vocabulary, cuneiform transcriptions
of prototypes of autochthonous
coptic. Fully vocalized prototypes of Coptic words are found in cuneiform transcriptions. Thus, it is known that the month name B ,oiak (S koiahk and many variants) was pronounced in Late Egyptian *ku-i -ku or something close to it. These transcriptions are often preceded by determinatives, such as (ilu), god; (in), male person; ( lu), town; and (m tu), country.
Three periods have to be distinguished (all dates according to Beckerath, 1971):
1. Middle-Babylonian transcriptions: the so-called Tell el-Amarna Letters, which comprise the correspondence of Amenophis II (1439-1413 B.c.) and Amenophis IV (Akhenaton) (1365-1349 B.C.) with their allies and vassals in Asia, tablets found in the foreign-office archives at Tell el-Amarna (central Egypt), and letters and documents of the Hittite royal archives of Boghazkeui (Asia Minor) of the time of Ramses II (1290-1224 B.c.).
2. Assyrian transcriptions: inscriptions, annals, and commercial documents from the time of Sargon II (722-705 B.C.), who conquered Palestine and received tribute from Bukurninip (Bocchoris in Greek), king of Egypt in 714 B.C.; of Assarhaddon (conquest of Memphis, 671 B.C.), and of Assurbanipal (conquest of the Delta, 667 B.C.).
3. New-Babylonian and Persian transcriptions: mainly commercial documents of the time of Cambyses (525-522 B.C.), Darius I (521-486 B.c.), Artaxerxes I (464-424 B.C.), and Artaxerxes II (404-359 B.C.).
Some examples are given below.
Middle-Babylonian Transcriptions (ilu) A-ma-a-na, (ilu) A-ma-na: the god Amun, B amoun; (m) A-ma-an- a-at-pi, n. pr. m. Amenophis, where the group a-at-pi corresponds to the qualitative B hotp†; (al ) A-na: n. bc. Heliopolis, Egyptian ’Iwnw, Hebrew ’On: B wn; (m) Ri-a-na-pa: n. pr. m. Ranofer, literally “the good Sun” or similar, where according to Edel the name was pronounced R ‘n fe or similar, but in any case with Ra’ and not with R ‘, sun = S, B r/; (ilu) a-a-ra: the god Horus, S, B hwr.
Assyrian Transcriptions (m) U-na-mu-nu: n. pr. m. Wen-Amun or similar, which contains the name of Amun, B amoun; (m) Bu-kur-ni-ni-ip: n. pr. m. Bocchoris, Egyptian B3k n rn-f’ literally “servant of his name,” where the Coptic form would be B *bwk nrinf (the transcription should read *(m) Bu-ku-un-ri-ni-ip); (m) u-u-ru: n. pr. m. Horus, S, B hwr; ( lu) Me-im-pe: n. loc. Memphis, B menfi.
New-Babylonian and Persian Period (m) A-mu-nu-ta-pu-na-a -ti: n. pr. m. Amon tef-na te, literally “Amon is his strength,” with Amunu =*Am n or Am n, B amoun; (m) Na-’a- (ilu) E-si n. pr. m. literally “Great is Isis,” where the Coptic form would be B *naa-/ci Commentary Middle-Babylonian corresponds to later (i.e., Assyrian or Neo-Assyrian or Persian) (see Table 1). This comparison shows that long before 1000 B.C. is transcribed as long after 1000 B.C. This long must be read , as the Coptic has in two cases ( n and H r). After a nasal in A-mu-nu and in nu-u-pi (reconstructed), the Coptic has ou , which is due to postnasalization. As a matter of fact, it is not known if A-mu-nu and nu-u-pi were still pronounced *Am n and *n fi or already Am n and n fi.
table 1
Middle-Babylonian Assyrian or Coptic Neo-Assyrian and Persian A-ma-a-na (*Am n) A-mu-nu (Am n) B amoun A-na (* n) U-nu ( n) B wn Ka-si (*K s) Ku-u-si (K ) __ a-a-ra (* r u-u-ru ( r) S, B hwr -na-pa (*n fe) *-nu-u-pi (*n fi) B noufi