Σπαργαπίσης

Ancient Greek

Etymology

From Scythian *Spargapisa[1], from *sparga (“scion, descendant”) (cf. Avestan 𐬯𐬞𐬀𐬭𐬆𐬖𐬀‎ (spar^əγa, “sprout”)) + *pisa (“adornment, decoration”), from an older *paisah (cf. Avestan 𐬞𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬀‎ (paēsa)). Alternatively, the second element could be *pisa, from Common Iranian *paiśa (“outlook”).[2][3]

Compare with Σπαργαπείθης (Spargapeíthēs), from Scythian *Spargapaiθa, where *paiśa changed to *paiθa[4][3].

Pronunciation

(5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /spar.ɡa.pí.sɛːs/
(1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /spar.ɡaˈpi.se̝s/
(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /spar.ɣaˈpi.sis/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /spar.ɣaˈpi.sis/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /spar.ɣaˈpi.sis/

Proper noun

Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́σης • (Spargapísēs) m (genitive Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́σου); third declension

a male given name from Scythian: Spargapises, a general of the Massagetae defeated by Cyrus the Great

Inflection

First declension of ὁ Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́σης; τοῦ Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́σου (Attic)

Case / #	Singular
Nominative	ὁ Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́σης ho Spargapísēs
Genitive	τοῦ Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́σου toû Spargapísou
Dative	τῷ Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́σῃ tôi Spargapísēi
Accusative	τὸν Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́σην tòn Spargapísēn
Vocative	Σπᾰργᾰπῐ́ση Spargapísē
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

→ Latin: Spargapisēs

References

Hinz, Walther (1975), “*spargapaiθa-”, in Altiranisches Sprachgut der Nebenüberlieferungen (Göttinger Orientforschungen, Reihe III, Iranica; 3) (in German), Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, page 226
Rüdiger Schmitt, "SCYTHIAN LANGUAGE", in Encyclopaedia Iranica, April 10, 2018
Kullanda, Sergey Vsevolodovich, External relations of Scythian, p. 1.
Bukharin, Mikhail Dmitrievich, Колаксай и его братья (античная традиция о происхождении царской власти у скифов) [Kolaxais and his Brothers (Classical Tradition on the Origin of the Royal Power of the Scythians)] (in Russian), p. 53.