Overview

One feature of Minoan-Hurrian appears to corresponds specifically with the evidence from Nippur, where Hurrian personal names are attested with the theophorous element irmi / ermi as a variant of erwi at Nuzi and ewri / ibri 'Lord' and 'king' in the Tusratta letter and elsewhere, cf. Ir-me/mi-ta-at-ta and Ir-me-ta-ta at Nippur (Clay PNCP, 93), to be read Erme/i-tatta, i.e. *Erwi-tatta, according to P.M. Purves (NPN, 263). But Linear A erwi also occurs. Several personal names with the element e-mi / i-mi are attested in Linear A. They can be identified with ermi / irmi, since according to Linear A and B orthographic conventions -r- preceding -m- is not expressed in consonant clusters. Linear A wa-du-ni-mi (HT 6b.1; HT 85b.4-5) at Hagia Triada can be analysed as an Old Hurrian indicative sentence name wad=u=n-irmi or wand=u=n-irmi 'The Lord has made him/her (the child) good, just'. Linear A i-mi-sa-ra (HT 27+HT 48a.3), Hurrian *Irmi/Ermi-sarra, can be analysed as Irmi/Ermi-sarr(=i)=a, 'The Lord is like the King of Gods'. Linear A ja-re-mi (HT 87.3) from Hagia Triada, second sequence in a list of 7 personal names, can be analysed as i=ar-/ij=ar-Ermi 'Make (the child) good, oh Lord !'. It can be compared with the Hurrian name ia-ru-ḫé-pa, analysed as i=ar/ij=ar=u-ḫé-pa 'Ḫebat made (the child) good' or 'Make (the child) good, oh Ḫebat !'. The Linear A inscription te-we-mi (↓) (PS Zf 1), read from top to bottom, among the repoussé designs on a bronze tablet from the Dictaean Cave of Psykhro (Chapter 11: 'Religious' Linear A inscriptions) can be analysed as tew-ermi, 'speak, oh Lord !', consisting of ti-/te- / tiw-/tew- 'to speak, say words' + ermi = erwi/ewri 'Lord'. The imperative 'speak, oh Lord !' may well reflect the prayer pronounced by the dancing worshipper portrayed on the bronze tablet. Linear A -e-mi/-i-mi = Hurrian ermi / irmi is the form in which the Mycenaean Greeks inherited the theonym Ἑρμῆς (form with intervocalic -h-), cf. Linear B e-ma-a2 a-re-ja (PY Tn 316 r. 7), singular dative Ἑρμάᾁ Ἀρείᾳ 'for Ἑρμάἁς Ἀρείᾱς', 'for Hermes the Martial'. The intervocalic -h- of Mycenaean Greek moved to the front of the name. The etymology of Hermes is 'Lord'.

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Reviews

Jacques Raison (Paris) wrote a review in the REVUE DES ÉTUDES GRECQUES, Tome XCVII, Nos 460-461, 1984, p. 87: ""Du même auteur (Peter G. van Soesbergen, BICS 28, 1981, p. 163, résume une conférence du 28-5-80 sur le même sujet 'The historical significance of onomastic data from Linear A and B texts' (texte complet fourni sur demande par la revue). .... Sans pousser jusqu'à l'hiéroglyphique, trop mal connu, Van Soesbergen, entre autres preuves, remonte aux origines du linéaire A, dont les traits 'agglutinants' et les caractéristiques orthographiques du syllabaire (inférées de celles du syllabaire B, son héritier), lui paraissent avoir été concues pour une langue comme celle du Mitanni. Rapprochement de mots du linéaire A et hourrites (assez intéressant, quand ils sont suffisamment longs); essai, finalement, point tellement loin d'une esquisse de déchiffrement partiel. Sous la même signature, bref retour, mais ferme, sur les traits 'hourrites' du linéaire A dans 'Progress in Linear A research', communication au congrès EIRENE de septembre-octobre 1982, à Prague (à paraître dans les actes de cette réunion). En préambule, résumé des acquis antérieurs concernant l'écriture évoquée: il est retenu, comme assuré, un peu de chacun et annoncé un livre sur ""The onomastics of the 'Minoan Linear A' and 'Linear B' documents and their historical significance"", ainsi qu'un ""Corpus of transliterated Linear A texts"".

Jacques Raison (Paris) wrote a review in the REVUE DES ETUDES GRECQUES, Tome XCVII, Nos 460-461, 1984, p. 87: Du meme auteur (Peter G. van Soesbergen, BICS 28, 1981, p. 163, resume une conference du 28-5-80 sur le meme sujet 'The historical significance of onomastic data from Linear A and B texts' (texte complet fourni sur demande par la revue). .... Sans pousser jusqu'a l'hieroglyphique, trop mal connu, Van Soesbergen, entre autres preuves, remonte aux origines du lineaire A, dont les traits 'agglutinants' et les caracteristiques orthographiques du syllabaire (inferees de celles du syllabaire B, son heritier), lui paraissent avoir ete concues pour une langue comme celle du Mitanni. Rapprochement de mots du lineaire A et hourrites (assez interessant, quand ils sont suffisamment longs); essai, finalement, point tellement loin d'une esquisse de dechiffrement partiel. Sous la meme signature, bref retour, mais ferme, sur les traits 'hourrites' du lineaire A dans 'Progress in Linear A research', communication au congres EIRENE de septembre-octobre 1982, a Prague (a paraitre dans les actes de cette reunion). En preambule, resume des acquis anterieurs concernant l'ecriture evoquee: il est retenu, comme assure, un peu de chacun et annonce un livre sur The onomastics of the 'Minoan Linear A' and 'Linear B' documents and their historical significance , ainsi qu'un Corpus of transliterated Linear A texts .

Author Information

Peter G. van Soesbergen (born in Amsterdam, 7th February 1945) studied Classics at the University of Amsterdam (Doctoral Examination cum laude). He pursued research on The archaeological context of Minoan Linear A for ""The Netherlands Organization for Pure Research"" (report of 400 pp.), published several articles and gave papers at international colloquia and congresses (Heraklion, Bucharest, Sheffield, Nottingham, Prague, Rome, Naples), a Mycenaean Seminar on ""The historical significance of onomastic data from Linear A and B texts"" (Institute of Classical Studies, University of London) and special papers on Linear A at Cambridge and Groningen. He pursued research as a Leverhulme European Visiting Fellow and Independent Research Worker at the University of Sheffield, where he received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) on the thesis ""The onomastics of the 'Minoan Linear A' and 'Linear B' documents and their historical significance"". He taught Greek, Latin, Ancient History, Archaeology, Mycenology and Andrological examination. After his retirement he is still pursuing research.

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