Madhuvidya

SR No.: 006525
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad
Publication Year: 2001
Total Pages: 762
Language: English
Classification: Book_English, Literature, & Philosophy
File Size: 17 MB

Page 169

was phonetic resemblance between the two, the meaning 'iron sword' could not be attributed to the reconstructed IE word as iron was not known in that period?. But if Latin ensis 'sword'. Jike Greek ásis 'river mud', is considered a nominalization of the IE adj. 18 'black'. ie. 'the black one, the black iron sword', then the two words from Sanskrit and Latin can be looked upon as cognates. And not only these two, also Gk. ásis 'river mud' can be considered a cognate with them as all three can now be treated as independent nominalizations of the IE adj. r 'black'.
If the above explanation of Skt. así 'knife' as a later development of a nominalization the black one' of a potential adjective *asi 'black' is correct then it implies that at the time (late Rgvedic period) when así knife' is attested it must have been made of iron. Otherwise the nominalization of the adjective meaning 'black' cannot be explained. This means that on linguistic evidence it is possible for us to say that iron was known in the late gvedic period.
All these facts about the etymology of the Skt. noun asi have already been stated by Prof. Thieme in the review referred to above (1964). The purpose of the present paper is only to bring these facts to the notice of the archaeologists and also to make explicit the implication of this etymology for the iron-age in India.
Prof. Thiene 1958 Review of 'Dictionnaire etymologique du protoindoeuropeen' Albert Carnoy, Language 34 pp. 510-515.
1964 "The Comparative Method for Reconstruction in Linguistics' Language in Culture and Society (ed.) Dell Hymes, pp. 593-594.
M. A. MEHENDALE
Prof. Thieme's suggestion seems to have its starting point in W. Schulze's etymological hypothesis regarding Greek ásis f. 'river mud' (Kleine Schritten 116 f.). The paper is inaccessible to me. The words for 'iron' in the languages belonging to the IE family are phonetically quite different from one another: Gk. síděros, Lat. ferrum, old Slavic želēzo. old irish zaru. Skt. krsnnäyasa.
Madhu Vidyā/144