A Primer on Ugaritic: Language, Culture, and Literature - enenuru

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Ugaritic <strong>Primer</strong>
Ugaritic letters written in Akkadian, there is nothing to indicate
clearly that these fixed phrases are modified when their place in
the heading varies. The phrases simply swap places, which puts the
recipient in the place of prominence; thus the thm is nominative.
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The form {bdk should be vocalized as a dual oblique since the
word stands in apposition to two PNs that are the final element in a
bound relationship with thm (see Figure 3.3 or §7.3.2.1). The final
-k of {bdk is the 2fs suffix, which refers back to the addressee.
What follows is a section peculiar to messages from inferiors to
superior persons (see §4.1.2). This part is lacking from KTU 2.10
because the sender and recipient were probably of roughly equal
status.
2.11:5–7a. l.p{n.}adtny/mrhqtm/qlny.
/le-pa{neœ }adaœttiniyaœ marhaq(a)tima qa®lniyaœ./
To the feet of our Lady at a distance we both fall!
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lp{n. Aprepositional phrase indicating the direction of the
action begins this sentence. The word p{n is a dual oblique because
body parts generally occur in pairs. Furthermore, since p{n is
bound to the following word, p{n lacks the final m that is regularly
evident in free-form dual nouns.
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mrhqtm. This word is easy to understand but difficult to analyze
etymologically. On the basis of the phrase isûtu ruœqisû in Akkadian
letters, this term probably means something like “from afar.”
Perhaps the Ugaritic word is related to a prefixed form of a
feminine noun (maqtal pattern) like mrkbt /markabtu/, “chariot” or
mlh¸mt /malham(a)tu/, “battle.” Perhaps the noun means “distance.”
The final -m may be conceived of as an adverbial suffix on a noun.