κάμον

Ancient Greek

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ká.mon/ → /ˈka.mon/ → /ˈka.mon/

• (5^th BCE Attic) IPA^(key): /ká.mon/
• (1^st CE Egyptian) IPA^(key): /ˈka.mon/
• (4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /ˈka.mon/
• (10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /ˈka.mon/
• (15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /ˈka.mon/

Etymology 1

From Latin camum. Also cited in some modern sources as κάμος m (kámos). All attested forms are ambiguous between masculine and neuter (see quotations). The neuter gender has been assigned here on the basis of the Latin form.

Noun

κάμον • (kámon) n (genitive κάμου); second declension (rare)

1. barley-beer
   • 3rd c. AD, disputed authorship, Kestoi 1.19.20:

     Πίνουσι γοῦν ζῦθον Αἰγύπτιοι, κάμον Παίονες, Κελτοὶ κερβησίαν, σίκερα Βαβυλώνιοι.

     Pínousi goûn zûthon Aigúptioi, kámon Paíones, Keltoì kerbēsían, síkera Babulṓnioi.

     Egyptians drink zythos, Paeonians kamon, Celts kervesia, and Babylonians sikera.

   • 301 CE, Edict of Diocletian II.11:

     κερβησίου ἤτοι κ[άμου]

     kerbēsíou ḗtoi k[ámou]

     ...of wheat-beer or of barley-beer...

   • 5th c. AD, Priscus, History of Byzantium (quoted from the Constantinian Excerpts 8.314), (Priscus is en route from Roman territory to the Hunnic court):

     Ἐνθένδε ἐπορευόμεθα ὁδὸν ὁμαλὴν, ἐν πεδίῳ κει(??)ένην, ναυσιπόροις τε προσεβάλομεν ποταμοῖς, ὧν οἱ μέγιστοι μετὰ τὸν Ἴστρον ὅ τε Δρήκων λεγόμενος καὶ ὁ Τίγας καὶ ὁ Τιφήσας ἦν [...] Ἐχορηγοῦντο δὲ ἡμῖν κατὰ κώμας τροφαὶ, ἀντὶ μὲν σίτου κέγχρος, ἀντὶ δὲ οἴνου ὁ μέδος ἐπιχωρίως καλούμενος. Ἐκομίζοντο δὲ καὶ οἱ ἑπόμενοι ἡμῖν ὑπηρέται κέγχρον καὶ τὸ ἐκ κριθῶν χορηγούμενοι πόμα· κάμον οἱ βάρβαροι καλοῦσιν αὐτό.

     Enthénde eporeuómetha hodòn homalḕn, en pedíōi kei(??)énēn, nausipórois te prosebálomen potamoîs, hôn hoi mégistoi metà tòn Ístron hó te Drḗkōn legómenos kaì ho Tígas kaì ho Tiphḗsas ên [...] Ekhorēgoûnto dè hēmîn katà kṓmas trophaì, antì mèn sítou kénkhros, antì dè oínou ho médos epikhōríōs kaloúmenos. Ekomízonto dè kaì hoi hepómenoi hēmîn hupērétai kénkhron kaì tò ek krithôn khorēgoúmenoi póma; kámon hoi bárbaroi kaloûsin autó.

     From there we proceeded along a level path situated in open country and crossed various navigable rivers of which the largest, after the Danube, were the so-called Drekon, Tigas, and Tiphesas [...] And [as we passed] through the villages provisions were given to us: on the one hand millet instead of proper grain, and on the other hand the so-called local μέδος (médos) instead of wine. The assistants following us also received millet, as well as a certain drink made from barley- the savages call it kamon.

Coordinate terms

• κερβησία (kerbēsía), ζῦθος (zûthos)

References

• Dickey, Eleanor (2023) Latin loanwords in Ancient Greek: A lexicon and analysis, Cambridge University Press, →DOI, page 170

Etymology 2

Verb

κάμον • (kámon)

1. (Epic) first-person singular/third-person plural aorist active indicative unaugmented of κάμνω (kámnō)