III. THE LANGUAGE OF THE SARMATIANS
3. The Sarmatian Dialects of the North Pontic Region
8.
The Old Iranian group of phonemes *-gr- developed also along
two different lines. 1. -gr-, 2. -rg-.
Old Iranian *-gr- > -gr-.
'tribe
beside the Maeotis' Strabo, XI 2, 11, 
Appianus, Mithr. 88: < Old Iranian *agra- ~ Avestan
aγra-
'der erste, oberste'. Semantically, this tribal name corresponds exactly
to the people's name 
(Strabo XI 9, 3) < Old Iranian *parvya- 'der erste'.
Old Iranian *-gr- > -rg-.
Gorgippia,
Latyshev, IOSPE IV, 435: see above: < Old Iranian *aspa-ugra-.
Panticapaeum,
Latyshev, IOSPE IV, 366, Tanais, Latyshev, IOSPE II, 443:
this name, hitherto unexplained, may be also regarded as an equivalent
of Old Iranian *ugra- 'stark, kräftig'.
Olbia, Latyshev,
IOSPE I, 64: after the preceding two names this one can be solved almost
automatically. 
< Old Iranian *ugra-, 
~ Avestan bāzu-
'Arm': thus the whole name corresponds to an Old Iranian compound *ugra-bāzu-
'strong-armed', i. e. a bahuvrīhi-type
of compound.
| Additional Notes
To p. 93. After examining the passage in App. Mithr. 88, it seems
to me quite certain that the To p. 93. The correct interpretation of the name |
[Previous] [Next]
[Back to Index]