I know there’s a lot variation in Ancient Greek cardinal numbers from 12-18. Lexicons like BDAG list variants and their attestation. But I’m wondering if anyone might know how the number variants may have developed over time.
I imagine this is complicated by the tendency to abbreviate numbers with the Greek numeral system, as opposed to writing them out the way they would have been pronounced.
If I had to guess, it seems to be a trajectory between Classical teen numbers that end in δέκα systematically, vs later Hellenistic variants that begin with δέκα. At the very least, I know the Modern Greek variants all ended up settling on a fronted δέκα from 13 through 19. So I’m just curious how exactly it got to that point over time.
Here’s a list of variants I’ve come across in the neuter:
- ἕνδεκα
- δώδεκα / δυώδεκα / δεκαδύο
- τριακαίδεκα / δεκατρία
- τεσσαρακαίδεκα / δεκατέσσαρα (alt. -ττ-)
- πεντεκαίδεκα / δεκαπέντε
- ἐκκαίδεκα / δεκαέξ / δέκα ἕξ
- ἑπτακαίδεκα / δεκαεπτά
- ὀκτωκαίδεκα / δέκα καὶ ὀκτώ / δεκαοκτώ
- ἐννεακαίδεκα
“18” was the only instance I found of καί separating a fronted δέκα followed by the 2nd integer. But maybe there are others that I didn’t find.
And for “19” it doesn’t seem like Modern Greek δεκαεννέα (Demotic - δεκαεννιά) is attested at anywhere in Ancient Greek sources. I guess people held on longer to the Classical form of that number?