On Βυθίζων, a Scythian word in the lexicon of Hesychius of Alexandria

Abstract

In the absence of indigenous written records, the linguistic heritage of the Scythians has survived to the present day primarily through the accounts of ancient Greek authors. One of the most significant sources containing Scythian elements is the comprehensive Greek lexicon compiled by Hesychius of Alexandria, a lexicographer of the fifth century CE. In preserving the linguistic richness of his era, Hesychius also included archaic and foreign vocabulary, thereby recording a number of distinct terms used by the Scythians. One such Scythian word is preserved in his lexicon in the form of "βυθίζων" (bythízōn). This article examines the etymology of this Scythian word as recorded in Hesychius's lexicon and explores its close morphological and semantic connections to Turkic and its dialects. Conventional Indo-European-centered historical theories hold that the Ossetians (Alans) of the Caucasus are the direct living descendants of the Scythians. Detailed linguistic investigation, however, reveals that this word has no phonetic or semantic equivalent in either modern Ossetian or its earlier historical stages. By contrast, the Scythian term "βυθίζων" survives virtually intact in both historical and contemporary Turkic dialects, retaining its phonetic structure, root morphology, and core meaning. On the basis of this concrete linguistic evidence, the study re-evaluates the linguistic identity of the Scythians—the ancient nomads of the Eurasian steppes—and seeks to demonstrate, through philological data, the continuity of the Scythian–Turkic cultural sphere.