Arcadocypriot, or southern Achaean, was an ancient Greek dialect spoken in Arcadia (the central Peloponnese) and Cyprus. Its resemblance to Mycenaean Greek, as it is known from the Linear B corpus, indicates that they are closely related to it, and belong to the same dialect group, known as Achaean.
In Cyprus the dialect was written solely using the Cypriot syllabary. The most extensive surviving text of the dialect is the Idalion Tablet. A significant literary source on the vocabulary comes from the lexicon of grammarian Hesychius (probably 5th century AD).
History Proto-Arcadocypriot was the prevailing dialect spoken in southern Greece (including Achaea, the Argolid, Laconia, Crete, and Rhodes) at the end of the Bronze Age. The Mycenaean and Arcadocypriot dialects both belong to the Achaean group. Certain common innovations of Arcadian and Cypriot, as attested in the first millennium BC, indicate that they represent vernaculars that had slightly diverged from the Mycenaean administrative language, sometime before a migration to Cyprus, possibly during the 13th or 12th century BC. Pausanias reported:Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.5.1
The establishment happened before 1100 BC. With the arrival of Dorians in the Peloponnese, a part of the population moved to Cyprus, and the rest was limited to the Arcadian mountains.
According to John T. Hooker, the preferable explanation for the general historico-linguistic picture is that:John T. Hooker, Mycenaean Greece (Routledge Revivals). Routledge, 2014 p. 164
...in the Bronze Age, at the time of the great Mycenaean expansion, a dialect of a high degree of uniformity was spoken both in Cyprus and in the Peloponnese but that at some subsequent epoch the speakers of West Greek intruded upon the Peloponnese and occupied the coastal states, but made no significant inroads into Arcadia.
Later developments After the collapse of the Mycenaean world, communication ended, and Cypriot was differentiated from Arcadian. It was written until the 3rd century BC using the Cypriot syllabary.Kypros, Salamis, c. 600 BC Kypros — Kourion ~320 BC
Arcadocypriot kept many characteristics of Mycenaean, lost early in the development of Attic and Ionic, such as the sound (digamma).
Glossary
Arcadian Arcadian word English transliteration Meaning Other Greek dialects amphidekatê 21st of the month (ampheikas)(dekatê tenth) anôda up-side Attic anôthe armôla or armômala food seasoning Attic artymata; artyo asistos nearest Attic anchistos darin or dareir span of all fingers; see Ancient Greek units of measurement Attic spithame, inch) Hecatombaios epithet for Apollo in Athens and for Zeus in Gortys (Arcadia) and Gortyna, Crete Wistiau Attic Hestiou, eponym genitive of Hestios; Cf.Hestia and gistia) woinos wine Cypriot, Cretan, Delphic, Magna Graecian; Attic oinos zellô "throw, put, let, cast" Attic ballô zerethron pit (Homeric, Attic berethron; (Koine barathron) thyrda outside Attic exô, thyra door; (Paphian thorande in in, inside Attic en; Cypriot id. kathidos water-jug Attic hydria; (Tarentine huetos) kas and Attic kai; Cypriotic id. kidaris Arcadian dance (Athenaeus 14.631d.)Mortals and Immortals by Jean-Pierre Vernant and Demetra Kidaria in Arcadia. korwa girl Attic korê; Pamphylian name Korwalina Kortynioi (Kortys or Gortys (Arcadia)) kubêbê boot, shoe Attic hypodema Lênai Bacchae (Lenaeus Dionysus, Lenaia festival) môriai horses, cattle ounê or ounei come on! Go! Attic deuro, drame pessetai it is cooked, roasted Attic optatai pos towards, into Attic pros; Cypriot id. ! Arkadia — Tegea — 4th century BC IG V,2 6 38 poskatublapse (Attic proskatablapsei)Arkadia — Mantineia — stoichedon. — 5th century BC sis who, anyone Attic tis; Laconian tir; Thessalian kis; Cypr. sis (si se)
Cypriot abathôn teacher (Attic didaskalos) abaristan () 'effeminate' abartai birds, volatile (Attic hai ptênai, ta ptêna ) ablax 'brightly wonderful' (Attic lambrôs) (α + βλάξ (blax) "idiot", blapto "harm") abremês , 'unworthy of being seen, despicable' hagana and agana (Attic sagênê 'dragnet') (agan thes) (Attic siôpa, 'shut up' ( "too much" + "put" (tithemi imp.) ankura (Attic τριώβολον triôbolon, "three obols") (Attic ankura anchor) aglaon (Attic glaphyron, "smooth, sweet, simple, decorated" (Cretan also), (Attic: aglaos "bright") agor eagle (Attic aetos) anchoûros near the morning (from anchauros anchi + aurion tomorrow ) adeios (Attic akathartos), "cleanless, impure" (cf. Attic: adeios, adeia = "fearless, safe", Byzantine and Modern: adeios, adeia = "empty") adryon (ploion dugout canoe) (α + δρῦς) athrizein (Attic rhigoun to shiver) aieis 'you listen' (Attic akoueis) (aïô only in poetic use) aipolos (Koine kapêlos wine-seller) (Attic aipolos 'goatherd') (Attic pôleô sell) akeuei (Attic terei he observes, maintains, keeps order) akmôn (Attic ἀλετρίβανος aletribanos plough or pestle) (Attic anvil, meteor) (Acmon mythology) akostê barley (Attic krithê ) Cypr. according to Hsch., but Thess. for grain of all kinds according to Sch.Il.6.506.) hals (Attic oinos wine) (Attic hals sea) () alabê or alaba (Attic marile charcoal-ember) aleipterion (Attic grapheion writing utensil or place of writing and engraving) (Attic aleiphô smear, rub) aleuron grave (Attic taphos )(leuros smooth, level, even )(Attic wheat flour) aloua gardens (Attic kêpoi) halourga the red things of the sea Cypr. according to Hsch. anda she (Attic hautê) aoron lever μοχλός gateway door-keeper (Aeolic aoros unsleeped) aoumata chaffs, straws left-overs of barleys (Cf. loumata, lumata) apelyka (Attic aperrhoga I am broken, crashed) aplanê many, a lot (Attic ) (Laconian ameremera) (Attic aplaneis unmoving, non wandering esp. for stars) apoairei (Attic apokathairei he cleans, removes) ( lead off, set out to sea) apogeme imp. remove out, draw off liquor(Attic aphelke) (Attic gemô to be full of) apoloisthein to finish complete (Attic apotelein)( holos whole) apolugma denudation (Attic apogymnôsis)(cf. apolouma) aras epispeirai Cypriot cursing custom sowing barley with water arizos grave (Attic taphos) (α + rhiza root) armula shoes (Attic hypodemata) armôatos (Attic spasmos spasm) aroura 'heap of wheat with straws' (Homeric, Ionic aroura earth) arpix harpix or aprix acanthus "species of thorn", (Attic aprix fast, tight) augaros (Attic asôtos unsaved, wasteful, prodigal) auekizein (Attic sphakelizein produce gangrene) Achaiomanteis seers, priests in Cyprus (Hesychius) ballai (Attic bathmoi grades, steps, stages) (Aeolic arrows) blasta (Attic blastesis Vegetation) bomboia (Attic kolumbas elaia pickled olive, swimming in brine)(Attic kolumbaô dive, swim) borborizei it groans, pollutes boukanê anemone flower (bukanê trumpet) bounos (Attic stibas bed of straw, reeds, leaves) (Koine bounos hill, mountain) boôneta (Attic 'purchased things in the price of cows') (Cypriot unholy things) brenthix (Attic thridakine lettuce) brinka small (Attic mikron) brimazein orgasmize (Brimô mythology) (brimaomai freak, be enraged) brouka green locust (Ionic broukos) brouchetos frog (Attic bathrachos) (Hsch. brouchetos pit ) byblioi gravekeepers ganos garden pl. ganea (Hebrew gan 'garden') gemois nu lit."you may be full, filled now" Hsch. take and sit genesis libation (Attic sponde) goanai (Attic klaiein to cry) (goaô moan) gra or grasthi "eat (imp)" (Attic phage) (Attic graô gnaw) (Sanskrit grasate eat) (PIE *gres- devour) (Salaminian kagra kata + graô Koine kataphagas gluttonous) damatrizein "collect the fuits of Demeter" dein 'turn' (Attic στρέφειν strephein (cf. Attic: deo tie) diptuon (Attic hemimedimnos, a dry measure) (Aeolic kammarpsis) diphtheraloiphos elementary teacher grammatodidaskalos ( aleiphô "smear" + diphthera "goatskin, writing-material, parchment" drosos achreios "needless, useless" (Attic drosos dew) dusea (the things around the wall) ear (Attic haima blood) (Attic Ear Spring (season)) Encheios Ἀφροδίτη elapsa (Attic diephtheira I harmed) elphos butter (Attic boutyron) enauon put in, ignite epixa (Attic ornea birds) erountes (Attic legontes the saying) (Attic erountes the ones who will say) eroua walk and rest (cf. Homeric erôeô) estê (Attic stolê, equipment, garment) (cf. esthês clothing) zaei (Attic it moves and blows) (zaei binei, inire, coïre, of illicit intercourse) thates or thutes manual labourers (Attic thêtes) (see Timocracy) theiοn (Attic igdion mortar) (Aristophanes thyeia igdion mortar) thibôn (Koine thibis ark, basket) (Hebrew tēbhāh ark, from Egyptian tebt 'box') throdax (Attic thridax lettuce) thua flavourings higa shut up (Attic siôpa) (Cretan iga) himonia strap (Attic himas) hin dat. and acc. of the old pers. Pron. hi (q.v.). in, Arc., Cypr., and Cret. for en (q.v.) kalindina intestines (Attic entera) (PIE: ghel-ond-, ghol-n•d- stomach; bowels) (Homeric cholades) (Macedonian gola) kachila flowers (Attic anthê) (Attic anadendrades climbing vineyards) (Attic kena kenea vain kibisis bag (Attic pêra) (Aetolian kibba) killos morning cicada ( tettix proinos) (Hesychius killos donkey) Kinyradai priests of Aphrodite kiris or kirris (cypriotic epithet for Adonis) (Laconian kirris lychnos light, lamp) kittaris Cypriot Diadem. Kittaroi, the ones who wear it kichêtos the vessel or the substance where the censer(Attic libanôtos) is being dyed kunupisma drink from pomace (stemphyla), i.e. left-overs of pressed grapes. lênea or leina (Attic eria wools) mopsos 'stain on the clothes' (Attic kêlis ) (Mopsus mythology) (Mopsopia old name of Attica and Attic tales of Euphorion of Chalcis) mytha voice (Attic phonê mythos mytheomai speak narrate) mulasasthai cleanse with oil (Attic smêxasthai smêchô) olinoi sheaves of barley ortos (Attic bômos altar) ouarai we (Attic hemeis) ouaron olive oil (Attic elaion) ounon or ounos road (Attic odos) (Koine dromos) pesson (Attic mountain or village) pilnon (Attic phaion obscure brown, pelidnon livid (blue, green/ dark) prepon beast (Attic teras beast)(prepôn -ontos, a fish) (Attic prepon -ntos suitable) Pygmaion Adonis rhueina lamb, accusative (Attic arna)(nom. rhuein, arên from Wrêna) si bole? (Attic ; ti boulei? what do you want?) sigunon (Attic akontion spear)Aristotle, Poetics, XXI
Paphian
epicoron (Attic epikopon) cutting, re-stamped coin (from keirô and koptô cut) es poth' herpes? (Attic pothen hekeis? where do you come from?) (Attic herpein to creep, to crawl, move slowly like a serpent eutrossesthai (Attic epistrephesthai return) thorande (Attic exo outside) thyra door hingia one (Cypr. ingia) ( heis) (Cretan itton hen one) imitraion (Hsch. hypozoston under-girdle, rope of ship impataon (Attic emblepson look inside -imperative) (Hsch. inkapathaon enkatablepson) kabeios young (Attic neos) kablê (Koine mandalos latch) kakkersai (Attic katakopsai to cut, slay) (kata + keirô cut) kalecheo (Attic katakeiso lay down -imperative) (Homeric lechos bed) kapataxeis (Attic katakopseis you will cut, slay) karrhaxon (Attic kataraxon strike -imperative) (kata + arassô katereai (Attic kathisa sit) kibos (Attic kibôtos ark or eneos speechless) kidnon here (Attic enthade) korza or korzia heart ( Attic kardia ) ( Ionic kardiê )( Homeric kradiê ) ( Aeolic karza ) kubos saucer bowl dish (Attic trublion) (Attic kubos cube) limên ἀγορά and ( endiatribê delay, abide, stay) (Attic limên port, harbour) mochoi inside (Attic entos)(cf.muchos innermost part, nook, corner) sapithos sacrifice (Attic thysia) sasai to sit (Attic kathisai) (cf. Poetic thassô sit, thôkos backless throne) ses (Attic elathes you were hidden, escaped notice see lanthano) sihai to spit (Attic ptusai to spit, cast out) soana (Attic axinê axe) stropa (Attic astrapê) (Homeric sterope, lightning flash) huesi (Koine stolê "garment", (Attic amphiesis clothing, Hsch. huestaka) Phapê Paphia (Paphian Aphrodite)
See also
Hesychius of Alexandria