terisna

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Word
Language:	Raetic
Word type:	unknown
Meaning:	unknown
Attestation:	BZ-4 (tevaśniχesiutikuθiuθisaχvilititerisnaθi), BZ-26 (?]i:terisṇ[), NO-13 (ṭerisna), SL-1 (terisna), SR-4 (θul·te?·s[?/$ teris·ṇ[), SR-6 (aṛụseθar·̣nateris·̣nạ), SR-9 (?]θ̣ṣ́ieṛịṣna) (7)

Commentary

Arguably formed with the derivative suffix -na, expressing affiliation, known from Etruscan. However, the suffix is not certainly attested in its Etruscan function in Raetic, where it is most prominently used to form patro- or metronyms. An interpretation as a name, as favoured by Marstrander 1927: 19 ff. and Morandi 1999: 56, 2000, 2003: 346, is unlikely, as the word, despite its comparatively frequent attestation, never appears in one of the pertinent casus (genitive, pertinentive) or together with an individual name. (Cp. Rix 1998: 48 (note 62)). Other words in -na which appear without a case ending or accompanying individual name are nakina (doubtful segmentation), tinesuna, )vilna, θauχkaạna (doubtful segmentation) and kuhilina.

Rix 1998: 48 (note 2) suggested a connection with Etruscan zeri, in Vetter's translation 'all, everyone' (p. 149), and interpreted terisna = Etr. zerisna as an adjective derivation in -na 'pertaining to everyone = public'. Steinbauer 1999: 501 translates zeri as 'free, freedman', so the etymology is somewhat doubtful. Eichner's interpretation of Lemnian zari[ as 'for everyone' provides further data. The Lemnian form is attested twice, both times fragmentary, on potsherds from the Cabiri sanctuary near Ephesia. It appears to stand in opposition to (form a pair with) novaisna (six attestations), which is generally translated as 'pertaining to the gods = holy' (Beschi 1996–97: 99, Agostiniani 2012: 185, Cristofani 2003: 219). Apart from the more or less complete attestations of both words, there are a great number of potsherds with single Nu or Zeta, which are interpreted as the respective abbreviations. The material is edited in Beschi 1996–97: 73–94. Eichner (unpublished) analyses nu-v-aiz-na 'sacro-sanctum' (with writing of the glide; nu- cp. Etr. nu-na-r (with variants) 'taboo' vel sim.), and emends zari[ to zarisna (< zarizna by dissimilation) 'public'. Such a pairing 'sanctus' – 'publicus' is thought to refer to the drinks held in the respective vessels during ritual feasts, and is supported by testimonies from the younger Greek tradition of the sanctuary. (However, only ἵερός/ἵερά/ἵερόν is written on vessels; δημοσία appears stamped onto bricks – probably reused – from the Late Roman telerion (see Beschi 1996–97: 100–135)). Eichner also compares zeronai on the stela from Kaminia (2012b: 28 (note 85)). The sound written with the letter , called "Quasi-Zeta" by Eichner, is still a matter of debate ([t^s] vs. [s]) (see for example Eichner 2012b: 13 ff. vs. Agostiniani 2012: 180 ff.). Also, the variation in the stem vowel (a vs. e) remains to be explained.

Rix 2000 added possible zêrśna on the Tabula Cortonensis (ET AC a4) to the equation. The usual reading is têrśna with Tau rather than Zeta , but the character is damaged in the lower area, so that Zeta cannot be excluded (p. 13, note 6). (See also Meiser's reading in ET). The semantics of the word, part of the first section of the text dealing with the number or extent of the goods negotiated in the contract, are obscure. (For overviews of possible interpretations see Wallace 2008: 197 ff. and Amann 2005.) The form appears to stand in opposition to raśna 'public' in the following line, so while the semantic field would be appropriate, in Rix's translation it would have to be a synonym. In light of the doubtful anlaut, it is not clear that it is a derivation of zeri, but têrśna corresponds exactly to Raetic terisna: <ê> (compensatory lengthening, see Eichner 2006: 217) as well as <ś> ("Lariś-rule" = palatalisation of s before i in the North Etruscan dialect area, see Eichner 2011: 76; more detailed Eichner 2012: 19–26) demonstrate that the form originally had i.

Seeing as the diverse Etruscan comparanda have their own issues concerning the articulation of the anlaut, the etymology does little to shed light on the question of which sound is represented by . See Script.

As concerns the Raetic testimonies, an interpretation of terisna as 'public' is only attractive for the helmet inscriptions SL-1 and BZ-26 (assuming that helmets could be 'public (property)' and given out to otherwise helmetless individuals on occasion of a battle). In case of the Serso antler pieces, assumed to be votives, on which terisna is accompanied by names, this translation does not make a lot of sense.

Bibliography

Agostiniani 2012	Luciano Agostiniani, "Sulla grafia e la lingua delle iscrizioni anelleniche di Lemnos", in: Vicenzo Bellelli (Ed.), Le origini degli Etruschi. Storia Archeologia Antropologia, Roma: 2012, 169–194.
Amann 2005	Petra Amann, "Die Tabula Cortonensis. Ein epigraphischer Neufund aus Etrurien und seine unterschiedlichen Interpretationen", in: Franziska Beutler, Wolfgang Hameter (Eds.), „Eine ganz normale Inschrift“ ... und Ähnliches zum Geburtstag von Ekkehard Weber. Festschrift zum 30. April 2005, Wien: 2005, 179–196.
Beschi 2000	Luigi Beschi, "Cabirio di Lemno: Testimonianze letterarie ed epigrafiche", Scuola archeologica di Atene e delle missioni italiane in oriente 74–75 (nuova serie 58–59) (1996–97 [2000]), 7–145.
Cristofani 2003	Mauro Cristofani, "Nuove iscrizioni "tirreniche" da Lemno", in: Graziella Fiorentini, Maria Caltabiano, Anna Calderone, Archeologia del Mediterraneo. Studi in honore di Ernesto de Miro [= Bibliotheca Archaeologica 35], Roma: 2003, 219–222.
Eichner 2006	Heiner Eichner, "Das E von Cortona und das etruskische Phonemsystem", in: Petra Amann, Marco Pedrazzi, Hans Taeuber, Italo – Tusco – Romana, Vienna: 2006, 209–220.
Eichner 2011	Heiner Eichner, "Anmerkungen zum Etruskischen in memoriam Helmut Rix", Alessandria 5 (2011), 67–92. (= Atti del Convegno Internazionale Le lingue dell'Italia antica in memoriam Helmut Rix)
Eichner 2012	Heiner Eichner, "Sakralterminologie und Pantheon der Etrusker aus sprachwissenschaftlicher Sicht", in: Petra Amann (Ed.), Kulte – Riten – religiöse Vorstellungen bei den Etruskern und ihr Verhältnis zu Politik und Gesellschaft. Akten der 1. Internationalen Tagung der Sektion Wien/Österreich des Istituto Nazionale di Studi Etruschi ed Italici (Wien, 4. – 6. 12, 2008) [= ÖAW Philosophisch-historische Klasse, Denkschriften 440], Wien: 2012, 17–46.
Eichner 2012b	Heiner Eichner, "Neues zur Sprache der Stele von Lemnos (Erster Teil)", Journal of Language Relationship / Voprosy jazykovogo rodstva 7 (2012), 9–32.
Eichner 2013	Heiner Eichner, "Neues zur Sprache der Stele von Lemnos. (Zweiter Teil)", Journal of Language Relationship 10 (2013), 1–42.
ET 2	Gerhard Meiser, Valentina Belfiore, Sindy Kluge (Eds), Etruskische Texte. Editio minor, revised edition [= Studien zur historisch-vergleichenden Sprachwissenschaft Band 4], Hamburg: Baar 2014. (2 volumes)
Lunz & Morandi 2003	Reimo Lunz, Alessandro Morandi, "Un frammento di elmo di bronzo con iscrizione retica da Settequerce – Siebeneich", Archeologia Classica LIV (2003), 341–349.
Marstrander 1927	Carl Johan Sverdrup Marstrander, "Remarques sur les inscriptions des casques en bronze de Negau et de Watsch", Avhandlinger utgitt av Det Norske Videnskaps-Akademi i Oslo. Hist.-filos. klasse 1926/2 (1927), 1–26.