Showing posts with label Kharg Island inscription. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kharg Island inscription. Show all posts
Monday, June 2, 2008
Kharg (Khark) Achaemenid Inscription Almost Destroyed
There are photos (before and after).
From Circle of Iranian Studies (CAIS)
June 2, 2008
LONDON, (CAIS) -- The Achaemenid stone inscription of Khark Island was seriously damaged by vandals on Thursday night.
“Unknown people climbed the fence surrounding the cuneiform inscription and destroyed it with a chisel, such that about 70 percent of the inscription has been destroyed,” Khark Deputy Governor Ali Jazebi told the Persian service of CHN on Saturday. “The nature of the damage indicates that it has been done deliberately,” he added.
In late February, Iranian experts warned the Islamic Republic's officials of the Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization about the threats posed by the forces of nature and vandals.Unfortunately, no appropriate security system was established to safeguard the cuneiform inscription, which has been incised on a piece of uneven rock encrusted with coral.
The irreplaceable relic was discovered during a road construction project on the island in the Persian Gulf in mid-November 2007. The rock, measuring 85x116cm, has become detached from its original terrain.
The project was halted for a time because the rock prevented the project managers from continuing their work and finally they were forced to change the route.Shortly after its discovery, the inscription was deciphered by Rasul Bashshash, an expert at the Archaeological Research Center of Iran (ARCI). He made the following translation: “(This) land was a dry area with no water; (I) brought happiness and welfare, Bahana… water wells.”Experts had previously said that the inscription was important since it was another piece of evidence that confirms the word Persian for the Persian Gulf.The discovery of the inscription sparked a media frenzy in the Arab mini-states of the Persian Gulf, where efforts were made to cast doubt on its authenticity.
The Bushehr Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department (BCHTHD) announced on Saturday that they have filed a lawsuit against the suspected vandals.
“There are several people (of Arab origin) suspected of (being responsible for) the damage to the inscription. We have sued them so the judicial investigation will begin as soon as possible,” BCHTHD Director Ahmad Dashti told CHN. He refused to name the suspects.Dashti said that 10 to 15 percent of the Old-Persian inscription has been damaged, which is considerably different than the Khark deputy governor’s assessment. He rejected rumors that there was a connection between the vandalism and the disputes over the name of the Persian Gulf.
Some people believe that the BCHTHD is responsible for the problem" Dashti rejected by, saying, “The police are responsible for safeguarding the site, and they did their best”; -Obviously their best was not good enough.
“However, lack of an appropriate area to establish a guardhouse is one of our main problems here. The island is owned by the Is,mic regime controlled Iran's Oil industries and they don’t provide even a span of earth to us to set up the base,” he explained.
An Iranian archaeologist with ICHTO who wishes to remain anonymous for his safety told CAIS correspondent: "another crime has been committed against our nation and the [Islamic] regime is to blame for failing to protect our heritage".
He continued, "if the incised Old Persian script on the rock was instead Arabic and there were rumors that one of the toes of such and such [Shiat] Imam touched the rock while he was passing through centuries ago, the regime would have invested billions of rials to erect a shrine over it with a golden dome on top."
The destruction of yet another relic in Iran has prompted an outcry by Iranians and the cultural enthusiasts around the world, who see that the Islamic Republic is persisting in a campaign of destruction of invaluable assets of the country's cultural heritage.
The destruction of the Achaemenid inscription in Kharg represents the latest in a series of destructions that appears to be aimed at systematically destroying pre-Islamic Iranian heritage sites either by Arab settlers or the Islamic regime in power.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
More Information on Kharg Island Inscription
This is a follow-up to my post on November 21, 2007.
From CAIS press release November 27, 2007:
Expert Gives Another Translation of Kharg Inscription
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.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Newly Discovered Old Iranian Inscription
Two reports from CAIS on this discovery:
November 20, 2007
LONDON, (CAIS) -- By deciphering the newly discovered Old-Persian inscription in Kharg Island located in Persian Gulf which is believed to have belonged to Achaemenid dynastic era (550-330 BCE), five new words have been added to the Old-Persian lexicon.
This is for the first time that an Old-Persian inscription has been ever been discovered in Karg Island and five of the six words carved in this inscription, have never been seen before in any other Old-Persian inscriptions.
Speaking to the Persian service of CHN, Reza Moradi Ghias-Abadi, archaeologist and expert of ancient languages, who have succeeded to read the discovered inscription in Kharg Island through the pictures which have been sent by local people, said that the details and final result will be clarified by researches who will attend the area to study the inscription.
This Achaemenid inscription has been recently unearthed accidentally during the road construction activities in Kharg Island, northwest of Persian Gulf and in Bushehr province.
The inscription was carved on a piece of coral reef with the approximate size of one in one meter. Although this inscription has been separated from its original place, evidence indicates that it must have been carved on a coral cliff in the island and was not portable.
This cuneiform inscription is consisted of six lines which apparently each line is consisting one word in Old-Persian script.
The first four lines of this inscription have been separated by a narrow long line from the rest two lines. While all the Achaemenid imperial inscriptions were royal text and were carved very delicately, the appearance of this crude inscription shows that it must have been carved in a hurry.
The Old-Persian cuneiform which was called Aryan (OP. ariyā) was created during the reign of Darius the Great (r.549-485 BCE). However, some scholars believe that Aryan was invented by the first Iranian dynasty, the Medians (728-550 BCE), and then adopted by the Achaemenids as the imperial script. The script continued to survive, though in a corrupt form as late as the first century BCE.
The characteristic of Kharg inscription is a combination of both early and late Achaemenid period. Working on Kharg cuneiform inscription revealed that that the style of early Achaemenid period was implemented in writing the last two lines of the inscription and the late Achaemenid writing style was incised in the first four lines.
The inscription is also is being studied by the linguists at “The Research Centre of linguistics, Inscriptional and Manuscript Studies” (RCLIM) in Tehran. On Monday the RCLIM announced that any decipherment of the inscription by individuals considered to be unofficial and possibly wrong.
Old Persian was the vernacular tongue of the Achaemenid monarchs, but had already been spoken for a few centuries prior to the rise of the Achaemenid dynasty to power in 550 BCE. It is the oldest attested Persid language, which is classified in the group of Western Iranian languages. The Middle-Persian (Sasanid-Pahlavi) and New Persian, the lingua franca of Iran, are the direct continuation of the Old Persian evolution.
This is for the first time that an Old-Persian inscription has been ever been discovered in Karg Island and five of the six words carved in this inscription, have never been seen before in any other Old-Persian inscriptions.
Speaking to the Persian service of CHN, Reza Moradi Ghias-Abadi, archaeologist and expert of ancient languages, who have succeeded to read the discovered inscription in Kharg Island through the pictures which have been sent by local people, said that the details and final result will be clarified by researches who will attend the area to study the inscription.
This Achaemenid inscription has been recently unearthed accidentally during the road construction activities in Kharg Island, northwest of Persian Gulf and in Bushehr province.
The inscription was carved on a piece of coral reef with the approximate size of one in one meter. Although this inscription has been separated from its original place, evidence indicates that it must have been carved on a coral cliff in the island and was not portable.
This cuneiform inscription is consisted of six lines which apparently each line is consisting one word in Old-Persian script.
The first four lines of this inscription have been separated by a narrow long line from the rest two lines. While all the Achaemenid imperial inscriptions were royal text and were carved very delicately, the appearance of this crude inscription shows that it must have been carved in a hurry.
The Old-Persian cuneiform which was called Aryan (OP. ariyā) was created during the reign of Darius the Great (r.549-485 BCE). However, some scholars believe that Aryan was invented by the first Iranian dynasty, the Medians (728-550 BCE), and then adopted by the Achaemenids as the imperial script. The script continued to survive, though in a corrupt form as late as the first century BCE.
The characteristic of Kharg inscription is a combination of both early and late Achaemenid period. Working on Kharg cuneiform inscription revealed that that the style of early Achaemenid period was implemented in writing the last two lines of the inscription and the late Achaemenid writing style was incised in the first four lines.
The inscription is also is being studied by the linguists at “The Research Centre of linguistics, Inscriptional and Manuscript Studies” (RCLIM) in Tehran. On Monday the RCLIM announced that any decipherment of the inscription by individuals considered to be unofficial and possibly wrong.
Old Persian was the vernacular tongue of the Achaemenid monarchs, but had already been spoken for a few centuries prior to the rise of the Achaemenid dynasty to power in 550 BCE. It is the oldest attested Persid language, which is classified in the group of Western Iranian languages. The Middle-Persian (Sasanid-Pahlavi) and New Persian, the lingua franca of Iran, are the direct continuation of the Old Persian evolution.
***********************************************************************************
But - could it be a fraud???
UPDATE: Newly Discovered Achaemenid Kharg Inscription May Add Five New Words to Old Persian Lexicon
November 21, 2007
November 21, 2007
LONDON, (CAIS) -- It is possible that five words have been added to our knowledge of the Old-Persian language by the recent discovery of a stone inscription on Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf, the Persian service of CHN reported on Tuesday.
The cuneiform inscription, comprising six words on six different horizontal lines inscribed on a piece of uneven rock encrusted with corals, has been found last week during a road construction project. Measuring about a meter square, the rock has become detached from its original terrain.
Initial studies show the artefact dates back to the Achaemenid dynastic era (550-330 BCE).
The first, second, fifth and sixth words are quite easily legible, but the third and fourth words are difficult to make out due to erosion, explained expert on ancient languages Reza Moradi-Ghiasabadi.
Moradi-Ghiasabadi has deciphered the inscription from photos sent to him by the locals.
According to Moradi-Ghiasabadi, the first word reads “aahe” or “ahe”, which means “was” or “were”. This word has frequently been observed in ancient Persian inscriptions. However, the other five words are new discoveries.
The second word reads “sakosha” or “sakusha”.
“This word obviously denotes a particular name, which has so far never been seen in any ancient inscription, but it is similar to words used by the Scythians,” Moradi-Ghiasabadi said.
Only two letters of the third word are legible and these read “hi”. Again, only two letters of the fourth word are decipherable and these are pronounced “ka” and “aa”.
The fifth word reads “bahanam”, for which no meaning has been found.
The sixth word seems to be damaged but the end of it reads “kha”.
The inscription has been made both quickly and carelessly and its writer has not used the cuneiform comma as every word has been inscribed on a separate line.
The artefact has three crown-shaped motifs incised 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 some of the Sasanian king of kings.
Inscription’s authenticity doubtful
Moradi-Ghiasabadi urged that the object should first be examined for authenticity.
He cited some points which throw doubt on the genuineness 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 Sasanid Imperial crown in an allegedly Achaemenid artefact.
The cuneiform inscription, comprising six words on six different horizontal lines inscribed on a piece of uneven rock encrusted with corals, has been found last week during a road construction project. Measuring about a meter square, the rock has become detached from its original terrain.
Initial studies show the artefact dates back to the Achaemenid dynastic era (550-330 BCE).
The first, second, fifth and sixth words are quite easily legible, but the third and fourth words are difficult to make out due to erosion, explained expert on ancient languages Reza Moradi-Ghiasabadi.
Moradi-Ghiasabadi has deciphered the inscription from photos sent to him by the locals.
According to Moradi-Ghiasabadi, the first word reads “aahe” or “ahe”, which means “was” or “were”. This word has frequently been observed in ancient Persian inscriptions. However, the other five words are new discoveries.
The second word reads “sakosha” or “sakusha”.
“This word obviously denotes a particular name, which has so far never been seen in any ancient inscription, but it is similar to words used by the Scythians,” Moradi-Ghiasabadi said.
Only two letters of the third word are legible and these read “hi”. Again, only two letters of the fourth word are decipherable and these are pronounced “ka” and “aa”.
The fifth word reads “bahanam”, for which no meaning has been found.
The sixth word seems to be damaged but the end of it reads “kha”.
The inscription has been made both quickly and carelessly and its writer has not used the cuneiform comma as every word has been inscribed on a separate line.
The artefact has three crown-shaped motifs incised 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 some of the Sasanian king of kings.
Inscription’s authenticity doubtful
Moradi-Ghiasabadi urged that the object should first be examined for authenticity.
He cited some points which throw doubt on the genuineness 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 Sasanid Imperial crown in an allegedly Achaemenid artefact.
Extracted From/Source*: Mehr News
*Please note the above-news is NOT a "copy & paste" version from the mentioned-source. The news/article above has been modified with the following interventions by CAIS: Spelling corrections; -Rectification and correction of the historical facts and data; - Providing additional historical information within the text; -Removing any unnecessary, irrelevant & repetitive information.
All these measures have been taken in order to ensure that the published news provided by CAIS is coherent, transparent, accurate and suitable for academics and cultural enthusiasts who visit the CAIS website.
*Please note the above-news is NOT a "copy & paste" version from the mentioned-source. The news/article above has been modified with the following interventions by CAIS: Spelling corrections; -Rectification and correction of the historical facts and data; - Providing additional historical information within the text; -Removing any unnecessary, irrelevant & repetitive information.
All these measures have been taken in order to ensure that the published news provided by CAIS is coherent, transparent, accurate and suitable for academics and cultural enthusiasts who visit the CAIS website.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
