A-TA-NA-TE

ʾAtanat, 'She-who-gives'—feminine of √y-t-n 'to give' with I-y > ʾ; the etymon of Athena (di Mino, Ya Diktu 20)

𐘇AAB0882 entries𐘳TAAB5976 entries𐘅NAAB0673 entries𐘃TEAB0446 entries
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Reading
ʾAtanat
Confidence
Probable
Root
*ytn ~ *ntn ‘give’
Kind
Divine
Language
Semitic
Rank
—

Compared forms

  • Linear Ba-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja (KN V 52)—divine offering list alongside e-nu-wa-ri-jo, pa-ja-wo-ne, po-se-da-o-ne
  • GreekἈθάνα (Doric), Ἀθήνη (Ionic/Attic)—pre-Greek, no established etymology (Beekes 2010)
  • Ugaritic√ytn√ytn ‘to give; to set, place’ (Huehnergard 2012); ytnt ‘she gave’ (GlOS 2, 78)
  • PhoenicianBʿLYTN Baʿal Yaton ‘Baʿal has given’; YTNT, a woman’s name ‘she gave’ (Benz 1972, 328; Krahmalkov 2000, 220)
  • Hebrewנָתַןnātannātan (נָתַן) ‘to give’
  • Hurriana-da-na, Atana, a personal name at Kaneš (Monti 2017, 451), the rival

Attestations1 cited

  1. ZA 10aA-TA-NA-TE 1The Giver (f.) — Athena etymology; √y-t-n 'to give' with y > ʾ weakening (feminine *yātanāt > ʾātanāt)

Commentary

ZA 10a: A-TA-NA-TE 1, fourth in a list headed by TA-NA-TE 2. ʾAtanat ‘She-who-gives’ (di Mino, Ya Diktu 20): feminine *yātanat of √y-t-n ‘to give’ with y > ʾ, final E a dead vowel after t; Phoenician keeps the y- in BʿLYTN Baʿal-yatōn ‘Baʿal has given’. Greek takes the weakened form: Mycenaean a-ta-na-po-ti-ni-ja (KN V 52), Doric Ἀθάνα, Ionic Ἀθήνη, Pre-Greek for Beekes (2010); Athena wins Athens by giving the olive. The A-/∅ alternation with TA-NA-TE on ZA 10a recurs in A-PA-RA-NE/PA-RA-NE, A-MI-TA/MI-TA and A-DU/DU. Rivals: a form of TA-NA-TE Tanāt (√t-n-n, Tinnit), which heads the ZA 10a list; Hurrian Atana (Monti 2017, 451). See A-TA-NA-JE.

On the 3D inscriptions

Not written on any of the 82 inscriptions modelled so far.

Linear A Lexicon