Social:Inscriptional Pahlavi

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Short description: Earliest attested form of Pahlavi scripts
Inscriptional Pahlavi
Inscribed stone block from the c. 293 CE Paikuli inscription
Type
Abjad
LanguagesMiddle Iranian languages
Time period
2nd century BC — 6th century AD
Parent systems
Aramaic alphabet
DirectionRight-to-left
ISO 15924Phli, 131
Unicode alias
Inscriptional Pahlavi
U+10B60–U+10B7F

Inscriptional Pahlavi is the earliest attested form of Pahlavi scripts, and is evident in clay fragments that have been dated to the reign of Mithridates I (r. 171–138 BC). Other early evidence includes the Pahlavi inscriptions of Parthian coins and the rock inscriptions of Sasanian emperors and other notables, such as Kartir the High Priest.

Reproduction of one of the painted inscriptions (no. 42) from the walls of the Dura-Europos synagogue, presumed to date to the 15th regnal year of the unnamed Šāpūr I (240–70 CE):[1]

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    BYRḤ prwrtyn QDM

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    ŠNT X III II WYWM lšny

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    ʾMT yzdʾntḥ[m]pr[n]b(g)

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    dpywr ZY tḥmy ʿL

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    ZNH BYTʾ [YʾTWNt] ʾPš ZNH nkʾl

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    ps(nd)yt
"(It was the 1st) month of Frawardīn in the year 15 and the (18th) day Rashn when the scribe Yazdān-tahm-farrbay, the strong, [came] to this house, and he liked this picture."
Photo showing the writing in context, written over a figure's himation
Full panel with additional inscriptions

Letters

Inscriptional Pahlavi used 19 non-joining letters written from right to left, and usually with spaces between words:[2][3]

Name[A] Image Text Principal phones (IPA; Middle Persian)[4] Transliteration[5]: 129(۱۲۹)-130(۱۳۰) [6]: xi, xii, xiii [2]
Iranian Semitic (Aramaic)
Aleph 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [a], [aː] ʼ or ʾ A
Beth 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [b], [w] b B
Gimel 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [ɡ], [j] g G
Daleth 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [d], [j] d D
He 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi — -H, E
Waw- 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [w], [o(ː)], [u(ː)] w W
-Ayin- [∅] O
-Resh [r][B] r R
Zayin 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [z] z Z
Heth 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [h], [x] h Ḥ
Teth 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi — Ṭ
Yodh 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [j], [e(ː)], [i(ː)], [d̠͡ʒ] y, j- Y
Kaph 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [k], [ɡ] k K
Lamedh 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [l], [r][B] l L
Mem- 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [m] m M
-Qoph — Q
Nun 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [n] n N
Samekh 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [s], [h] s S
Pe 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [p], [b], [f] p P
Sadhe 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [t̠͡ʃ], [d̠͡ʒ], [z] ṣ Ṣ
Shin 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [ʃ] š Š
Taw 32x32px Template:Script/Pahlavi [t], [d] t T
  1. ^ Letter names are based on the corresponding Imperial Aramaic characters.[2]
  2. ^ Template:Script/Pahlavi is used for [r] more often than Template:Script/Pahlavi.[4]
Different letterforms from inscriptions and coins (Sasanian, later coins, and coin ligatures)

Numbers

Inscriptional Pahlavi had its own numerals:

Value 1 2 3 4 10 20 100 1000
Sign Image 32px 32px 32px 32px 32px 32px 32px 32px
Text Template:Script/Pahlavi Template:Script/Pahlavi Template:Script/Pahlavi Template:Script/Pahlavi Template:Script/Pahlavi Template:Script/Pahlavi Template:Script/Pahlavi Template:Script/Pahlavi

Numerals are written right-to-left, the rightmost being the highest—with the exception of multiplication. Numerals add when the one to the left is lower or equal but multiply when it is larger.

Example: 6798 is written as Template:Script/Pahlavi ((3 + 3) × 1000 + (4 + 3) × 100 + 20 + 20 + 20 + 20 +10 + 4 + 4).[2]

Unicode

Main article: Inscriptional Pahlavi (Unicode block)

Inscriptional Pahlavi script was added to the Unicode Standard in October, 2009 with the release of version 5.2.

The Unicode block for Inscriptional Pahlavi is U+10B60–U+10B7F:

Template:Unicode chart Inscriptional Pahlavi

  • Sasanian coin (dinar) of Ardashir I (r. 224–42) inscribed: ⤹ Template:Script/Pahlavi mzdysn bgy ʼrthštr MLKA {...}.
    Sasanian coin (dinar) of Ardashir I (r. 224–42) inscribed: ⤹ Template:Script/Pahlavi mzdysn bgy ʼrthštr MLKA {...}.
  • One side of the Nasrabad fire altar (fa) dedicated to Shapur I for his 243/4 victory over the Romans.[7]
    One side of the Nasrabad fire altar (fa) dedicated to Shapur I for his 243/4 victory over the Romans.[7]
  • The one Middle Persian ostracon from Dura-Europos listing twenty-seven professions.[note 1][1][8]
    The one Middle Persian ostracon from Dura-Europos listing twenty-seven professions.[note 1][1][8]
  • Inscription of Shapur II at Taq-e Bostan, including some rudimentary ligatures (letters joined on the baseline).
    Inscription of Shapur II at Taq-e Bostan, including some rudimentary ligatures (letters joined on the baseline).
  • Drachm of Yazdegerd II (struck ca. 439-447) inscribed: ⤹ Template:Script/Pahlavi mzdysn bgy kdy yzdklty /Mazdesn bay Kay Yazdgard/.[9]
    Drachm of Yazdegerd II (struck ca. 439-447) inscribed: ⤹ Template:Script/Pahlavi mzdysn bgy kdy yzdklty /Mazdesn bay Kay Yazdgard/.[9]
  • A bulla (seal) of Wahrām, an Ērān-spāhbed. It mentions either Husraw I (r. 531–579) or II (591–626).[10]
    A bulla (seal) of Wahrām, an Ērān-spāhbed. It mentions either Husraw I (r. 531–579) or II (591–626).[10]
  • 6th/7th century relief with the monogram ʼpr,[note 2] which stands for afzūn farr (See Khvarenah).
    6th/7th century relief with the monogram ʼpr,[note 2] which stands for afzūn farr (See Khvarenah).

Notes

  1. ↑ Examples of listed professions: Template:Script/Pahlavi nʾnpʾk 'baker', Template:Script/Pahlavi kpškly 'shoemaker', Template:Script/Pahlavi kštkly 'plowman', Template:Script/Pahlavi zyndʾnyk 'jailer', Template:Script/Pahlavi dpylpty 'chief scribe', and Template:Script/Pahlavi šʾpstn 'harem keeper'
  2. ↑ Template:Script/Pahlavi

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "DURA EUROPOS ii. The Inscriptions" (in en-US). https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dura-europos/dura-europos-ii-the-inscriptions/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Everson, Michael; Pournader, Roozbeh (2007-08-24). "L2/07-207R: Proposal for encoding the Inscriptional Parthian, Inscriptional Pahlavi, and Psalter Pahlavi scripts in the SMP of the UCS". pp. 10–11. https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2007/07207r-n3286r-parthian-pahlavi.pdf. 
  3. ↑ Livinsky, BA; Guang-Da, Zhang; Samghabadi, R Shabani; Masson, Vadim Mikhaĭlovich (March 1999), Dani, Ahmad Hasan, ed., History of civilizations of Central Asia, Multiple history, 3. The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p. 89, ISBN 978-81-208-1540-7, https://archive.org/details/dli.pahar.3650 .
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Daniels, Peter T.; Bright, William, eds (1996). The World's Writing Systems. Oxford University Press, Inc. pp. 515–518. ISBN 978-0195079937. https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195079937/page/518. 
  5. ↑ Nyberg, Henrik S. (1964). A Manual of Pahlavi (2nd ed.). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. https://books.google.com/books?id=wEZTIZQHOp8C. 
  6. ↑ Mackenzie, D. N. (2014-09-25). A Concise Pahlavi Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-61396-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=tRegBAAAQBAJ. 
  7. ↑ Lerner, Judith A. (2006). "The Seal of a Eunuch in the Sasanian Court". Journal of Inner Asian Art and Archaeology 1: 114, 118. doi:10.1484/J.JIAAA.2.301928. ISSN 1783-9025. https://isaw.nyu.edu/publications/jiaaa/Lerner_Skjaervo.pdf. 
  8. ↑ Brunner, Christopher J.; Frye, R. N. (1972). "The Iranian Epigraphic Remains from Dura-Europos". Journal of the American Oriental Society 92 (4): 492. doi:10.2307/599959. https://www.jstor.org/stable/599959?origin=crossref. 
  9. ↑ "Drachm - Yazdgard II, Sasanian Empire" (in en). https://en.numista.com/77645. 
  10. ↑ Gyselen, Rika (2001). The Four Generals of the Sasanian Empire: Some Sigillographic Evidence. Istituto italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente. ISBN 978-88-85320-97-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=jLMouwEACAAJ. 





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