Inscriptional Parthian was a script used to write the Parthian language; the majority of the text found has been from clay fragments. This script was used from the 2nd century CE to the 5th century CE or in the Parthian Empire to the early Sasanian Empire. During the Sasanian Empire, it was mostly used for official texts.[citation needed]
| Inscriptional Parthian | |
|---|---|
Parthian version of Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht | |
| Script type | |
Period | c. 100 CE – c. 400 CE |
| Direction | Right-to-left script |
| Languages | Parthian language |
| Related scripts | |
Parent systems | Aramaic alphabet
|
| ISO 15924 | |
| ISO 15924 | Prti (130), Inscriptional Parthian |
| Unicode | |
Unicode alias | Inscriptional Parthian |
| U+10B40–U+10B5F | |
Inscriptional Parthian is written right to left, and the letters are not joined.[citation needed]
Letters
Inscriptional Parthian uses 22 letters:
| Name[A] | Image | Text | Principal phones (IPA; Parthian) | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleph | 𐭀 | [a], [aː] | ʾ | |
| Beth | 𐭁 | [b], [w] | b | |
| Gimel | 𐭂 | [ɡ], [ɣ] | g | |
| Daleth | 𐭃 | [d], [ð] | d | |
| He | 𐭄 | — | h | |
| Waw | 𐭅 | [w], [o(ː)], [u(ː)] | w | |
| Zayin | 𐭆 | [z], [ʒ] | z | |
| Heth | 𐭇 | [h], [x] | ḥ | |
| Teth | 𐭈 | — | ṭ | |
| Yodh | 𐭉 | [j], [e(ː)], [i(ː)] | y | |
| Kaph | 𐭊 | [k], [g] | k | |
| Lamedh | 𐭋 | [l] | l | |
| Mem | 𐭌 | [m] | m | |
| Nun | 𐭍 | [n] | n | |
| Samekh | 𐭎 | [s] | s | |
| Ayin | 𐭏 | — | ʿ | |
| Pe | 𐭐 | [p], [b] | p | |
| Sadhe | 𐭑 | [t͡ʃ] | ṣ | |
| Qoph | 𐭒 | — | q | |
| Resh | 𐭓 | [r] | r | |
| Shin | 𐭔 | [ʃ], [ʒ] | š | |
| Taw | 𐭕 | [t], [d] | t |
- Letter names are based on the corresponding Imperial Aramaic characters
Ligatures
Inscriptional Parthian uses seven standard ligatures:
| Ligature | Sequence | |
|---|---|---|
| Image | Text | |
| 𐭂𐭅 | 𐭂 (gimel) + 𐭅 (waw) | |
| 𐭇𐭅 | 𐭇 (heth) + 𐭅 (waw) | |
| 𐭉𐭅 | 𐭉 (yodh) + 𐭅 (waw) | |
| 𐭍𐭅 | 𐭍 (nun) + 𐭅 (waw) | |
| 𐭏𐭋 | 𐭏 (ayin) + 𐭋 (lamedh) | |
| 𐭓𐭅 | 𐭓 (resh) + 𐭅 (waw) | |
| 𐭕𐭅 | 𐭕 (taw) + 𐭅 (waw) | |
The letters sadhe (𐭑) and nun (𐭍) have swash tails which typically trail under the following letter.
| Ligature | Sequence | |
|---|---|---|
| Image | Text | |
| 𐭍𐭍 | 𐭍 (nun) + 𐭍 (nun) | |
| 𐭍𐭃 | 𐭍 (nun) + 𐭃 (daleth) | |
Numerals
Inscriptional Parthian uses its own numerals:
| Value | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 100 | 1000 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sign | Image | ||||||||
| Text | 𐭘 | 𐭙 | 𐭚 | 𐭛 | 𐭜 | 𐭝 | 𐭞 | 𐭟 | |
Numbers are written right-to-left. Numbers without corresponding numerals are additive. For example, 158 is written as 𐭞𐭝𐭝𐭜𐭛𐭛 (100 + 20 + 20 + 10 + 4 + 4).
Unicode
Inscriptional Parthian script was added to the Unicode Standard in October 2009, with the release of version 5.2.[citation needed]
The Unicode block for Inscriptional Parthian is U+10B40–U+10B5F:
Gallery
- A probably commemorative bronze coin of Vologases IV (ca. 147–191 CE), Edessa mint.
- Greek and Parthian on a bronze statuette of Hercules from Seleucia on the Tigris. The inscription dates it to 151 CE. Housed in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
- Relief of Artabanus IV handing the ring of power to Khwasak, satrap of Susa, from Susa, Iran Bastan Museum, Tehran, 215 CE
- Inscription next to one of the petroglyphs of Kal Jangal near Birjand, probably early Sassanian.
Notes
- 𐭂𐭓𐭉𐭀𐭓𐭕𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓 \ 𐭍𐭇𐭅𐭃𐭓 𐭅 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓𐭐 [...] [...] gryʾrtḥštrn / ḥwdr W ḥštrp '[...] the prefect and satrap of Gryʾrtḥštr'
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about Inscriptional Parthian, What is Inscriptional Parthian? What does Inscriptional Parthian mean?