Interpreters on Cyprus? The curious case of Diweithemis the dragoman

Journal article

This article revisits the question of linguistic mediation on ancient Cyprus through the lens of a little-noticed term in the Idalion Bronze tablet. Building on recent scholarship suggesting the presence of Carian-speaking communities on the island and identifying a figure titled MLṢ (H)KRŠYM as ‘interpreter of the Carians,’ a new reading of the Cypriot Greek term armaneus, applied to an individual named Diweit^hemis, is proposed. Rather than interpreting the term as a toponym or patronymic, it is argued that Armaneus is a professional title meaning ‘interpreter’, ‘dragoman,’ potentially derived from the Carian word armon known from a bilingual inscription. This reinterpretation not only supports the existence of official interpreters on Cyprus but also provides fresh evidence for the possible Anatolian origin of the Greek word ἑρμηνεύς. The article weighs linguistic evidence to suggest that ἑρμηνεύς may ultimately be a loanword shaped through folk-etymological association with the god Hermes, with Cypriot Armaneus offering a historical intermediary form. It also offers a new etymology for the Carian word for “interpreter”, providing more evidence for an Indo-European nominal type preserved in Anatolian, and tentatively suggests that the name Diweit^hemis might have been influenced by language contact.

Authors: Bianconi, M

• Publisher: Classical Association
• Journal: Classical Quarterly
• Acceptance date: 2025-06-10
• EISSN: 1471-6844
• ISSN: 0009-8388
• Language: English
• Keywords: multilingualism; Cypriot dialect; language contact; interpreters; Anatolian languages; Carian