Amerias (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Ἀμερίας, 3rd century BC) was an
ancient Macedonian lexicographer, known for his compilation of a glossary titled ''
Glossai'' (', terms or words). Αnother of his works was called ''Rhizotomikos'' ('), an etymological treatise.
Words of Amerias have survived in the writings of
Hesychius and
Athenaeus
Athenaeus of Naucratis (; grc, Ἀθήναιος ὁ Nαυκρατίτης or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; la, Athenaeus Naucratita) was a Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing about the end of th ...
.
From the titles and the wording of Athenaeus, it is evident that Amerias did not write an exclusively Macedonian dictionary. He included in his ''Glossai'' a
Homeric
Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
vocabulary as well, as with most of the
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
n grammarians. The only marked Macedonian term, given by Hesychius, is ''sauadai, saudoi,
silenoi''. Athenaeus calls him many times Amerias the Macedonian but it is
Seleucus of Alexandria Seleucus of Alexandria ( grc-gre, Σέλευκος ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς) was a Roman-era grammarian. He was nicknamed 'Homeric'. He was a sophist in Rome (Second Sophistic era). He commented on pretty well all the poets, wrote a number of ex ...
who is quoted with the Macedonian bread ''dramis'', while Amerias in the same chapter is quoted with the bread ''ξηροπυρίτας, xeropyritas''. The suffix -as indicates a
Doric word, as ''badas'' and ''rhappaulas'' but they are not reported as Macedonian; they may be, they may be not. Words that resemble the
Macedonian sound-law of Hesychius are: ''badas'' (Attic ''batalos''), ''kalithos'' (Attic ''khalis''), ''grabion'' and ''kalarrhugai'', while ''Bathale'', ''pekhari'', ''scheron'', ''tetholos'', ''hyphainein'', as well the suffix ''-thos'' of ''kalithos'', contradict it.
In any case, since Amerias is the only ancient proper grammarian and lexicographer, who is quoted as Macedonian, his Glossary is regarded generally as Macedonian at least of 4th to 3rd century BC.
[ ]
See also
Ancient Macedonian language
References
Other sources
Amerias der Makedone by Otto Hoffmann
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amerias
3rd-century BC Macedonians
3rd-century BC writers
Ancient Greek lexicographers
Ancient Macedonian linguists
Ancient Greek grammarians