DOI
10.13109/glot.2026.102.1.93
Abstract
The retention of -ss- in the Aeolic dialects implies that Proto-Aeolic had s-stem dative plurals with -ss- (ἄνθεσ-σι). Yet the Lesbian lyric poets only have forms with a single -s- (ἄνθεσι). In an influential study, Morpurgo Davies argued that the ἄνθεσιν-type is native to Lesbian and used these forms as crucial evidence for the simplification of -ss- in Proto-Aeolic. However, a closer look at the epigraphic and literary evidence strongly suggests that ἄνθεσιν in Lesbian lyric is a poetic borrowing from Ionic and that Proto-Aeolic maintained -ss- in the dative plural of the s-stems. These findings have important implications for the history of Proto-Greek, Proto-Aeolic, and our understanding of the poetic dialect of Sappho and Alcaeus.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-2026
Publisher Statement
© 2026, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Robert-Bosch-Breite 10, D-37079 Göttingen, ein Imprint der Brill-Gruppehttps://doi.org/10.13109/glot.2026.102.1.93
Recommended Citation
Medina, Jorge Alejandro Wong, "Sappho’s flowers: Lyric ἄνθεσιν and the Aeolic dative" (2026). Classical Studies Faculty Publications. 62.
https://scholarship.richmond.edu/classicalstudies-faculty-publications/62
