[SunkenCiv]

Levitha’s ancient name was Lebinthos. But I suppose everyone knows that. There are a number of place names in -nth- in the Aegean, including mainland Greece, and they are believed to be pre-Greek.

Thanks! And yeah, the -nth (-nthos, nthus) endings on placenames are Carian in origin, and are found in other places around the Med as well, because the Carians were the drift known to the Greeks. Herodotus talks about Carians here and there throughout The HIstories.

[Verginius Rufus]

I don't know if we can consider Herodotus an authority on this subject. There are some placenames in Asia Minor that seem to be of similar origin, and part of that was the area inhabited in his time by Carians.

Besides the -nth- place names (and loanwords like plinthos for brick and erebinthos for garbanzo bean) there are place names in -ss- or -tt- all over the Aegean area: Larissa, Parnassos, Hymettos, Knossos, Halikarnassos (Herodotus' birthplace), Tylissos, etc. Plus loanwords like thalassa (or thalatta) for sea, glossa (glotta) for tongue, nesos for island, melissa for bee, etc.

On Rhodes there is the place name Lindos. The -nd- form seems to be a variation of -nth-.