Macedonian Inscriptions

[TheNikoWhiteIch]

Whatever the spoken Macedonian language was is another matter entirely. From my understanding of it (correct me if I'm wrong), much of the Greek epigraphy that has been discovered in the region of Macedonia (as I defined it in the 1st post) is in Doric, Attic, and Koine. There probably were some peculiarities that would cause standard Greek grammar rules to be broken (numbers written backwards, misspellings of the most basic words), but from the looks of it these inscriptions are understandable to those who know Greek...or can use Google Translate lol. Now, I did find a list of attested Macedonian words that were found in epigraphy. These are:

ἄγημα ágēma = 'vanguard, guards' ( 4 times only in Macedon ~ 200 BC ).
ἀρχικερδέμπορος archikerdemporos = president of guild of merchants (hapax).
Βλουρεῖτις Bloureitis = epithet of Artemis. (Skydra 106 AD, hapax).
Δάῤῥων Darrhôn = god of healing.
ἐδέατρος edeatros also archedeatros = 'taster'; (3 inscriptions, all related to late Ptolemies).
ἑταῖροι hetairoi = companion cavalry after 350 BC.
κότθυβος kotthubos = non-metallic armour. (Amphipolis - ca.200 BC, hapax).
Κυναγίδας Kynagidas = epithet of Herakles. (Attic kynegos Doric kynagos Hunter) attested in 14 inscriptions of various places in Macedonia from 4th century BC to 2nd century AD. Κυναγὼ Kynago epithet of Artemis, attested twice. (Protectors of Hunters). Oldest inscription in Beroea — ca. 350-300 BC (spelled in one inscription, Kounagidas).
κνῖμα or κνίμα knima (line 17 see trakylion below).
All of the Macedonian months, of which Dystros and Gorpiaios have no apparent etymology in Greek.
νεύω neuo = pray (Thessalian nebeuo) (Attic euchomai) (Attic neuo nod,wink). Attested as feminine past participles in Berenika's archineusasai women and Alexandra Argaiou, Kala Thea neusasa.
πελιγᾶνες peligânes = Macedonian senators
πυρόκαυσις pyrokausis ( 9 times in 2 inscriptions ~200 BC ) ( = additional draft,military recruitment per family. Each family provided one soldier.)
σάρισσα sárissa (σάρισα sarisa; attested hapax with one s in the military decree of Amphipolis.) = a long pike used by the Macedonian phalanx.
σκοῖδος skoidos = administrator, secretary, quaestor (Elimeia-late 4th-mid. 3rd c. BC).
συνοπλᾶνες synoplânes = co-fighters (2nd/3rd c.AD) (singular: συνοπλὰν synoplan or σύνοπλας synoplas) (Attic synoploi,synoplos) syn- + hoplon hoplites.
τρακύλιον trakylion = ((..the pathway between the two trakylia...rivers..mountains..)).
ὑπασπισταὶ hypaspistai ( = the ones under shield , hypo- + aspis) (wiki Hypaspists) (6 times in Macedon).
Ψευδάνωρ Pseudanôr epithet of Dionysus.

Source: here

[TheNikoWhiteIch]

Originally Posted by Amphipolis

These are not MY views and they're certainly not alternative. These are the common Greek numerals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_numerals

From the above link:
This alphabetic system operates on the additive principle in which the numeric values of the letters are added together to obtain the total. For example, 241 was represented as ΣΜΑ' (200 + 40 + 1). (It was not always the case that the numbers ran from highest to lowest: a 4th-century BC inscription at Athens placed the units to the left of the tens. This practice continued in Asia Minor well into the Roman period.[2])

Regarding the year, there were two different numberings in Macedonia at the period. The one was known as Macedonian Year starting at 148 BC, the other known as Sebaston Year starting at 31 BC.

The two inscriptions of the above posts #5 and #8 have the number of year ON them (lucky archaelogists).


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Very interesting information about the year numberings. Where can I read more about it?

[TheNikoWhiteIch]

Originally Posted by Amphipolis

Actually, it IS a number. Searching randomly in this website I found several inscriptions where numbers are written with letters in reverse order. This is another example:

Regions : Northern Greece (IG X) : Macedonia : Odomantike : Agio Pneuma

SEG 46:708
Makedonia (Odomantike) — Ag. Pneuma — 26/27 AD — AD 46 B (1991) 318-319

ἔτους δορʹ, Ὑπερβ-
ταίου γʹ· Κετριζις Μεσ-
τικένθου, εὐδαί-
μων, χαῖρε· χαῖρε καὶ σὺ παροδῖτα· Μάντα γυνή.


Thus γσ' (properly written σγ') is 203rd. (number of year, numbering starts from 148 BC)


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If you include an inscription, I ask that you add the translation too for the sake of not making this thread too long. I see what looks like the month of Ὑπερβερεταῖος (Hyperberetaios) but cut off. And maybe the word for "praise, salute (χαῖρε)?".

[Amphipolis]

Originally Posted by TheNikoWhiteIch

Very interesting information about the year numberings. Where can I read more about it?

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1...nalCode=gaat20

Abstract
As a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great, the lunisolar Macedonian calendar became the most widely circulated among all the lunisolar Greek calendars. However, despite its spread, two Roman calendars, generally unknown in the scientific community, were developed and used inside Macedonia itself during the Roman occupation of Greece. The older calendar used the so-called ‘Macedonian year’. This system started in 148 BC to emphasize the importance of the victory of the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus against Pseudo-Philippus Andriscus, King of Macedonia. The newer calendrical system, which absorbed the older system, used the ‘Augustian or respectable year’ bearing its name from Octavius Augustus; its starting point was the date of the catalytic victory of Octavius over Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra at Actium (31 BC). The solar Octavian calendar survived until the sixth or seventh century in the Macedonian Territory.

By the way, before that it was the Seleucid Era with numbering starting at 312/311 BC
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seleucid_era


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[George S.]

There are subltle dufferences of which you are oblivious and I disagree with you that its just greek.Macedonian is different to your greek.

[Amphipolis]

Originally Posted by TheNikoWhiteIch

If you include an inscription, I ask that you add the translation too for the sake of not making this thread too long. I see what looks like the month of Ὑπερβερεταῖος (Hyperberetaios) but cut off. And maybe the word for "praise, salute (χαῖρε)?".

ἔτους δορʹ, Ὑπερβ-
ταίου γʹ· Κετριζις Μεσ-
τικένθου, εὐδαί-
μων, χαῖρε· χαῖρε καὶ σὺ παροδῖτα· Μάντα γυνή.


I guess it is a tomb. It basically says:

Hyperb/teos 3rd, Year 174
Hail to blissful Ketrizis (son of) Mestikenthos
hail to you too, who is passing by
Manta (his) wife

[TheNikoWhiteIch]

Originally Posted by George S.

There are subltle dufferences of which you are oblivious and I disagree with you that its just greek.Macedonian is different to your greek.

I think you misunderstood what I wrote. I never said that the ancient Macedonian language was Greek, I said that the inscriptions found in Macedonia are written in different Greek dialects with a few peculiarities. These are 2 different statements.

[TheNikoWhiteIch]

Originally Posted by Amphipolis

ἔτους δορʹ, Ὑπερβ-
ταίου γʹ· Κετριζις Μεσ-
τικένθου, εὐδαί-
μων, χαῖρε· χαῖρε καὶ σὺ παροδῖτα· Μάντα γυνή.


I guess it is a tomb. It basically says:

Hyperb/teos 3rd, Year 174
Hail to blissful Ketrizis (son of) Mestikenthos
hail to you too, who is passing by
Manta (his) wife

Interesting. Whose tomb do you suppose it is? This guy Ketrizis?

[George S.]

I didn't mean you it was meant for someone else who thinks it was all greek.(jumping to conclusions).Who is counting.

[TheNikoWhiteIch]

Originally Posted by George S.

I didn't mean you it was meant for someone else who thinks it was all greek.(jumping to conclusions).Who is counting.

Jumping to conclusions about what exactly? The fact is the members here who know Greek are able to read the inscriptions. This is unrelated to what we believe about the ancient Macedonian language. Let's just avoid unnecessary arguments and focus on the topic of this thread.