Names in Hellenistic and Roman Lycia

Abstract

Colvin 2004 44 Acceptation of Lycians as greeks (by romans) by 1 BCE, contrary to barbarian status of other parts of Am, that became a byword for barbaric status and criteria. 1: myth; pedigree (in this case confirmed by Homer) 2: taken part in struggle againts barbarians: Homer, but better in Persian war' nb listed in tribute list 3: combination of cult + geography+ political factor led to early hellenization: urbanization 45: institutions that cld be hellenised strategically important position inclusion in Hekatomnid satrapy had them exposed to gr as language of administration lycians mde full use of their special status, and warrded off outright incorporation until Claudius there are clear signs of cultural continuity Trokondas is a hellenised name of a Hittite-Luwian form 46: lycian language disappears in Hell per. to be replaced by high standard gr koine; only in Roman period lapses in orthography and syntax become marked. 'names are an obvious and flexible use of self definition' analysis of lycian names casts light on how the inhabitants of a community on the fringes of Hellenisms projected particualr social identities onto themsleves and their children use of greek language economially and politically necessary, but it does not tell us everyhing about Hellenisation or attitutdes towards Hellenization adoption of foreign manes for various reasons before adoption of language and culture 1: statement of a separate identity by retaining names redolent of its won national history or culture; but this was not necessarily the same as retaining an indigenous name i hellenised form, Greek myhtology could interfere> an intermediate form was the adoption of a local name w associations to greek mythology; 47 form or pick a name from greek myth that had merely local association Nb bottom mup hellenizaton of ethnic make up > may reveal in use of popular humble names a top-down cultural shift > more significant literary and historical names ' an onomastic pool qualitatively dfferent from native greek areas Lycian names like greek names, simple structure no family or clan names single name with parental name or distinguished relative. 48: discussion of sources 49: Robert 1963 has warned that more names may be greek than was thought before: regional differences between naming patterns and adoption of greek names 52 w more slow penetration of greek names in more remote areas. ultimately do we see a definite hellenization. changes in naming patterns: in lycian language inscriptions (4BC) 80% L>L 9% L>G 8 % G>L 1% G>G and note that c. half inscr w L>G are in fact bilingual; the L>G are dominat in west lyc.- in Hell period 9% L>L 12% L>G 5% G>L 74% G>G In LH 9% L>L 6% L>G 11% G>L 74% G>G 54: striking jump in G>L wh may be attributable to decline in motivation to Hellenize along lines of old gr world in the4 expanded and self confident wrld of Roman east; in earlier period there may be a higher levvel of cultural and linguistic insecurity [genealogy genelogical bookkeeping] NB a striking rise in the genealogical information provided in inscriptions; earlier period 18 indd identified w grandparent in LH 56, plus even gr grandparents; perioodes abt half of cases have 3 generations greeks, but rest is mixture. 4. gender differences and related factors Nb gender is important as there my be a gretare visibility of Lycian women? cf stories abt matrilinial naming an social structure; [ HDT 1.173; Plut De Mul Vir 248 D and Bryce 1986 143-58] matriarchy to be rejected 55: women play important role erection of monuments and inscriptions; identified by patronym, and may act independently of men; also as co-sponsors; greek names more fr men than women (were they more often given a greek name or did they have a public name for public action?) Greek names dominated in public inscriptions; rise of hell. names throughout Hell period (but Nb changing character of inscriptions) 57: investigation of onomastic ingredients: to arrive a understanding of the the avenues by which Lycians came to choose names for themselves in the Greek language 1: theophoric names 2: names w myth/hist. resonance 3: Macedonian names 4: similar names 1: theophoric names lrge nr of theophopric names even in comparison w Attica; c 25% has theophoric element. most often : a recognizable divine name may be gr part of personal name. apollo / Artemis is particularly common; 61: stem ERM Hermes most commos sevv. exx. of gr names esp. w links w region, cf theophorioc names, (Robert) 62: 2: classical and heroic greek names there my hve bn adoption of names of gr and mac settlers: but épigraphic classes'set thei standards higher c 10% of names (= 13% of greek names) evoke famous person: names fr lit authors: Aischylos 5 Aristophenes 3 Demosthenes 6 Lysias 2 Menander 4 Plato 2 Sophokles 1 Homer: most names tend not to be common in Athens names that are rare in Athens include Atalanta Daidalos Euterpe, Hippolytos KAstor Meleager Midas Patroklos Peisistratos, (but common in rhodes) Polydoros, Priamos, Sarpedon and Tithonos; 63: nb diferernces: Athens names were avoided when mythologicla name bearwers came to unhappy end; lycians did not bother too much esp. as a local link cld be established cf Robert's expresion 'herophoric' Robert, L. (1978). "Catalogue agonistique des Rômaia de Xanthos." Revue Archéologique: 277-290 [= OMS VII, no 176]., 282 , uses term herophoric for locally significant names: cf Glaucus; ,cf Sarpedon w cult at xanthus, also names for local subdivision; Robert, L. (1978). "Les conquêtes du dynaste lycien Arbinas." Journal des Savants 165: 3-48. discusses i.e. use of name Sarpedon most names that are commomn elesweher turn out to have specific local connection; altuhough it is not clear how far this shld be pushed (e.g. special link to Artemis;) in some cases influence or import fr neighbouring regions; Midas; Marsyas W. Judeich, Politische Namengabung in Athene, in Epitymbion Swoboda , Reichenberg 1927 3: macedonian influence macedonian settleres must hve had an influence; also settlerts fr Greece in the roman period we see well-attested exx of adopting names of roman dignitaries: cf lassere 90 lassère in: Titel: Sens et pouvoirs de la nomination dans les cultures hellénique et romaine / Suzanne Gély Deel: [T. I]: Actes du colloque de Montpellier, 23, 24 mai 1987 [1988] crude classification using hoffmann 1906 and russu 1938 > c. 17% of greek names (15% EH 19 % LH) little overlap macedonian and theophoric, but sign overlap Macedonian and myth-hist names.,: some of the names may have sounded odd in nAthens , but may have hinted at onomastic grandeur that was appreciated in Lycia. names include macedonian dynatss and statesmen or figures that were locally active: achaios nearschos thribron; or general pop. names. 65: phonetic similarity phonetic similarity must often have been an important factor. influencing choice; variety: meingfiul names ... nems that simply rsound right, or can be flexed. it is difficult always to attribute names. but "in a culture where sound patterns could be deeply meaningful, a name that worked in both languages with minimal adjustment may have allowed the bearer to feel psychologically integrated in both the lycian and greek tradition during a period of traumatic cultural change [ but what is evidence of trauma?] gliding scale of coincidence the converse of phonetic similarity is semanting calquing: but tghis is difficult to gauge; bilinguals give however more . translitteration than translation when lycian names are given in transliterated version they are allotted to a greek morphological class and inflected in regular way; [has some comms on names from termessos] 67: double names dwz ὁ καὶ etc not infrequent but were particularly popular in Roman period; the listing of 2 names may have been a late fashion ... perhaps a romantic reasserting of native heritage similar to that evidence in Laconian inscriptions in same period the epigraphic evidence casts doubt on the notion that the use of double names was the result of bilingual naming patterns: cf zgusta shows that g/l is as common as l/l many of these are females: slower adoption by females of gr names (many 1/2AD) or w vogiue for lallnamen.... double names do not offer an unambigiuous evidence for thr procesas of hellenizatioon in the onomastic sphere; unflattering names greek names may be less propitious than IE names in general; but greek names in lycia tend to be more heroic/propitious than average fr greece nb some of the 'diminutives' may presuppose a long-established Greek speaking community in which the frequency of use of such names had accustyomed speakers to their oddity, it also suggests that a fairly high proportion of the greeks in Lycia were greeks by conversio0n or assimilation rather than immigramnmts from the old world. 69: conclusion Lycian pattern is diff fr. Caria, whre indigenous names had disappeared in Roman period, cf Robert Noms 82; in Lycia rapid hellenization , but also stable Lycian core; names cld be used aside one another (no prejudices); men may have had more often Greek nmes (poss. with lycian name for private cisrcumstances) ambiguous names wh may have bridged gap; Lycians believed their own propagana owing to theirt privileged status they saw less of a contradiction between being Lycian and being hellenised than some of their neighbours in AM absorption of Greek elements in Lycianm culture> various routes 1: interaction w greek communities Rhodes and Pamphylia 2: Gre as fr visitors in harbours 3: contacts w greek settelements in N 4: strategic/diplomatic puroposes (Persian Wars) > cf various identities of city & use of ritula to create city as a mystic body (church ritual also helped) cf. patron saints - elaborated most fully where city status faced necessitty of strengthening civic identities to diminish obstinate internal strife and to withstand external threat