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.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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Expert Gives Another Translation of Kharg Inscription
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27 November 2007 |
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Newly discovered Kharg inscription - Courtesy of Persian service of ISNA (Click to enlarge) |
LONDON,
(CAIS) -- An
expert on ancient Iranian languages has come up with a different translation of
the newly discovered stone inscription found on Kharg Island in the Persian
Gulf, the Archaeological Research Centre of Iran (ARCI) reported in a press
release published on Tuesday.
“(This)
land was a dried area with no water; (I) brought happiness and welfare, Bahana…
water wells,” is the text of the inscription, as deciphered by an expert of
the ARCI Rasul Bashshash.
Bahana
is a name, probably of a ruler, who issued a decree for the development and
cultivation of the area.
The
cuneiform inscription, which has been etched on a piece of uneven rock encrusted
with corals, was discovered in mid-November during a road construction project.
The rock, measuring 85x116cm, has become detached from its original terrain.
The
artefact is believed to date back to the late Achaemenid dynastic era (550-330
BCE).
According
to Bashshash, the words have been written carelessly in two sections divided by
an irregular horizontal curved line. The top section bears three lines of
horizontal writing and the lower section carries two lines of writing. The lines
of the inscription are spaced at a distance of 8 centimetres from each other. In
addition, several phonetic signs have been carved in a scattered manner on the
inscription.
New
translation differs from previous version
A
previous translation of the inscription, which was published by Reza Moradi
Ghiasabadi last week, greatly differs from the new version. According to Moradi,
the inscription comprises six words on six different horizontal lines.
Only
the first word, meaning “was” or “were”, has frequently been observed in
Old Persian inscriptions and the other five words are new discoveries.
The
artefact has three crown-shaped motifs inscribed in a side-ways fashion in the
middle of the inscription and also at the beginning of the third and fourth
lines. The motifs are similar to the crowns of the Sasanian King of Kings
(224-651 CE).
He
said that the discovery may add five words to our knowledge of the Old Persian
language.
He
has also cited some points which throw doubt on the authenticity of the
inscription: careless and fast writing -- which is not commonly observed in
previously discovered Achaemenid inscriptions -- slight layers of sediment on
the edges and insides of the letters, multi-typography style of the inscription,
unknown words and the use of strange motifs resembling the Sasanian kings’
crown on an allegedly Achaemenid artefact.
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Extracted From/Source*: Mehr News
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the above-news is NOT a "copy & paste" version from
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Spelling corrections; -Rectification and correction of
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"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
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Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
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