Sazonov Vladimir 2019 Mitra esmamainimine Hetiidi kuninga Suppiluliuma I ja Mitanni kuninga Sattiwaza lepingus Luhiuurimus indoiraani usundiloost First mention of Mitra in the treaty between the Hittite king Suppiluliuma I and the Mittannian ruler Sattiwaza A short study into the Indo Iranian religion Maetagused Huperajakiri 73 5 14 doi 10 7592 MT2019 73 lahe sazonov S2CID 188199063 Parpola Asko 2015 The Roots of Hinduism The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization Oxford University Press pp 83 91 ISBN 9780190226923 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Indo Aryan superstrate in Mitanni amp oldid 1150040357, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.