Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Isaurian language

Isaurian is an extinct language spoken in the area of Isauria, Asia Minor. Epigraphic evidence, including funerary inscriptions, has been found into the 6th century AD. The personal names of its speakers appear to be derived from Luwian and thus Indo-European. Isaurian names containing clear Anatolian roots include Οαδας Oadas, Τροκονδας Trokondas, Κουδεις Koudeis, and Μοασις Moasis.

Last revised
Aug 1, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
253 w
Citations
5
Source
Isaurian
Native toAsia Minor
RegionIsauria
Erauntil the 5th century or 6th century AD
unclassified; personal names appear to be related to Luwian
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
GlottologNone

Isaurian is an extinct language spoken in the area of Isauria, Asia Minor. Epigraphic evidence, including funerary inscriptions, has been found into the 6th century AD.12 The personal names of its speakers appear to be derived from Luwian and thus Indo-European.3 Isaurian names containing clear Anatolian roots include Οαδας Oadas, Τροκονδας Trokondas (cf. Luwian Tarḫunt, Lycian 𐊗𐊕𐊌𐊌𐊑𐊗 Trqqñt), Κουδεις Koudeis (cf. Lycian Kuwata), and Μοασις Moasis (cf. Hittite muwa "power").4

The Isaurian personal name Τουατρις Touatris may reflect the Indo-European word for 'daughter' (compare Hieroglyphic Luwian FILIAtú-wa/i-tara/i-na).5

References

References

  1. Honey, Linda (5 December 2016). "Justifiably Outraged or Simply Outrageous? The Isaurian Incident of Ammianus Marcellinus". Violence in Late Antiquity: Perceptions and Practices. Routledge. p. 50. ISBN 9781351875745.
  2. Holl, Karl. “Das Fortleben Der Volkssprachen in Kleinasien in Nachchristlicher Zeit.” Hermes, vol. 43, no. 2, 1908, pp. 242. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4473126. Accessed 16 Jun. 2022.
  3. Frank R. Trombley and John W. Watt, The Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite (Liverpool University Press, 2000), p. 12; Linda Honey, "Justifiably Outraged or Simply Outrageous? The Isaurian Incident of Ammianus Marcellinus 14.2," in Violence in Late Antiquity: Perceptions and Practices (Ashgate, 2006), 50.
  4. Waelkens, Marc; Loots, Lieven (2000). Sagalassos Five. Leuven University Press. ISBN 9789058670793.
  5. Blažek, Václav. “Indo-European kinship terms in *-ə̯2TER”. (2001). In: Grammaticvs: studia linguistica Adolfo Erharto quinque et septuagenario oblata. Šefčík, Ondřej (editor); Vykypěl, Bohumil (editor). Vyd. 1. V Brně: Masarykova univerzita, 2001. p. 25. http://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/123188