“The Messengers are Called Sangandai”: the Greek σαγγάνδης and its Relationship to ἀσγάνδης/ ἀστάνδης

This article examines the Greek noun σαγγάνδης ‘messenger’ which is attested in two lexica, dated to Roman or early Byzantine periods: Cambridge Rhetorical Lexicon by an anonymous author and Difficult Words Attic Orators Claudius Casilo. In both works, appears together with three words of likely Iranian provenance: ὀροσάγγης ‘benefactor Persian king; bodyguard’, παρασάγγης ‘parasang; messenger’ ἄγγαρος ‘messenger, courier; workman, labourer’. The word analysed comparison ἀσγάνδης/ ἀστάνδης occurring for first time Plutarch’s works closely linked Achaemenid administration. According hypothesis put forward present paper, σγάνδης (with its secondary variant στάνδης) are connected Manichaean Middle Persian/Parthian ižgand ‘messenger’, Sogdian (a)žγand/(ɔ) žγand/ž(i)γant ‘id.’, Jewish Aramaic ʾîzgaddā Syriac izgandā/izgaddā Mandaic ašganda ‘helper, assistant, servant; Messenger’, go back Old *zganda- Persian/early Parthian *žgand- (or *zgand-) original meaning ‘mounted messenger’. reconstructed derived from Proto-Iranian root *zga(n)d- ‘to on, gallop, mount’, Avestan (Younger zgaδ(/θ)- on horseback, gallop’) some Modern languages. form loanword was probably *σγάνδης then underwent certain transformations.