Indo-Aryan words in Hurrian

[Hans Henrich Hock]

Further complications arise from the fact that interpretations of
putative Indo-Iranian words/names in the Middle East start from the
assumption that Iranian origin can be excluded if the words in
question lack specific Iranian developments (such as s > h).
However, this assumption is valid only if we can be sure that these
developments *must* have taken place before the attestations of these
words.  In this regard, note that Elamite renditions of Persian words
suggest that the change s > h postdates Persian-Elamite contact.  As
I see it, the only word that could be argued to be unambiguously
Indo-Aryan is the aika- of Kikkuli--unless both aika- and aiwa-
coexisted in an as yet underdifferentiated Indo-Iranian.  In this
regard note Skt. eva 'alone, only, etc.' which suggests that both
aika- and aiwa- survived into Indo-Aryan and that they must therefore
have been a common property of Indo-Iranian as well.

Here as elsewhere it is, I believe, desirable to apply much stricter
criteria of evidence than have been traditionally applied, lest we
continue arguing about issues that cannot be meaningfully resolved on
the basis of the known evidence.

Best wishes,

Hans Henrich Hock


>This post shows how the issue of the Aryan rulers in Mittani has created
>misconceptions everywhere. Aryan names cannot tell us anything certain
>about ethnicity. In the Nuzi texts, there are more Kassite names than IA
>names, but it is commonly thought that these "Kassites" were sons of
>Hurrian fathers and Kassite mothers.
>
>I, too, would be interested in Carruba's conclusions. The publication
>mentioned below is at the moment unavailable here. As for Varuna, this name
>does not appear to be found anywhere in Hurrian texts. But there is an
>Aruna, written a-ru-u2-na, apparently a Hittite or Anatolian version of
>Hurrian Kiya$e, "Ocean", a Hurrian goddess and a very common female name
>element in Hurrian texts. Aruna was a woman, living in the eastern part of
>Mittani, Arrapha. In the Akkadian text where she is mentioned, there are
>many names, all Hurrian except Burnazini (Kassite). There are also some
>Akkadianized Hurrian legal terms. Aruna's name should not be connected to
>Varuna, which in itself is a problematic name. I believe there is no
>certain IE etymology?
>
>By the way, Kiya$e is written Kiyaze in eastern Hurrian texts, which proves
>that intervocalic -$- was voiced, so if Kikkuli was a Hurrian, wa$anna
>should perhaps be read fadhanna, where dh represents a voiced th as in
>English "this", not an aspirated dh.
>
>Best wishes,
>Bjarte Kaldhol,
>Oslo
>
>----------
>>  From: Venkatraman Iyer <venkatraman_iyer at HOTMAIL.COM>
>>  To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
>>  Subject: AW: Indo-Aryan words in Hurrian
>>  Date: 14. november 2000 14:27
>>
>>  <<<
>>
>>  I call attention to the last publication concerning this problem: O.
>>  Carruba: Zur Überlieferung einiger Namen und >Appellativa der Arier
>>  von Mitanni- a Luwian look" in: Indoarisch, Iranisch und die
>>  Indogermanistik ed. by B. Forssman and R. Plath, Reichert Verlag
>>  Wiesbaden 2000, p. 51-68. Best wishes Schlerath, Berlin
>>
>>  >>>
>>
>>  Can a list member tell us about this learned article?
>>
>>  Did VaruNa and other IA gods exist in Hurrian?
>>  a) yes or b) no or c) cannot be said definitively.
>>
>>  It appears there are problems with very feeble data,
>>  and hypotheses only will make powerful Aryan rulers there.
>>
>>  Regards,
>>  V. Iyer
>>
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--

Hans Henrich Hock, Director
Program in South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
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