Discussion of words (especially place-names) ending in -κη and their accentuation/prosody, with examples such as Ἄκη, Τρίκκη, Χάλκη, and rules about when such disyllables are heavy or oxytonic.
τὸ μέντοι ἀκή ἡ ἡσυχία ὀξύνεται πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν κυρίου. ἔστι δὲ Ἄκη πόλις Φοινίκης ἡ ὕστερον Πτολεμαΐς. ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ Ἄκη ἀπὸ τῆς ἰάσεως τοῦ γενομένου δήγματος Ἡρακλεῖ ὑπὸ ὄφεως. τὰ δὲ εἰς 'κη' λήγοντα δισύλλαβα ἐπὶ πόλεων ἢ χωρῶν βαρύνεται, Πλάκη πόλις Ἑλλησποντία. τὸ δὲ φακῆ περισπᾶται ἐκ συναιρέσεως. Τὰ εἰς 'κη' δισύλλαβα πρὸ τοῦ 'κ' σύμφωνον ἔχοντα μὴ τὸ 'λ' βαρύνεται, κάκκη κόπρος, κάκη δὲ ἡ δειλία, λόκκη ἡ χλαμύς, κρόκκη ἡ παράλιος ψηφίς. Τρίκκη πόλις Θεσσαλίας ἀπὸ Τρίκκης τῆς Πηνειοῦ θυγατρός. Δίρκη, Κίρκη, νάρκη, Βάρκη πόλις Λιβύης ἥτις καὶ Πτολεμαΐς. λέγεται καὶ Βάρκαια. ἄσκη ἡ ἄσκησις. πέρκη εἶδος ἰχθύος, ἣ καὶ Θρᾷττα ἐκαλεῖτο. Ἄρκη πόλις Φοινίκης. Ἰώσηπος ἐν πέμπτῳ τῆς Ἰουδαϊκῆς ἀρχαιολογίας ( 1, 22). Θρίγκη πόλις περὶ τὰς στήλας. Ἑκαταῖος Ἀσίᾳ. τὸ δὲ ὁλκή καὶ ἀλκή ὀξύνονται, ὡς ἔχοντα τὸ λάμβδα. τὸ δὲ Χάλκη πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τοῦ χαλκῆ βαρύνεται. ἔστι δὲ πόλις Λιβύης »μετὰ δ´ αὐτὴν πόλις Φοινίκων Χάλκη«. ἔστι καὶ νῆσος. Θουκυδίδης ὀγδόῃ (c. 44) »ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς Χάλκην, ἐντεῦθεν δ´ εἰς Σάμον«. Θεόφραστος δὲ Χαλκίαν αὐτὴν καλεῖ. ἔστι καὶ ἄλλη Χάλκη Λαρισαίας πόλις. λέγεται καὶ πληθυντικῶς Χάλκαι. Θεόπομπος πρώτῳ Φιλιππικῶν...... καὶ τρίτῳ »ἔτι συνεπολέμησεν ὡρμημένος ἐκ Χαλκῶν τῆς Λαρισαίας«. Τὰ εἰς 'κη' ὑπερδισύλλαβα τῷ 'α' παραληγόμενα εἴτε κύρια εἴτε προσηγορικὰ βαρύνεται, εἰ μὴ εἴη ῥηματικά, Ἰθάκη νῆσος πρὸς τῇ Κεφαλληνίᾳ ἀπὸ Ἰθάκου ἥρωος. ἔστι καὶ Συρίας ὑπὸ τὸν Εὐφράτην. Ἀρτάκη πόλις Φρυγίας ἄποικος Μιλησίων. Δημήτριος δὲ νησίον εἶναί φησι κατὰ Τιμοσθένην λέγων »Ἀρτάκη, τοῦτο μὲν ὄρος ἐστὶ τῆς Κυζικηνῆς,
The ἀκή, however, “silence,” is accented with an acute, by way of distinction from the proper name. Now Ἄκη is a city of Phoenicia, later Πτολεμαΐς. And it was called Ἄκη from the curing of the bite that happened to Heracles from a snake. But disyllables ending in -κη, in the case of cities or regions, are accented with a grave: Πλάκη, a city of the Hellespont. But φακῆ is circumflexed by contraction. Disyllables in -κη that have a consonant before κ other than λ are accented with a grave: κάκκη, “dung”; κάκη, “cowardice”; λόκκη, “cloak”; κρόκκη, “the seaside pebble.” Τρίκκη, a city of Thessaly, from Τρίκκη, daughter of Peneius. Δίρκη, Κίρκη, νάρκη, Βάρκη, a city of Libya, which is also Πτολεμαΐς; it is also called Βάρκαια. ἄσκη, “exercise.” πέρκη, a kind of fish, which was also called Θρᾷττα. Ἄρκη, a city of Phoenicia. Josephus in the fifth book of the Jewish Antiquities (1, 22). Θρίγκη, a city near the stelae. Hecataeus, in the Asia. But ὁλκή and ἀλκή are accented with an acute, as having lambda. But Χάλκη, by way of distinction from χαλκῆ, is accented with a grave. And it is a city of Libya: “and after it a city of the Phoenicians, Χάλκη.” There is also an island. Thucydides in the eighth book (c. 44): “they sailed to Χάλκη, and from there to Samos.” But Theophrastus calls it Χαλκία. There is also another Χάλκη, a city of Larisaea. It is also said in the plural, Χάλκαι. Theopompus in the first book of the Philippics … and in the third: “and he still fought in alliance, having set out from the Χαλκαί of Larisaea.” Polysyllables ending in -κη with α in the penult, whether proper names or appellatives, are accented with a grave, unless they are verbal: Ἰθάκη, an island near Cephallenia, from Ἰθάκος the hero. There is also one in Syria under the Euphrates. Ἀρτάκη, a city of Phrygia, a colony of the Milesians. But Demetrius says, following Timosthenes, that it is an islet, saying: “Ἀρτάκη, this is a mountain of the Cyzicene…”