Latin ablative absolute Greek genetive absolute and Lithuanian past participle in -ęs/-ę

 

Lithuanian has quite an "overgrown" participial system in comparison with the other Indo-European languages, like Latin, Greek and Sanskrit. In most of the Indo-European languages the inherited participial systems were reduced but Lithuanian not only kept all the inherited Indo-European participles, but it expanded their system.
In this short note we focus on the comparability of the past active participle in -ęs with some participial forms of Latin and Greek.

The Latin ablative absolute finds its counterpart in Lithuanian in the past participle in  -ęs (singular masculine nominative) -ę (plural masculine nominative) -usi (singular feminine nominative) -usios (plural feminine nominative):

Dux, caesis hostibus, liberavit exercitum = vadas, priešą nužudęs, išlaisvino kariuomenę = The commander after slaughtering the enemy freed the army
Caesar, oratione habita, in Italiam profectus est = Cezaris, pasakęs kalbą, išvyko į Italiją = Caesar, having made a speech, set out for Italy
which in turn corresponds to the genitive absolute in Greek:
Ἡρπασμένης τῆς χώρας, οἱ πολίται ἐπί τούς πολεμίους ἐπορεύοντο = piliečiai, apiplėšę teritoriją, žygiavo į priešų pusę = after plundering the territory, the citizens marched against the enemies