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Mariona Vernet

Universitat de Barcelona, Filologia Llatina (Àrea de Lingüística Indoeuropea), Post-Doc

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Papers by Mariona Vernet

The ‘Ahuranis’, the Aramaic nymphs of the Letoon trilingual: an epigraphic and etymological study of a Median loanword in Aramaic

Gods and Cults in Anatolia from Hittite Times uo to the Roman Period, 2025

This article explores the theonym that appears in the Letoon trilingual (N320) in reference to th... more This article explores the theonym that appears in the Letoon trilingual (N320) in reference to the nymphs, divinities associated with the waters. In the Lycian and Greek versions, this theonym appears explicitly as Eliyãna and Νύμφαι, respective-ly, but the canonical edition of the Aramaic version differs in that it offers the read-ing ˀḥwrn /ˀaḥôrîn/ ‘the others (gods)’. In the following paper, I focus on the Ara-maic version and the reading of this term based on a reading by Humbach from 1981 that seems to have passed under the radar but that, in my opinion, deserves a fresh look and analysis. My approach will be primarily epigraphic and linguistic.

Who was ArKKazuma? Some considerations that point to a Carian origin of this divinity

News from the lands of the Hittites, 2023

The purpose of this paper is to focus on a linguistic and etymological analysis of the theonym Ar... more The purpose of this paper is to focus on a linguistic and etymological analysis of the theonym ArKKazuma, an unknown deity name documented only in the Letoon trilingual. First, I will comment on the differences of this theonym in the three versions of the trilingual from a philological and
linguistic point of view, and I will present arguments that clearly support a Carian origin of this divinity. I will then focus on the Aramaic version, since the name translated in Aramaic differs considerably from that documented in Lycian and Greek. Finally, taking the Aramaic name as a starting point, a possible etymological explanation of ArKKazuma from a compound theonym (Ar+KKazuma) possibly of Carian origin will be presented.

The theonym ‘King of Kaunos’ revisited: a comparative analysis from epigraphic sources

Barcino. Monographica Orientalia 22 – Series Anatolica et Indogermanica 4, 2023

format_quoteThe inscription of Cos indicates a sanctuary founded by order of the god 'Basileus of Kaunos', dated to the late 4th century BC.format_quote

Some Terms for the Funerary Monuments of Lycia in the Classical Period: ñtipa*

Barcino. Monographica Orientalia 22 – Series Anatolica et Indogermanica 4 (, 2023

In this article we offer a new translation of Lycian funerary term ñtipa based on archaeological ... more

format_quoteTranslating ñtipa as 'additional' supports the notion of a complex tomb structure, expanding the understanding of burial practices.format_quote

Wurzeldeterminative und -erweiterungen im Semitischen. Ein typologischer Vergleich mit den Phänomenen im Indogermanischen

Historische Sprachforschung 131, 2021

The aim of this article is to define the Proto-Semitic and Proto-Indo-European verbal root from a... more The aim of this article is to define the Proto-Semitic and Proto-Indo-European verbal root from a historical perspective based upon the testimony of ancient Semitic and Indo-European languages in order to better understand the process of the root extension and to determine the differences and agreements in both families of languages. In regard to the biconsonantal verbal roots in Semitic we will focus our attention on the root extensions as old suffixes and prefixes. We will analyze reduplication and gemination of the verbal roots as an extension process in Semitic. All these phenomena will be typologically compared with those of Indo-European.

The Letoon Trilingual revisited: some notes on the ‘King of Kaunos’

Barcino. Monographica Orientalia 17 – Series Anatolica e t Indogermanica 2, 2021

This paper will focus on the Letoon trilingual, in particular on the main the-onym documented the... more This paper will focus on the Letoon trilingual, in particular on the main the-onym documented there, the ‘King of Kaunos’. First, I carry out a philological analysis of this god name in the Lycian, Greek and Aramaic versions (§2). Second, I centre on the Aramaic inscription in order to offer a fuller analysis of this theonym, taking into account the correspondences of the place name ‘Kaunos’ and the gentilic ‘Kaunian’ in the epichoric languages (Carian and Lycian) as a basis for further study. Then (§3), I give a new morphological explanation for the sequence in Aramaic KNDWṢ ˀLHˀ KBYDŠY /Kandawats ˀelâhâ Kbidšay/ ‘Kandawats, the god of Kaunos’: in my view, the word KBYDŠY /Kbidšay/ should be analysed as a recharacterization of the Carian place name of ‘Kaunos’ in genitive singular followed by the Aramaic gentilic suffix in -Y. Finally (§4), I compare this Aramaic sequence with some parallel passages found in the Greek inscriptions from Cos and Kaunos, which record ‘Βασιλέως Καύνου τοῦ θεοῦ’ (‘the King of Kaunos, the god’) and ‘Βασιλέως τοῦ θεοῦ’ (‘the King, the god’).

"The theonyms ‘Leto, Artemis and Ḥšatrapati’ in the Letoon Trilingual: a parallelism with a passage from the Xanthos Stele"

Barcino. Monographica Orientalia 16, 2021

The purpose of this paper is to offer an analysis of a sequence of three divine names (Leto, Arte... more The purpose of this paper is to offer an analysis of a sequence of three divine names (Leto, Artemis and Ḥšatrapati’) attested at the end of the Aramaic inscription which is rendered differently in the case of the Lycian and Greek versions of the Trilingual. In the Aramaic text, the theonym Ḥšatrapati is particularly striking because what one would expect instead of it, according to Lycian and Greek passages, is the name for Apollo. In order to explain and understand these differences, I will show a parallelism with a Lycian passage of the Xanthos Stele (TL44c) which is very similar and, in my view, could have inspired the Aramaic scribe when choosing the divine name Ḥšatrapati (‘Lord of Power’), a hapax legomenon of Iranian origin.

format_quoteThe Letoon Trilingual mentions gods with no archaeological evidence, indicating the establishment of new cults in ancient Lycia.format_quote

The etymology of Goliath in the light of Carian pn Wljat/Wliat: a new proposal

Traditionally, for almost a century, scholars have interpreted the name of the famous giant Golia... more Traditionally, for almost a century, scholars have interpreted the name of the famous giant Goliath as being Philistine, and also of non-Semitic origin. The communis opinio suggested that it could be related to Alyattes, the name given by Herodotus to the Lydian king who ruled 619–560 BCE. Besides this etymology, there have been other suggestions, but these are far from clear. However, although the etymology of Alyattes has been the most quoted and best-known proposal for Goliath, it seems that scholars have not given enough attention to the validity of this etymology.
The aim of this paper is both to review this traditional etymology and to propose a new one for Goliath in the light of Carian PN Wljat/Wliat.

Lycian Zemure ‘Limyra’ and the Aramaic inscription from Limyra: a new reading

[The Aramaic inscription from Limyra constitutes a precious exception among the inscriptions from... more [The Aramaic inscription from Limyra constitutes a precious exception among the inscriptions from Lycia. It is the only Aramaic inscription from Limyra, the only funerary Aramaic inscription from Lycia, and one of the few Aramaic inscriptions from Asia Minor. This inscription, which together with a Greek inscription constitutes a peculiar bilingual, has been partially damaged and, since its first publications by Fellows (1840) and Kalinka (1901), scholars have proposed different readings. With the exception of Kalinka and Hanson, no other scholar examined the inscription personally. It is my purpose to provide a new reading of it, based on a direct analysis of the inscription, by assuming that the sequence that precedes the break, which I reconstruct as zym[wr..., could be the Lycian place name of Limyra, Zẽmure-, in Aramaic. This paper will also reconstruct the Greek inscription on the basis of the new Aramaic reading. Lastly, I will explain the peculiar characteristics of its syntax in the light of a possible epichoric influence.]

$Fig. 5, 6 and 7: a minute fragment of the letter preceding the lacuna (fig. 5: Kalinka Edition; figs. 6 and 7: photos by M. Vernet) Regarding the three changes proposed by Lipinski, as well as the readings carried out by Kalinka and Donner-RGllig, for the moment, I would like to make the following observations: a) the r from “hr proposed by Lipinski is possible, but not one hundred per cent reliable, since it could be equally interpreted as d (which is the reading offered by Kalinka and Donner-Rdllig). Moreover, this observation is verified by the fact that a) this sign is very similar to the letter d seen in the words *stwdnh and ’bd from the same inscription, which are certain, yet, at the same time, b) this sign is very similar to the r that appears in the words *rtym, br and ’rzpy, which also offer a certain reading. Consequently, it should be concluded, for the moment, that both words, *hd and ‘hr, are equally possible. I i:\,.nnmnv ¢refe |... TOC 379 ..®.... 4.2 2. ...% ....g~.2 ©... 2. 2.20 2... gp 2 2 Dia... 214.22 2.2... 4.2. 2.2.2.2. O.3414 ....%*... yt. A Kalinka, as I have mentioned, interpreted this sign as a d (in md/ynt’ ‘city’) of uncertain reading (with a dot on the top). Donner-R6llig preferred not to reconstruct it, although he comments on the possibility of reconstructing an n. Lipinski considered including this sign, which he interprets as *, as forming part of the reconstructed part of the inscription. In my opinion, it could certainly be interpreted as a d, as Kalinka did, as an n, as proposed by Donner-Rollig, or as a “as did Lipinski, but also as w, r and b, because all these signs share the characteristic of having a vertical stroke on the right side of the letter, and this vertical stroke is always immediately next to$

The Lycian ḫi-conjugation revisited. Arbeitstagung der Iindogermanischen Gesellschaft (Marburg, 21.-23. September 2015), Hand-out

Present Hittite Palaic Cun. luv.

format_quoteThe Luwian forms of ube-'grant' show notable similarities to Lycian, indicating a shared conjugational heritage.format_quote

The Lycian PN Artimas and Arteimas: a new proposal for an Iranian and epichoric etymology

Glotta. Zeitschrift für griechische und lateinische Sprache 92, 280-294, 2016

1 The origin of PN Artimas and Arteimas has been disputed among scholars since the first attempts... more 1 The origin of PN Artimas and Arteimas has been disputed among scholars since the first attempts to find an etymology at the end of 19 th century. Initially, Artimas was considered to be an Iranian loanword (from the OIran. PN *R̥ tima-). However, at the same time, some scholars defended the position that Artimas was presumably constructed on the basis of the Greek-epichoric GN Ἄρτεμις/Ertemi. Moreover, Artimas and Arteimas have been analysed together by some scholars as being two variations of the same PN. The discussion remains open. The purpose of this article is to throw some light on the problem by assuming that Artimas and Arteimas would not be variants of the same PN, but on the contrary, would have had different etymologies, with one being Iranian, and the other, epichoric. This explanation will be made in the light of the correspondence between the Aram. PN ˀrtym 'Artimas' and the Aram. GN ˀrtmwš 'Artemis', as well as between the Lyd. PN Artimas 'Artimas' and the GN Artimuś 'Artemis', and taking into account all the sources, places, frequencies, antiquity and languages where both PNs occur.

Die Präsenz der Karer in Philistia und Kanaan: neue Untersuchungen. Handout 12th Mainz International Colloquium on Ancient Hebrew (MICAH). 2015

Im siebenten Jahr sandte Jojada hin und nahm die Hauptleute über hundert von "Cari" und der Garde... more Im siebenten Jahr sandte Jojada hin und nahm die Hauptleute über hundert von "Cari" und der Garde und ließ sie zu sich ins Haus des Herrn kommen und schloß einen Bund mit ihnen und nahm einen Eid von ihnen im Hause des Herrn und zeigte ihnen den Sohn des Königs. §1.b 2 Kön 11: 19 (Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Ed. Alt 1997 5 )): ָ֣ ‫ב‬ ‫מִ‬ ‫ְךַ֙‬ ‫לֶ‬ ַ֙ ‫מֶ‬ ‫ת-הַ‬ ‫אֶ‬ ‫ידּו‬ ַּ֤ ִ ‫ֹר‬ ‫י‬ ‫וַ‬ ‫ץ‬ ֶ ‫ר‬ ֗ ‫אָּׁ‬ ‫הָּׁ‬ ‫ָ֣ם‬ ַ ‫ל-ע‬ ‫כָּׁ‬ ‫ת|‬ ָ֣ ‫א‬ ‫וְּׁ‬ ‫ים‬ ָ֜ ‫צִ‬ ָּׁ ‫ר‬ ‫ת-הָּׁ‬ ‫אֶ‬ ‫וְּׁ‬ ‫י‬ ַ֙ ִ ‫ר‬ ‫כָּׁ‬ ‫ת-הַ‬ ‫אֶ‬ ‫וְּׁ‬ ‫אֹות‬ ‫מ‬ ַ֠ ‫הַ‬ ‫י‬ ָ֣ ‫ר‬ ָּׁ ‫ת-ש‬ ‫אֶ‬ ‫ח‬ ָ֣ ַ ‫ק‬ ‫יִ‬ ‫וַ‬ ‫ה‬ ִ֔ ‫הוָּׁ‬ ‫יְּׁ‬ ‫ית‬ ‫ר‬ ‫עַ‬ ֵ֥ ַ ‫ך-ש‬ ֶ ‫ר‬ ֶּֽ ֶ ‫ד‬ ‫ֹואּו‬ ‫יָּׁבָ֛‬ ‫וַ‬ ‫ים׃‬ ֶּֽ ִ ‫כ‬ ‫לָּׁ‬ ‫מְּׁ‬ ‫הַ‬ ‫א‬ ֵ֥ ‫ס‬ ‫ל-כִ‬ ‫עַ‬ ‫ב‬ ֶ ‫ָ֖ש‬ ‫י‬ ‫וַ‬ ‫ְך‬ ‫לֶ‬ ָ֑ ֶ ‫מ‬ ‫הַ‬ ‫ָ֣ית‬ ‫ב‬ ‫ים‬ ָ֖ ִ ‫צ‬ ָּׁ ‫ר‬ ‫הָּׁ‬ Und nahm die Hauptleute über hundert und die "Cari" und die Garde und alles Volk des Landes, und sie führten den König hinab vom Hause des Herrn und kamen durchs Tor der Garde zum Hause des Königs. Und er setzte sich auf den königlichen Thron. §1.c Luthers Übersetzung 2 Kön 11: 4 LUT: Im siebenten Jahr aber sandte Jojada hin und nahm die Hauptleute über hundert von der Garde und der Leibwache und ließ sie zu sich ins Haus des Herrn kommen und schloß einen Bund mit ihnen und nahm einen Eid von ihnen im Hause des Herrn und zeigte ihnen den Sohn des Königs.

The Lycian hi-conjugation revisited

100 Jahre Entzifferung des Hethitischen Morphosyntaktische Kategorien in Sprachgeschichte und Forschung. Akten der Arbeitstagung der Indogermanischen Gesellschaft vom 21. bis 23. September 2015 in Marburg, 2018

The origin of the name Sepharad: a new interpretation (2014)

Since the period of roman antiquity, Spanish Jews gave the name Sepharad to the iberian peninsula.

format_quoteDiscovery of the Sardis Synagogue during archaeological excavations highlights Jewish historical significance in Asia Minor, confirming ancient presence.format_quote

Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Semitic root incompatibilities: a new typological approach

Babel und Bibel 9 Proceedings of the 6th Biennial Meeting of the International Association for Comparative Semitics and Other Studies Edited by L. Kogan et alii, 2016

On the loanwords in old Assyrian texts from Cappadocia. IX Intern. Hitt. Congress Çorum (Hand-out)

format_quote'pirikānum' represents a local Anatolian textile, not an Assyrian import, indicating regional production practices.format_quote

“La inscripción aramea de Limyra analizada a través del licio Zemure ‘Limyra’: una nueva lectura e interpretación”.

by Mariona Vernet and Eulalia Vernet i Pons

In: Orientalística en tiempos de crisis: Actas del VI Congreso Nacional del Centro de Estudios del Próximo Oriente. A. Bernabé and J.A. Álvarez-Pedrosa (eds.). Madird: Libros Pórtico, p. 331-343, 2015

The Aramaic inscription from Limyra constitutes a precious exception among the inscriptions from ... more The Aramaic inscription from Limyra constitutes a precious exception among the inscriptions from Lycia. It is the only Aramaic inscription from Limyra, the only funerary Aramaic inscription from Lycia, and one of the few Aramaic inscriptions from Asia Minor. This inscription, which together with a Greek inscription constitutes a peculiar bilingual inscription, has been partially damaged and, since its first publications by Fellows (1840) and Kalinka (1901), scholars have proposed different readings. With the exception of Kalinka and Hanson, no other scholar examined the inscription personally. It is my purpose to provide a new reading of it, based on a direct analysis of the inscription, by assuming that the sequence that precedes the break, which I reconstruct as zym[wr..., could be the Lycian place name of Limyra, Zẽmure-, in Aramaic. This paper will also reconstruct the Greek inscription on the basis of the new Aramaic reading. Lastly, I will analyse the Aramaic lexicon used in the inscription and I will explain the peculiar characteristics of its syntax in the light of a possible epichoric influence. This article will show photographs of the Aramaic inscription for the first time.

Punish h.w? 'lebe!' (<PS *h.yy- 'leben, lebendig sein'), Lateinische (h)aueo 'eine Begrüssung bekommen': Etymologie und Geschichte des einizigen semitischen Lehnwortes der 2. lat. Konjugation (with Eulalia Vernet) 2010

Gr. ballo 'I throw', OIr. a-t:baill 'he/she dies', Lat. ualleo 'to die': some considerations on the reconstruction of the PIE. verbal root *gwelh1- 'to pass away, to die; to throw"

Full-grade Latin *eh 1 -statives of PIE. verbal roots: considerations on their pre-PIE. denominative origin

Glotta, 2012