Iyfjky

Question

For one of my novels, I need to learn how Egyptian 16 year old teenager spoke to each other on a daily basis. I did some research online but I have trouble to understand what languages peoples were speaking in Alexandria in Cleopatra's era, and more importantly: how they cursed.

Can someone give me some clues about how to get more information about this?

Please note that English is not my first language and maybe I'm not using "Curse" in the good way. What I'm looking for is words like "F**k off" or "Sh*t". Like when a kids talk to another and tell him is an idiot in a fun / friendly way.

Why do I need this ? / How will it be used

At some point in my novel, people from different eras are regrouped in one point in history and become friends. Two of those people, a 16 year old girl from Ancient Egypt and a 40 year old Viking male develop some father-daughter relationship. And I really would like to add sometimes in their dialog a few words from their original language.
For example, the girl at some point is pissed off, and call the Viking Dad a "Ergi". She tell him that because she know it will be really offensive to him.

What I am looking for is really something like this, or another "teasing" insults or bad words for them to call themselves.

What did I found so far ?

For the Viking language, it's a little easier. Insulting and cursing is a lot more documented. And some great author wrote some interesting articles

But for Ancient Egypt "trash talk", I really don't find anything interesting. But I'm sure it's because I'm bad at searching. Some books seems to have some stuffs, and some websites too, but they feel a lot less "academic", if this make any sense.

Welcome to History.SE. Please document with an edit what exactly your research revealed to you. It will also help if you flesh out your character here a bit more (ethnic background, economic background) and the language your novel will be in. That is, if you write in French, wh not let your girl curse in French? — yesterday
I am not sure if a girl in that time at that place would curse at all. Girls don't curse even in the place and time I know best (various European countries, 20th-21th century). It is predominantly men who curse - and definitely not all of them. Some simply do not. Never. Perhaps your idea of everybody necessarily cursing in everyday life is overly influenced by your own surrounding culture? — 2 hours ago

score 70 · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-08 16:16:49Z

Alexandria is sometimes called the New York of the ancient world. That means you might very well use any language you like, as the people were incredibly diverse.

But the History of Alexandria shows a few 'preferred choices':

Ethnic divisions
The early Ptolemies were careful to maintain the distinction of its population's three largest ethnicities: Greek, Jewish, and Egyptian. (At first, Egyptians were probably the plurality of residents, while the Jewish community remained small. Slavery, a normal institution in Greece, was likely present but details about its extent and about the identity of slaves are unknown.) Alexandrian Greeks placed an emphasis on Hellenistic culture, in part to exclude and subjugate non-Greeks.

The law in Alexandria was based on GreekÃ¢Â€Â”especially AtticÃ¢Â€Â”law. There were two institutions in Alexandria devoted to the preservation and study of Greek culture, which helped to exclude non-Greeks. In literature, non-Greek texts entered the library only once they had been translated into Greek. Notably, there were few references to Egypt or native Egyptians in Alexandrian poetry; one of the few references to native Egyptians presents them as "muggers." There were ostentatious religious processions in the streets that displayed the wealth and power of the Ptolemies, but also celebrated and affirmed Greekness. These processions were used to shout Greek superiority over any non-Greeks that were watching, thereby widening the divide between cultures.
From this division arose much of the later turbulence, which began to manifest itself under the rule of Ptolemy Philopater (221Ã¢Â€Â“204 BC). The reign of Ptolemy VIII Physcon from 144Ã¢Â€Â“116 BC was marked by purges and civil warfare (including the expulsion of intellectuals such as Apollodorus of Athens), as well as intrigues associated with the king's wives and sons.
Alexandria was also home to the largest Jewish community in the ancient world. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (the Torah and other writings), was produced there. Jews occupied two of the city's five quarters and worshipped at synagogues.

That means the most likely languages are by far not only Egyptian but also the wonderful Greek language, especially for the upper strata of society. This would also include the Jews, who were largely hellenised. But then from liturgical sources they would surely have also some curse and swear words derived from biblical Hebrew.

As for the Greek curses, swears, and insults,

you find that Aristophanes offers us plenty of Greek insults. Lots of them deal with feces, especially eating or shitting on others. Plenty deal with sex. Because Greeks compounded we have a lot of these that very directly translate into English, such as "koprophagos", "shit-eater" and "metrokoites", "mother-fucker", "kunops", "bitch (literally female dog)-face" or just "kun" or "kuna", "bitch" applied equally to men and women. The most common curse to a god is "ma Dia", "by Zeus", but you can find most gods' names in the accusative after "ma" for this like "ma Heran" or "ma Apollona".

And an even more colourful list:

ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ¦ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ£: a promiscuous woman; one that dangles a penis [ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ±ÃÂƒÃŽÂµÃŽÂ¹ÃÂƒÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ†ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ±ÃÂƒÃŽÂµÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ‰ + ÃÂ†ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂ»ÃÂŒÃÂ‚]

ÃŽÂ’ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ©: fart [ÃŽÂ²ÃŽÂ´ÃŽÂÃÂ‰ = ÃŽÂ²ÃÂÃÂ‰ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂ‰]

ÃŽÂ“ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ©ÃŽÂ¤ÃŽÂ¤ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¨ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ©: using the tongue

ÃŽÂ“ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂšÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ£: peeping Tom [ÃŽÂ³ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ¹ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ·ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ³ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ¯ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ± + ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¹ÃÂ€ÃÂ„ÃŽÂµÃÂÃÂ‰]

ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂœÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ£: prostitute that walks the street [ÃŽÂ´ÃÂÃŽÂ¿ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ´ÃÂÃÂŒÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚]

ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ§ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ‘: a woman's genitalia [ÃŽÂµÃÂƒÃÂ‡ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂÃŽÂ± = ÃŽÂ±ÃÂ€ÃÂŒ ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ¿ ÃÂÃŽÂ®ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ± ÃŽÂ¯ÃÂƒÃÂ‡ÃÂ‰ (ÃŽÂµÃŽÂ¼ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¿ÃŽÂ´ÃŽÂ¯ÃŽÂ¶ÃÂ‰)]

ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ“ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ£: a woman with a nice behind [ÃŽÂµÃÂÃÂ€ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ³ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂµÃÂ… + ÃÂ€ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ³ÃŽÂ® ]

ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ©ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ£: whore [ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ±ÃÂƒÃÂƒÃÂ‰ÃÂÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ±ÃÂ€ÃÂŒ ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ¿ ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ¬ÃÂƒÃŽÂ¹ÃÂ‚ (ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ´ÃŽÂµÃŽÂ»ÃÂ†ÃÂŒÃÂ‚, ÃŽÂµÃÂ„ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ¯ÃÂÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂœÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ–ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ£: a woman that sucks a penis [ÃŽÂ¼ÃÂÃŽÂ¶ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ…ÃÂÃŽÂ¹ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ¼ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ¶ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂ‰ + ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ…ÃÂÃŽÂ¬ (ÃÂ€ÃŽÂÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ˜ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ©ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂž: a cunning man (slimy cunning) [ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¹ÃŽÂ¸ÃŽÂ·ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ»ÃÂŽÃÂ€ÃŽÂ·ÃŽÂ¾ = ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¯ÃŽÂ¸ÃŽÂ·ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ»ÃÂŽÃÂ€ÃŽÂ·ÃŽÂ¾]

ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ©ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ˜ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ£: a man who keeps on spewing nonsense

ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ˜ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ·: a woman's genitalia

ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂÃŽÂ¤ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ£: someone without shame, a good for nothing person[> ÃŽÂºÃÂÃÂ‰ÃŽÂ½]

ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ§ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ£: slimy [> ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂÃÂ‡ÃÂÃŽÂ¹ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚ (ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂµÃÂ‡ÃÂÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ·ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ‘: whore (Roman times, apparently because many high end prostitutes where from that region).

ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ§ÃŽÂœÃŽÂ—: bushy woman's genitalia [> ÃŽÂ»ÃÂŒÃÂ‡ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ· (ÃŽÂ¸ÃŽÂ¬ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ‘: **** eater [ÃÂƒÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¿ÃŽÂ´ÃŽÂ® (ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ±ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ²ÃÂÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‡ÃŽÂ¸ÃŽÂ¯ÃŽÂ¶ÃÂ‰) + ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂ±ÃÂÃÂÃŽÂ± (ÃŽÂ±ÃÂ€ÃÂŒÃÂ€ÃŽÂ±ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂ§ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ¤ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ£: a very cheap whore, one that will do it for a copper

This would lead to many examples on the net.

The main research term to use is Aischrology:

AiskhrologÃƒÂa and the related verb aiskhrologÃƒÂ©o refer to Ã¢Â€Â˜shamefulÃ¢Â€Â™ and/or Ã¢Â€Â˜offensiveÃ¢Â€Â™ language. Aischrology is a speech act which belongs to the vulgar register and causes offense by intentionally breaching norms of acceptable speech behavior. Although it is often equated with obscene language, aischrology also includes profane language.

Mark Janse: Ã¢Â€ÂœAischrology.Ã¢Â€Â in: Georgios Giannakis (Ed): "Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics", Brill: Leiden, 2014. p76Ã¢Â€Â“86. (online)

The ancient researcher Pollux on the subject, maionly differentiates:

In a later entry from the Onomasticon, however, Pollux links the aischrologia wordgroup with the exercise of kakologia, loidoria, blasphÃƒÂªmia, etc.: here, by contrast, the dominant connotations seem to be those of socially dangerous abuse, insult, wrangling, and so forth, including the antagonisms of political invective. (Onom.8.80)

(Halliwell, p 118.)

A wonderful book on the subject would be Melissa Mohr: "Holy Sh*t. A Brief History of Swearing", Oxford University Press: Oxford, New York, 2013. It only starts in Roman times, but then Cleopatra is right at the line when Alexandria also became Roman.

If you insist on the girl being Egyptian and using that ancient language to curse, you still have plenty to choose from:

The first two recorded instances of what may be regarded as swearing come from Ancient Egypt. One of these is found on a stela, an upright stone slab with a commemorative inscription, dating back to the era of Ramses III, pharaoh between 1198 and 1166 BC.

The stela may be found in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The inscription was written for a small tribe Ã¢Â€Â“ probably named the Shamin Ã¢Â€Â“ living in or close to the Dakhla oasis in present-day Egypt (cf. Janssen 1968: 165Ã¢Â€Â“72).
The inscription informs us that a certain local official named Harentbia donates a daily offering of five loaves in favour of his dead father. The offering is said to be Ã¢Â€Â˜everlastingÃ¢Â€Â™ and promises that the official in charge of its execution will enjoy the protection of the god Amon-Re. It also describes the punishment that will be meted out to those who fail to follow the instructions: the person who fails in this respect Ã¢Â€Â˜shall fall to the sword of Amon-ReÃ¢Â€Â™ and in addition Ã¢Â€Â˜a donkey shall copulate with him, he shall copulate with a donkey, his wife shall copulate with his childrenÃ¢Â€Â™.

What makes the inscription interesting to students of swearing is the way the threat of retribution is worded. Sexual threats of the same nature involving a donkey turn up in numerous other legal documents and inscriptions from the same era. Donkey-based threats of this kind had apparently become formulaic and were used as a standardized ingredient in legal texts of the era (cf. Tyldesley 2001: 163). Amazingly, it Ã¢Â€Â“ or something like it Ã¢Â€Â“ is apparently still used as a standard curse in todayÃ¢Â€Â™s Kurdish, that is more than 3000 years later than its first known appearance (cf. Demirbag-Sten 2005: 219).

Magnus Ljung: "Swearing: A Cross-Cultural Linguistic Study", PalgraveMacmillan: Basingstoke, 2011, p 45.

One suggestion, based on age of the protagonists, estimated timeframe Cleopatra, in Greek, and similarity to your Ergi might be aloing the lones of prokyon or catamite?

_Sources:

_{Thomas Conley: "Toward a Rhetoric of Insult", University of Chicago Press: Chicago, London, 2010.}

_{Michelle Lovric & Nikiforos Doxiadis Mardas: "How to Insult, Abuse and Insinuate in Classical Latin", Metro Books: New York, 1998.}

_{Ineke Sluiter & Ralph M. Rosen (Eds): "KAKOS. Badness and Anti-Value in Classical Antiquity", Mnemosyne Supplements,
Monographs on Greek and Roman Language and Literature, Vol 307, Brill: Leiden, Boston, 2008.}

_{Ineke Sluiter & Ralph M. Rosen (Eds): "Free Speech in Classical Antiquity", Mnemosyne Bibliotheca Classica Batava, Brill: Leiden, Boston, 2004. (esp. chapter 6: Stephen Halliwell: "Aischrology, Shame, and Comedy", p115Ã¢Â€Â“144.)}

Wonderful! WhoÃ¢Â€Â™d have thought there would be a name for the study of obscenities! — 18 hours ago
Actually, your cultural biases are showing. Bad language generally comes in three categories: obscenity (sex), scatology (excrement and urine) and blasphemy (religious). In the modern day, obscenity and to a lesser degree scatology dominate, but that is because we are a largely secular society. A more religious society will have correspondingly more (and more varied) blasphemy. — 17 hours ago
@WhatRoughBeast I think those categories also show your bias as well. There is foul language wishing people diseases and literally cursing others. Those are only examples from Dutch, so I can imagine other categories from around the world that don't fall in the categories you provided. — 9 hours ago
@WhatRoughBeast Polish also has some rather creative swears that don't quite fit in the categories you've described. The two I remember most vividly from my childhood include "Cholera" (exactly the same as in English) and "Psia krew" (literally "dog's blood", though I'm uncertain of the historical context around that one). — 7 hours ago

score 70 · Accepted Answer · 2018-10-08 16:16:49Z

Alexandria is sometimes called the New York of the ancient world. That means you might very well use any language you like, as the people were incredibly diverse.

But the History of Alexandria shows a few 'preferred choices':

Ethnic divisions
The early Ptolemies were careful to maintain the distinction of its population's three largest ethnicities: Greek, Jewish, and Egyptian. (At first, Egyptians were probably the plurality of residents, while the Jewish community remained small. Slavery, a normal institution in Greece, was likely present but details about its extent and about the identity of slaves are unknown.) Alexandrian Greeks placed an emphasis on Hellenistic culture, in part to exclude and subjugate non-Greeks.

The law in Alexandria was based on GreekÃ¢Â€Â”especially AtticÃ¢Â€Â”law. There were two institutions in Alexandria devoted to the preservation and study of Greek culture, which helped to exclude non-Greeks. In literature, non-Greek texts entered the library only once they had been translated into Greek. Notably, there were few references to Egypt or native Egyptians in Alexandrian poetry; one of the few references to native Egyptians presents them as "muggers." There were ostentatious religious processions in the streets that displayed the wealth and power of the Ptolemies, but also celebrated and affirmed Greekness. These processions were used to shout Greek superiority over any non-Greeks that were watching, thereby widening the divide between cultures.
From this division arose much of the later turbulence, which began to manifest itself under the rule of Ptolemy Philopater (221Ã¢Â€Â“204 BC). The reign of Ptolemy VIII Physcon from 144Ã¢Â€Â“116 BC was marked by purges and civil warfare (including the expulsion of intellectuals such as Apollodorus of Athens), as well as intrigues associated with the king's wives and sons.
Alexandria was also home to the largest Jewish community in the ancient world. The Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible (the Torah and other writings), was produced there. Jews occupied two of the city's five quarters and worshipped at synagogues.

That means the most likely languages are by far not only Egyptian but also the wonderful Greek language, especially for the upper strata of society. This would also include the Jews, who were largely hellenised. But then from liturgical sources they would surely have also some curse and swear words derived from biblical Hebrew.

As for the Greek curses, swears, and insults,

you find that Aristophanes offers us plenty of Greek insults. Lots of them deal with feces, especially eating or shitting on others. Plenty deal with sex. Because Greeks compounded we have a lot of these that very directly translate into English, such as "koprophagos", "shit-eater" and "metrokoites", "mother-fucker", "kunops", "bitch (literally female dog)-face" or just "kun" or "kuna", "bitch" applied equally to men and women. The most common curse to a god is "ma Dia", "by Zeus", but you can find most gods' names in the accusative after "ma" for this like "ma Heran" or "ma Apollona".

And an even more colourful list:

ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ¦ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ£: a promiscuous woman; one that dangles a penis [ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ±ÃÂƒÃŽÂµÃŽÂ¹ÃÂƒÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ†ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ±ÃÂƒÃŽÂµÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ‰ + ÃÂ†ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂ»ÃÂŒÃÂ‚]

ÃŽÂ’ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ©: fart [ÃŽÂ²ÃŽÂ´ÃŽÂÃÂ‰ = ÃŽÂ²ÃÂÃÂ‰ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂ‰]

ÃŽÂ“ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ©ÃŽÂ¤ÃŽÂ¤ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¨ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ©: using the tongue

ÃŽÂ“ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂšÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ£: peeping Tom [ÃŽÂ³ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ¹ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ·ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ³ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ¯ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ± + ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¹ÃÂ€ÃÂ„ÃŽÂµÃÂÃÂ‰]

ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂœÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ£: prostitute that walks the street [ÃŽÂ´ÃÂÃŽÂ¿ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ´ÃÂÃÂŒÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚]

ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ§ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ‘: a woman's genitalia [ÃŽÂµÃÂƒÃÂ‡ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂÃŽÂ± = ÃŽÂ±ÃÂ€ÃÂŒ ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ¿ ÃÂÃŽÂ®ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ± ÃŽÂ¯ÃÂƒÃÂ‡ÃÂ‰ (ÃŽÂµÃŽÂ¼ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¿ÃŽÂ´ÃŽÂ¯ÃŽÂ¶ÃÂ‰)]

ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ“ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ£: a woman with a nice behind [ÃŽÂµÃÂÃÂ€ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ³ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂµÃÂ… + ÃÂ€ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ³ÃŽÂ® ]

ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ©ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ£: whore [ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ±ÃÂƒÃÂƒÃÂ‰ÃÂÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ±ÃÂ€ÃÂŒ ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ¿ ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ¬ÃÂƒÃŽÂ¹ÃÂ‚ (ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ´ÃŽÂµÃŽÂ»ÃÂ†ÃÂŒÃÂ‚, ÃŽÂµÃÂ„ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ¯ÃÂÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂœÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ–ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ£: a woman that sucks a penis [ÃŽÂ¼ÃÂÃŽÂ¶ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ…ÃÂÃŽÂ¹ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ¼ÃÂ…ÃŽÂ¶ÃŽÂ¬ÃÂ‰ + ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ…ÃÂÃŽÂ¬ (ÃÂ€ÃŽÂÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ˜ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ©ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂž: a cunning man (slimy cunning) [ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¹ÃŽÂ¸ÃŽÂ·ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ»ÃÂŽÃÂ€ÃŽÂ·ÃŽÂ¾ = ÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¯ÃŽÂ¸ÃŽÂ·ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚ = ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ»ÃÂŽÃÂ€ÃŽÂ·ÃŽÂ¾]

ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ©ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ˜ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ£: a man who keeps on spewing nonsense

ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ˜ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ·: a woman's genitalia

ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂÃŽÂ¤ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ£: someone without shame, a good for nothing person[> ÃŽÂºÃÂÃÂ‰ÃŽÂ½]

ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ•ÃŽÂ§ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ£: slimy [> ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂÃÂ‡ÃÂÃŽÂ¹ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚ (ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂµÃÂ‡ÃÂÃŽÂ¯ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ·ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ‘: whore (Roman times, apparently because many high end prostitutes where from that region).

ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ§ÃŽÂœÃŽÂ—: bushy woman's genitalia [> ÃŽÂ»ÃÂŒÃÂ‡ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ· (ÃŽÂ¸ÃŽÂ¬ÃŽÂ¼ÃŽÂ½ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂ£ÃŽÂ ÃŽÂŸÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ—ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ¥ÃŽÂ¡ÃŽÂ‘: **** eater [ÃÂƒÃÂ€ÃŽÂ¿ÃŽÂ´ÃŽÂ® (ÃŽÂºÃŽÂ±ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ±ÃŽÂ²ÃÂÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‡ÃŽÂ¸ÃŽÂ¯ÃŽÂ¶ÃÂ‰) + ÃŽÂ»ÃŽÂ±ÃÂÃÂÃŽÂ± (ÃŽÂ±ÃÂ€ÃÂŒÃÂ€ÃŽÂ±ÃÂ„ÃŽÂ¿ÃÂ‚)]

ÃŽÂ§ÃŽÂ‘ÃŽÂ›ÃŽÂšÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ”ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ¤ÃŽÂ™ÃŽÂ£: a very cheap whore, one that will do it for a copper

This would lead to many examples on the net.

The main research term to use is Aischrology:

AiskhrologÃƒÂa and the related verb aiskhrologÃƒÂ©o refer to Ã¢Â€Â˜shamefulÃ¢Â€Â™ and/or Ã¢Â€Â˜offensiveÃ¢Â€Â™ language. Aischrology is a speech act which belongs to the vulgar register and causes offense by intentionally breaching norms of acceptable speech behavior. Although it is often equated with obscene language, aischrology also includes profane language.

Mark Janse: Ã¢Â€ÂœAischrology.Ã¢Â€Â in: Georgios Giannakis (Ed): "Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics", Brill: Leiden, 2014. p76Ã¢Â€Â“86. (online)

The ancient researcher Pollux on the subject, maionly differentiates:

In a later entry from the Onomasticon, however, Pollux links the aischrologia wordgroup with the exercise of kakologia, loidoria, blasphÃƒÂªmia, etc.: here, by contrast, the dominant connotations seem to be those of socially dangerous abuse, insult, wrangling, and so forth, including the antagonisms of political invective. (Onom.8.80)

(Halliwell, p 118.)

A wonderful book on the subject would be Melissa Mohr: "Holy Sh*t. A Brief History of Swearing", Oxford University Press: Oxford, New York, 2013. It only starts in Roman times, but then Cleopatra is right at the line when Alexandria also became Roman.

If you insist on the girl being Egyptian and using that ancient language to curse, you still have plenty to choose from:

The first two recorded instances of what may be regarded as swearing come from Ancient Egypt. One of these is found on a stela, an upright stone slab with a commemorative inscription, dating back to the era of Ramses III, pharaoh between 1198 and 1166 BC.

The stela may be found in the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The inscription was written for a small tribe Ã¢Â€Â“ probably named the Shamin Ã¢Â€Â“ living in or close to the Dakhla oasis in present-day Egypt (cf. Janssen 1968: 165Ã¢Â€Â“72).
The inscription informs us that a certain local official named Harentbia donates a daily offering of five loaves in favour of his dead father. The offering is said to be Ã¢Â€Â˜everlastingÃ¢Â€Â™ and promises that the official in charge of its execution will enjoy the protection of the god Amon-Re. It also describes the punishment that will be meted out to those who fail to follow the instructions: the person who fails in this respect Ã¢Â€Â˜shall fall to the sword of Amon-ReÃ¢Â€Â™ and in addition Ã¢Â€Â˜a donkey shall copulate with him, he shall copulate with a donkey, his wife shall copulate with his childrenÃ¢Â€Â™.

What makes the inscription interesting to students of swearing is the way the threat of retribution is worded. Sexual threats of the same nature involving a donkey turn up in numerous other legal documents and inscriptions from the same era. Donkey-based threats of this kind had apparently become formulaic and were used as a standardized ingredient in legal texts of the era (cf. Tyldesley 2001: 163). Amazingly, it Ã¢Â€Â“ or something like it Ã¢Â€Â“ is apparently still used as a standard curse in todayÃ¢Â€Â™s Kurdish, that is more than 3000 years later than its first known appearance (cf. Demirbag-Sten 2005: 219).

Magnus Ljung: "Swearing: A Cross-Cultural Linguistic Study", PalgraveMacmillan: Basingstoke, 2011, p 45.

One suggestion, based on age of the protagonists, estimated timeframe Cleopatra, in Greek, and similarity to your Ergi might be aloing the lones of prokyon or catamite?

_Sources:

_{Thomas Conley: "Toward a Rhetoric of Insult", University of Chicago Press: Chicago, London, 2010.}

_{Michelle Lovric & Nikiforos Doxiadis Mardas: "How to Insult, Abuse and Insinuate in Classical Latin", Metro Books: New York, 1998.}

_{Ineke Sluiter & Ralph M. Rosen (Eds): "KAKOS. Badness and Anti-Value in Classical Antiquity", Mnemosyne Supplements,
Monographs on Greek and Roman Language and Literature, Vol 307, Brill: Leiden, Boston, 2008.}

_{Ineke Sluiter & Ralph M. Rosen (Eds): "Free Speech in Classical Antiquity", Mnemosyne Bibliotheca Classica Batava, Brill: Leiden, Boston, 2004. (esp. chapter 6: Stephen Halliwell: "Aischrology, Shame, and Comedy", p115Ã¢Â€Â“144.)}

Wonderful! WhoÃ¢Â€Â™d have thought there would be a name for the study of obscenities! — 18 hours ago
Actually, your cultural biases are showing. Bad language generally comes in three categories: obscenity (sex), scatology (excrement and urine) and blasphemy (religious). In the modern day, obscenity and to a lesser degree scatology dominate, but that is because we are a largely secular society. A more religious society will have correspondingly more (and more varied) blasphemy. — 17 hours ago
@WhatRoughBeast I think those categories also show your bias as well. There is foul language wishing people diseases and literally cursing others. Those are only examples from Dutch, so I can imagine other categories from around the world that don't fall in the categories you provided. — 9 hours ago
@WhatRoughBeast Polish also has some rather creative swears that don't quite fit in the categories you've described. The two I remember most vividly from my childhood include "Cholera" (exactly the same as in English) and "Psia krew" (literally "dog's blood", though I'm uncertain of the historical context around that one). — 7 hours ago

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