etymology of mani

[Bjarte Kaldhol]

Dear listmembers,

I will later discuss maNi and its possible Dravidian etymology, and add one
more problematic word: pingarannu, which denotes the colour of a horse
(Skr. pingala- ?). These words should now be discussed in their proper
context, without the "Aryan superiority" ideology.

The trade word maninnu is probably an Akkadian borrowing from Hurrian,
since it is used primarily in Hurro-Akkadian texts from towns in Mittani
(Wa$$ukkanni, Alalah, Qatna). It is translated "a type of necklace" in A
Concise Dictionary of Akkadian. I quote from William L. Moran, THE AMARNA
LETTERS, Baltimore and London, 1992, p. 73, an inventory of gifts from
Tu$ratta to the Egyptian king (dated to the fourteenth century BC): "...
one maninnu-necklace, of seal shaped stones of lapis lazuli, 13 per string,
mounted on gold... one maninnu-necklace, cut: 38 genuine lapis lazuli
stones 38 (pieces of) gold leaf; the centerpiece a genuine hulalu-stone
mounted on gold..." etc. There are more than twenty such necklaces, all
pointing to trade with Afghanistan, either directly or indirectly. Almost
all these possibly IA appellatives relate to trade, exchange of women to
establish trade links, and to "gifts" (magannu), that is, exchange of
commodities. If there were direct trade links between Mittani and
Afghanistan or India, which is very likely, since this trade is known from
the fourth millennium onwards, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that
Hurrians might have intermarried with chieftains in Afghanistan to
establish reliable trade links.

An interesting article will be found at:

http://www.mediasense.com/athena/Urkesh.htm

Best wishes,
Bjarte Kaldhol

----------
> From: Dr Y. Vassilkov <iiasguest10 at RULLET.LEIDENUNIV.NL>
> To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
> Subject: Re: etymology of mani
> Date: 9. november 2000 22:12
>
> Dear Dr. Kaldhol,
> possibility of reflection in Near Eastern records of the Indic *mani* is
> very interesting. But could not you tell us is the word maninnu "used in
the
> Akkadian El Amarna letter 25 to describe different necklaces inlaid with
> lapis lazuli" Akkadian or Hurrian (as you say in your last posting). Or
is
> it Akkadian borrowing from the Hurrian (with Hurrian -nnu)? And what is
the
> dating of this letter?
> Best regards,
>
> Yaroslav Vassilkov
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Bjarte Kaldhol" <bjartekal at AH.TELIA.NO>
> To: <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
> Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2000 8:36 PM
> Subject: etymology of mani
>
>
> > Dear listmembers,
> >
> > If mani, "jewel" etc., is a non-IE, indigenous Indian word, why and how
> was
> > it accepted into Hurrian? Is there a reasonable etymology? Is the word
> > known in Dravidian languages and what does it mean in these languages?
> >
> >
> > Best wishes,
> > Bjarte Kaldhol