Two Epigraphical Notes from Lesbos

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of a dialectal lexicon, using the example of two forms, αυθιτελεας and ανερ[ι]θευτως (‘on the spot in an uncorrupted way’), found in a document from Asiatic Kyme (KYM 01, 4). The adjective αυθιτελεας (‘on the spot’) is a hapax legomenon, which can be considered a regular and expected outcome of the accusative plural in Lesbian: /ºteles+as/ → /ºteleas/. However, the forms in -εα should rather be interpreted as borrowings from Epic language with secondary adaptation to Aeolic. Thus, αυθιτελεας could be explained as an element of the high register of the dialect, modelled after a literary pattern.
The form ανερ[ι]θευτως (‘uncorrupted’) appears in other regions and does not seem to be bound to a specific dialect. It is an adverb derived from the privative verbal adjective ανεριθευτος, from ἐριθεύω (‘to work for a daily salary’). The etymology of the verb has been discussed, and the semantic development has been demonstrated. Thus, the form ανερ[ι]θευτως has been interpreted as part of the conventional official language of Hellenistic inscriptions. αυθιτελεας, however, may be specific to the Lesbian dialect, but its distinct origin suggests that it may have originated from a literary variety.