Arcadocypriot, or southern Achaean, was an ancient Greek dialect spoken in Arcadia, in the central

Peloponnese The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridg ...

, and in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. Its resemblance to

Mycenaean Greek Mycenaean Greek is the earliest attested form of the Greek language. It was spoken on the Greek mainland and Crete in Mycenaean Greece (16th to 12th centuries BC). The language is preserved in inscriptions in Linear B, a script first atteste ...

, as it is known from the

Linear B Linear B is a syllabary, syllabic script that was used for writing in Mycenaean Greek, the earliest Attested language, attested form of the Greek language. The script predates the Greek alphabet by several centuries, the earliest known examp ...

corpus, indicates that they are closely related to it, and belong to the same dialect group, known as Achaean. In Cyprus the dialect was written solely using the Cypriot syllabary. The most extensive surviving text of the dialect is the Idalion Tablet. A significant literary source on the vocabulary comes from the lexicon of 5th century AD grammarian Hesychius.

History

The prevailing dialect spoken in southern Greece (including Achaea, the Argolid, Laconia, Crete, and Rhodes) at the end of the Bronze Age, was Proto-Arcadocypriot. The Mycenaean and Arcadocypriot dialects belong to the same group, known as Achaean. Certain common innovations of Arcadian and Cypriot, as attested in the first millennium BC, indicate that they represent vernaculars that had slightly diverged from the Mycenaean administrative language, sometime before a migration to Cyprus, possibly during the 13th or 12th century BC. Pausanias reported: The establishment happened before 1100 BC. With the arrival of Dorians in the Peloponnese, a part of the population moved to Cyprus, and the rest was limited to the Arcadian mountains. According to John T. Hooker, the preferable explanation for the general historico-linguistic picture is that:

...in the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, at the time of the great Mycenaean expansion, a dialect of a high degree of uniformity was spoken both in Cyprus and in the Peloponnese but that at some subsequent epoch the speakers of West Greek intruded upon the Peloponnese and occupied the coastal states, but made no significant inroads into Arcadia.

Later developments

After the collapse of the Mycenaean world, communication ended, and Cypriot was differentiated from Arcadian. It was written until the 3rd century BC using the Cypriot syllabary. Tsan was a letter in use only in Arcadia until around the 6th century BC. Arcadocypriot kept many characteristics of Mycenaean, early lost in Attic and Ionic, such as the sound (

digamma Digamma or wau (uppercase: Ϝ, lowercase: ϝ, numeral: ϛ) is an Archaic Greek alphabets, archaic letter of the Greek alphabet. It originally stood for the sound but it has remained in use principally as a Greek numeral for 6 (number), 6. Whe ...

Glossary

Arcadian

Cypriot

*
abathôn
' teacher (Attic didaskalos) *
abaristan
'

'effeminate' *
abartai
' birds, volatile (Attic hai ptênai, ta ptêna ) *
ablax
' 'brightly wonderful' (Attic lambrôs) ( α + βλάξ (blax) "idiot", blapto "harm") *
abremês
' , 'unworthy of being seen, despicable' *
hagana
' and agana (Attic sagênê 'dragnet') * (
aganthes
') (Attic ''siôpa'', 'shut up' ( "too much" + "put" (tithemi imp.) * ''ankura'' (Attic ''τριώβολον'' triôbolon, "three obols") (Atti
ankura
anchor) * ''aglaon'' (Attic ''glaphyron'', "smooth, sweet, simple, decorated" ( Cretan also), (Attic
aglaos
"bright") * ''agor'' eagle (Attic aetos) *
anchoûros
' near the morning (fro
anchauros
''anchi'' + ''aurion'' tomorrow ) *
adeios
' (Attic akathartos), "cleanless, impure" (cf. Attic: ''adeios, adeia'' = "fearless, safe",

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

and Modern: ''adeios, adeia'' = "empty") *
adryon
' (ploion dugout canoe) ( α + δρῦς) * ''athrizein'' (Attic ''rhigoun'' to shiver) *
aieis
' 'you listen' (Attic akoueis) (aïô only in poetic use) *
aipolos
' ( Koine ''kapêlos'' wine-seller) (Attic ''aipolos'' ' goatherd') (Atti
pôleô
sell) *
akeuei
' (Attic ''terei'' he observes, maintains, keeps order) *
akmôn
' (Attic ἀλετρίβανος aletribanos

plough A plough or ( US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden ...

or pestle) (Attic

anvil An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually Forging, forged or Steel casting, cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked"). Anvils are massive because the hi ...

meteor A meteor, known colloquially as a shooting star, is a glowing streak of a small body (usually meteoroid) going through Earth's atmosphere, after being heated to incandescence by collisions with air molecules in the upper atmosphere, creating a ...

) ( Acmon mythology) *
akostê
'

barley Barley (), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains; it was domesticated in the Fertile Crescent around 9000 BC, giving it nonshattering spikele ...

(Attic krithê ) Cypr. according to Hsch., but Thess. for grain of all kinds according to Sch.Il.6.506.) * hals (Attic oinos wine) (Attic hals sea) () *
alabê
' or alaba (Attic marile charcoal- ember) *
aleipterion
' (Attic grapheion writing utensil or place of writing and engraving) (Attic ''aleiphô'' smear, rub) *
aleuron
' grave (Attic taphos
leuros
smooth, level, even )(Attic wheat flour) *
aloua
' gardens (Attic kêpoi) *
halourga
' the red things of the sea Cypr. according to Hsch. *
anda
' she (Attic hautê) *''
aoron

lever A lever is a simple machine consisting of a beam (structure), beam or rigid rod pivoted at a fixed hinge, or '':wikt:fulcrum, fulcrum''. A lever is a rigid body capable of rotating on a point on itself. On the basis of the locations of fulcrum, l ...

μοχλός gateway door-keeper ( Aeolic ''aoros'' unsleeped) *
aoumata
' chaffs, straws left-overs of barleys (Cf. loumata, lumata) * apelyka (Attic aperrhoga I am broken, crashed) *
aplanê
' many, a lot (Attic ) (Laconian ''ameremera'') (Attic ''aplaneis'' unmoving, non wandering esp. for stars) * ''apoairei'' (Attic apokathairei he cleans, removes) ( lead off, set out to sea) *
apogeme
' imp. remove out, draw off liquor(Attic ''aphelke'') (Attic ''gemô'' to be full of) * ''apoloisthein'' to finish complete (Attic ''apotelein'')( ''holos'' whole) *
apolugma
' denudation (Attic ''apogymnôsis'')(cf
apolouma
* ''aras epispeirai'' Cypriot cursing custom sowing barley with water *
arizos
' grave (Attic taphos) ( α + rhiza root) *
armula
' shoes (Attic ''hypodemata'') *
armôatos
' (Attic
spasmos
' spasm) *
aroura
' 'heap of wheat with straws' (Homeric, Ionic aroura earth) *
arpix
' harpix or aprix acanthus "species of thorn", (Attic
aprix
' fast, tight) *
augaros
' (Attic ''asôtos'' unsaved, wasteful, prodigal) *
auekizein
' (Attic ''sphakelizein'' produce gangrene) * ''Achaiomanteis'' seers, priests in Cyprus (Hesychius) *
ballai
' (Attic ''bathmoi'' grades, steps, stages) (Aeolic arrows) * ''blasta'' (Attic blastesis

Vegetation Vegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular Taxon, taxa, life forms, structure, Spatial ecology, spatial extent, or any other specific Botany, botanic ...

) *
bomboia
' (Attic ''kolumbas elaia'' pickled olive, swimming in brine)(Attic ''kolumbaô'' dive, swim) *
borborizei
' it groans, pollutes *
boukanê
' anemone flower (bukanê trumpet) *
bounos
' (Attic ''stibas'' bed of straw, reeds, leaves) ( Koine ''bounos'' hill, mountain) * ''boôneta'' (Attic 'purchased things in the price of cows') (Cypriot unholy things) *
brenthix
' (Attic thridakine lettuce) *
brinka
' small (Attic ''mikron'') *
brimazein
' orgasmize ( Brimô mythology) (''brimaomai'' freak, be enraged) *
brouka
' green locust ( Ionic broukos) *
brouchetos
' frog (Attic bathrachos) ( Hsch. ''brouchetos'' pit ) * ''byblioi'' gravekeepers *
ganos
' garden pl. ganea (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

gan 'garden') * ''gemois nu'' lit."you may be full, filled now" Hsch. take and sit * ''genesis''

libation A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an Sacrifice, offering to a deity or spirit, or in Veneration of the dead, memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of Ancient history, antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures t ...

(Attic ''sponde'') * ''goanai'' (Attic ''klaiein'' to cry)
goaô
moan) *
gra
' or ''grasthi'' "eat (imp)" (Attic ''phage'') (Attic
graô
' gnaw) (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

''grasate'' eat) ( PIE ''*gres-'' devour) ( Salaminianbr>kagra
kata + graô Koine ''kataphagas'' gluttonous) *
damatrizein
' "collect the fuits of

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...

" * ''dein'' 'turn' (Attic ''στρέφειν'' ''strephein'' (cf. Attic: deo tie) *
diptuon
' (Attic hemimedimnos, a dry measure) (Aeolic kammarpsis) *
diphtheraloiphos
' elementary teacher ''grammatodidaskalos'' ( aleiphô "smear"
diphthera
" goatskin, writing-material,

parchment Parchment is a writing material made from specially prepared Tanning (leather), untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By AD 400 ...

" * ''drosos'' ''achreios'' "needless, useless" (Attic ''drosos'' dew) *
dusea
' (the things around the wall) *
ear
' (Attic ''haima'' blood) (Attic Ear Spring (season)) * ''Encheios'' Ἀφροδίτη * ''elapsa'' (Attic ''diephtheira'' I harmed) *
elphos
'

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

(Attic boutyron) * ''enauon'' put in, ignite * ''epixa'' (Attic ''ornea'' birds) * ''erountes'' (Attic legontes the saying) (Attic ''erountes'' the ones who will say) *
eroua
' walk and rest (cf. Homeric ''erôeô'') *
estê
' (Attic stolê, equipment, garment) (cf
esthês
clothing) * ''zaei'' (Attic it moves and blows)
zaei
binei, inire, coïre, of illicit intercourse) *
thates
' or ''thutes'' manual labourers (Attic ''thêtes'') (see Timocracy) * ''theiοn'' (Attic ''igdion'' mortar) (

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

''thyeia'' igdion mortar) *
thibôn
' ( Koine ''thibis'' ark, basket) (

''tēbhāh'' ark, from Egyptian tebt 'box') *
throdax
' (Attic thridax lettuce) * ''thua'' flavourings *
higa
' shut up (Attic ''siôpa'') ( Cretan iga) *
himonia
' strap (Attic ''himas'') * ''hin'' dat. and acc. of the old pers. Pron. hi (q.v.). in, Arc., Cypr., and Cret. for en (q.v.) * ''kalindina'' intestines (Attic ''entera'') ( PIE: ghel-ond-, ghol-n•d- stomach; bowels) ( Homeric cholades) ( Macedonian gola) *
kachila
' flowers (Attic anthê) * (Attic ''anadendrades'' climbing vineyards) (Attic kena kenea vain *
kibisis
' bag (Attic pêra) ( Aetolian kibba) *
killos
' morning cicada ( tettix proinos) (Hesychius ''killos'' donkey) * '' Kinyradai'' priests of

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

* ''kiris'' o
kirris
(cypriotic epithet for Adonis) (

Laconian Laconia or Lakonia may refer to: Places * Laconia, a region of Greece * Laconia (constituency), an electoral district of Greece **Doric_Greek#Laconian, Laconian Greek, a dialect of Doric Greek United States * Laconia, Indiana * Laconia, New Hamp ...

''kirris'' ''lychnos'' light, lamp) *
kittaris
' Cypriot Diadem. Kittaroi, the ones who wear it *
kichêtos
' the vessel or the substance where the censer(Attic libanôtos) is being dyed *
kunupisma
' drink from pomace (stemphyla), i.e. left-overs of pressed grapes. * lênea or leina (Attic ''eria'' wools) *
mopsos
' 'stain on the clothes' (Attic kêlis ) ( Mopsus mythology) (Mopsopia old name of

Attica Attica (, ''Attikḗ'' (Ancient Greek) or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the entire Athens metropolitan area, which consists of the city of Athens, the capital city, capital of Greece and the core cit ...

and Attic tales of Euphorion of Chalcis) *
mytha
' voice (Attic phonê mythos mytheomai speak narrate) *
mulasasthai
' cleanse with oil (Attic smêxasthai smêchô) *
olinoi
' sheaves of barley * ''ortos'' (Attic ''bômos'' altar) *
ouarai
' we (Attic ''hemeis'') *
ouaron
' olive oil (Attic ''elaion'') *
ounon
' or ''ounos'' road (Attic odos) (Koine dromos) *
pesson
' (Attic mountain or village) * ''pilnon'' (Attic ''phaion'' obscure brown, ''pelidnon'' livid (blue, green/ dark) * ''prepon'' beast (Attic ''teras'' beast
prepôn
-ontos, a fish) (Attic ''prepon -ntos'' suitable) * ''Pygmaion'' Adonis *
rhueina
' lamb, accusative (Attic arna)(nom. rhuein, arên from Wrêna) * ''si bole?'' (Attic ; ''ti boulei''? what do you want?) *
sigunon
' (Attic ''akontion'' spear)

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

, '' Poetics'', XX

Paphian

*
epicoron
' (Attic epikopon) cutting, re-stamped coin (from ''keirô'' and ''koptô'' cut) * ''es poth' herpes''? (Attic ''pothen hekeis''? where do you come from?) (Attic ''herpein'' to creep, to crawl, move slowly like a snake, serpent *
eutrossesthai
' (Attic ''epistrephesthai'' return) * ''thorande'' (Attic ''exo'' outside) ''thyra'' door *
hingia
' one (Cypr. ingia) ( ''heis'') (Cretan ''itton'' hen one) *
imitraion
' ( Hsch. ''hypozoston'' under- girdle, rope of ship *
impataon
' (Attic ''emblepson'' look inside -imperative) ( Hsch.br>inkapathaon
enkatablepson) *
kabeios
' young (Attic neos) *
kablê
' (Koine ''mandalos'' latch) * ''kakkersai'' (Attic ''katakopsai'' to cut, slay) (kata + ''keirô'' cut) *
kalecheo
' (Attic ''katakeiso'' lay down -imperative) (Homeric ''lechos'' bed) *
kapataxeis
' (Attic ''katakopseis'' you will cut, slay) * ''karrhaxon'' (Attic ''kataraxon'' strike -imperative) (kata
arassô
*
katereai
' (Attic ''kathisa'' sit) *
kibos
' (Attic ''kibôtos'' ark or ''eneos'' speechless) *
kidnon
' here (Attic enthade) *
korza
' or ''korzia'' heart ( Attic kardia ) ( Ionic kardiê )( Homeric kradiê ) ( Aeolic karza ) *
kubos
' saucer bowl dish (Attic ''trublion'') (Attic kubos

cube A cube or regular hexahedron is a three-dimensional space, three-dimensional solid object in geometry, which is bounded by six congruent square (geometry), square faces, a type of polyhedron. It has twelve congruent edges and eight vertices. It i ...

) *
limên
' ἀγορά and ( endiatribê delay, abide, stay) (Attic ''limên'' port, harbour) *
mochoi
' inside (Attic entos)(cf.
muchos
' innermost part, nook, corner) *
sapithos
' sacrifice (Attic thysia) *
sasai
' to sit (Attic kathisai) (cf. Poeti
thassô
sit, thôkos backless throne) * ''ses'' (Attic ''elathes'' you were hidden, escaped notice see lanthano) *
sihai
' to spit (Attic
ptusai
' to spit, cast out) * ''soana'' (Attic ''axinê'' axe) *
stropa
' (Attic astrapê) (Homeric sterope, lightning flash) *
huesi
' ( Koine stolê "garment", (Attic amphiesis

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

, Hsch. huestaka) * ''Phapê'' Paphia (Paphian

)

References

Bibliography

*A History of Ancient Greek: From the Beginnings to Late Antiquity
Arcado-Cypriot by A.Panayotou
*C. M. Bowr
Homeric Words in Arcadian Inscriptions
* * * Yves Duhoux. ''Introduction aux dialectes grecs anciens''. Lounain-la-Neuve: Cabay, 1983 * Rüdiger Schmitt. ''Einführung in die griechischen Dialekte''. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1977 * Markus Egetmeyer. ''Le dialecte grec ancien de Chypre''. 2 vols., vol. 1: ''Grammaire''; vol. 2: ''Répertoire des inscriptions en syllabaire chypro-grec''. Berlin–NY: De Gruyter, 2010.