The Khalili Collection Ancient Aramaic Documents from Bactria (Fourth Century B.C.E.) CORPUS INSCRIPTIONUM IRANICARUM Part 1: Inscriptions of Ancient Iran Volume V: The Aramaic Versions of the Achaemenid Inscriptions, etc. TEXTS II The Khalili Collection Ancient Aramaic Documents from Bactria (Fourth Century B.C.E.) Edited by Joseph Naveh and Shaul Shaked THE KHALILI FAMILY TRUST First published in 2006 The Khalili Family Trust The Khalili Family Trust c/o PO Box 2827 London W1X 5NL www.khalili.org All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any other information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from The Khalili Family Trust. Photography: Lucilla Phelps and Christopher Phillips Design: Martin Bragg Associates Production: Martin Bragg Printed and bound in China British Library Cataloguing in Publications Data Naveh, Joseph and Shaked, Shaul Ancient Aramaic Documents from Bactria (Fourth Century B.C.E.) 1. Khalili, Nasser D. – Art collections – Exhibitions 2. Art, Japanese – Meiji period, 1868–1912 – Exhibitions ? I. Title II. Khalili Family Trust 709. 5’2’09034 ISBN 1–874780–74-9 Contents List of plates and illustrations . 8 Foreword . 9 Maps . 10 Acknowledgements . 12 Introduction . 13 1. The edition . 15 2. The Khalili collection of Aramaic documents . 15 3. Historical and topographical considerations . 18 4. Administrative practices and terminology; Holders of office and their correspondence . 22 5. Disbursement of goods and products . 26 6. Functions and titles of office . 27 7. Types of military persons . 29 8. Taxation practice and terminology . 30 9. Economic activities . 30 10. Goods and commodities . 33 11. Religious terminology . 35 12. Measures and weights . 37 13. Epistolary conventions . 37 14. The Arshama letters and the Bagavant documents: comparative notes . 39 15. Linguistic points . 51 16. Personal names . 57 Texts . 63 A. Documents relating to Bagavant, mostly letters from Akhvamazda, presumably the satrap of Bactria A1 [IA6 ] Letter from Akhvamazda to Bagavant, Marh≥eπwan, year 6 of Artaxerxes [III], 353 BCE. Concerns camel-keepers. Hashavakhshu is the scribe. A2 [IA4] Letter from Akhvamazda to Bagavant, 3 Marh≥eπwan, year 8 of Artaxerxes [III], 351 BCE. Concerns the issue of vinegar (or the clearing of sand) from a house of Akhvamazda. Daizaka is the scribe. A3 [IA2] Letter, badly preserved, from Akhvamazda to Bagavant, 10 ∏ebat≤, year 9 of Artaxerxes [III], 349 BCE. Concerns Kumi. A4 [IA1] Letter from Akhvamazda to Bagavant, 3 Sivan, year 11 of Artaxerxes [III], 348 BCE. Concerns the building of a wall and a ditch around Nikhshapaya. Daizaka is the scribe. A5 [IA3] Letter from Akhvamazda to Bagavant, no date. Deals with the building of a wall in Kish, and could be not far in date from 348 BCE. Nurafratara is the scribe. A6 [IA5] Letter from Akhvamazda to Bagavant. No date. Concerns houses to be roofed and grain to be brought into Akhvamazda’s granary. Nurafratara is the scribe. A7 [IA11] Fragmentary letter, perhaps from Akhvamazda to Bagavant. No date. Mentions skins kept by the troops. Daizaka is the scribe. A8 [IA16] Fragmentary letter. No name of sender or recipient, but it could be from Akhvamazda to Bagavant and others. No date. Concerns a certain Bactrian or the city of Bactra, and taxation. 5 A9 [IA15] Note or label. Bagavant acknowledges having received certain drugs from his wife. No date. A10 [IA14] Note concerning a debt. Bagavant is guarantor. No date. B. Other letters . 131 B1 [IA7] Letter from Mithrafarnah to Upadvara (?), two persons of equal rank. No date. B2 [IA23] Letter from Bagaicha to Vahucha, two persons of equal rank. No date. B3 [IA29] Letter from Artainapata to Vahucha, two persons of equal rank. No date. B4 [IA24] Letter from Bakhtrifarnah to Chithrachardata, two persons of equal rank. No date. B5 [IA8] Letter to a superior. No date. B6 [IA18] Letter to Dahyubarzana, from someone of equal rank. No date. B7 [IA19] Letter from a superior to an inferior, or between two persons of equal rank. Very fragmentary. No date. B8 [IA26] Fragmentary letter. No date. Mentions camels. B9 [IA30] Fragmentary letter. No date. Mentions a house. B10 [IA28] Fragment of a letter (or legal document) of the fifth century BCE. C. Lists of supplies and labels . 173 C1 [IA21] Supplies to Bessus in Kislev, year 1 of Artaxerxes [V] (= Bessus). Corresponds to November / December 330 BCE. C2 [IA20] Originally unopened document; concerned with the despatch of sheep. Addressed to a superior officer. Wishtaspa is mentioned. Year 1 of an unspecified reign (perhaps of Alexander, i.e. 330/329 BCE). C3 [IA22] 20 ∏ebat≤, year 2 (perhaps of Alexander, i.e. 329 BCE). C4 [IA17] Long list of supplies disbursed. Starts on 15 Sivan, year 7 of Alexander, corresponding to 8 June 324 BCE, and continues for three months. C5 [IA25] No date. Supplies to Vahyazaya. C6 [IA9] No date. Harnesses? C7 [IA13] No date. Horse equipment? C8 [IA12] No date. Subject not clear. C9 [IA27] No date. Contains a list. C10 [IA10] No date. Label. D. Tallies . 231 I. “From Gauza” . 232 D1 [T1] Taitaka, Gauza D2 [T2] Bagayaza, Gauza D3 [T9] Saryabara, Gauza D4 [T11] Khshathraka, Gauza D5 [T12] Bagaicha, Gauza D6 [T14] Spaita rhh≥y, Gauza II. “From Abudi” . 246 D7 [T4] Patiyara, Abudi D8 [T5] Tiri, Abudi D9 [T6] Taitaka, Abudi D10 [T10] Vikanu, Abudi 6 D11 [T15] Charatuka, Paritana and Abudi D12 [T17] Nayaka, Abudi D13 [T18] Aduapa, Abudi III. “From Uparivana” . 253 D14 [T7] ÷h≥pwy Kaufatacha, Uparivana D15 [T13] Taitaka, Uparivana D16 [T16] Nafavazata, Uparivana IV. “From” not indicated . 256 D17 [T3] Chithriyakara D18 [T8] Khshathraka Bibliography . 260 Glossary . 269 Index . 279 7 List of Plates and illustrations [Will be prepared at a later stage] 8 Foreword one page would allow two for maps 9 10 Maps UZBEKISTAN KYRGYZSTAN SAMARKAND N ZERAVSHAN PENDJIKENT SHAHR-I SABZ [Kish, Kiπ] KARSHI [Nihkshapaya, Nakhshab] DUSHANBE TAJIKISTAN AM U D AR YA/OXUS BADAKHSHAN TERMEZ BALKH [Bactra] KHOLM KUNDUZ Land below 500 metres MAZAR-SHARIF 500 – 1000 m 1000 – 2000 m AFGHANISTA N 2000 – 4000 m 4000 – 6000 m 0 20 40 60 80 100 km Land over 6000 m Map of the area covered by the Khalili documents Bragg N Land below 500 metres 500 – 1000 m 1000 – 2000 m 2000 – 4000 m 4000 – 6000 m Land over 6000 m SAMARKAND ZERAVSHAN PENDJIKENT MADM [mdmh] KUÚM [kwmh] GHOUZN [gwzn] SHAHR-I SABZ [Kish, Kiπ] 0 20 40 60 80 100 km The inset map shows localities mentioned in certain Sogdian documentsBragg (according to Smirnova 1962), possibly part of the domains of Akvamazda 11 Acknowledgements Work on the documents in this book started in 2000, when four of them were in the possession of Messrs. Manouchehr Aaron and his brother David Aaron, owners of the two Aaron Galleries in London. Shaul Shaked, who had seen the originals in London, contacted Joseph Naveh. They decided to work on them together, and prepared an edition of the four documents known at that time. Shortly afterwards, Professor David Khalili acquired these four and several other relevant documents. He talked in June 2001 to Naveh and subsequently also to Shaked, and it was agreed that we prepare an edition of the documents to be published. When the material in the possession of Professor Khalili was seen, it became evident that this is unique material from a hitherto unknown source, namely original Aramaic documents from ancient Bactria. We then discovered that a number of scholars had already done some preliminary work on these documents at the request of some antique dealers, among them the late Professor J. B. Segal and Professor A. D. H. Bivar. It was later suggested by A. D. H. Bivar, then Chairman of the Corpus Inscriptionum Iranicarum, that a book be pulished, a suggestion which was gladly accepted by Professor Khalili and by the present authors. In the course of this work help and advice was forthcoming from a number of friends and colleagues. Most prominent among these are Nicholas Sims-Williams (whose numerous comments are usually marked by the abbreviation N. S-W) and Frantz Grenet, who have made valuable remarks on specific points. We have also consulted and should like to register our thanks to Dr. Matthew Morgenstern and Professor J. M. Rogers. Nahla Nassar of the Khalili Collections was very helpful when Shaked was working on the documents in London. We should like to thank David Buyaner for undertaking to prepare the index to the volume. He also suggested some important improvements to the discussion. The photographers for the Khalili Family Trust, Lucilla Phelps and Christopher Phillips, have done a remarkable job in extracting detail and sharpness from the originals, for which we owe them a debt of gratitude. Professor Khalili has spared no effort or resources to ensure that the publication of this volume should be on the same high level of aesthetic appearance as the other volumes in the Khalili series. We owe a special debt of thanks to the Bodleian Library at Oxford for having kindly supplied us with a set of photographs of the Arshama letters, some of which are included in the present volume. It will be noticed that these documents have become much darker since the original photographs were taken (published in G.R. Driver’s book, 1954). This situation made the task of the printers so much more challenging. We hope that the result is satisfactory. Two institutions, the International Academic Union (Union Académique Internationale) and the British Academy, have made it possible, through their financial and moral support, for the Corpus Inscriptionum Iranicarum to participate in the present publication.