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In Regard to a History of Persis During the Period from After the Collapse of the Achaemenid Empire Down to the End of the 2Nd Century A

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GATHICA When, all the Saints and Sages who discuss'd Of the Two Worlds so learnedly, are thrust Like foolish Prophetsforth; their Words to Scorn Are scatter'd, and their Mouths are stopt with Dust. By GIKYO ITO XIV-XV(1) Syenian frataraka and Persid fratarak/New Iranian Elements in Ancient Aramaic In regard to a history of Persis during the period from after the collapse of the Achaemenid Empire down to the end of the 2nd century A. D., it is of much difficulty to know when did take place what are reported to have taken place, for sporadic references by the Classic writers have supplied us with no dates from the earliest period downwards when the rulers there minted coins with their respective legends: 1) BGDT PRTRK; ZY; LHY; 2) WHWBRZ PRBR PRTRK; or WHWBRZ PRS PRTRK; ZY; LH 3) ;RTHSTR PRS PRTRK; ZY; LH 4) WTPRDT PRTRK; ZY; LHY; (Some of the coins contain traces of PRSBR, too). The Persid coinage after them has MLK; only instead of PRTRK ZY; ;LHY;: 5) D; RYW MLK; 6) WTPRDT MLK; 7) D; RYW MLK; BRH WTPRDT (6) MLK; 8) WHWHSTR MLK; BRH D; RYW (7) MLK; 9) ;RTHSTR MLK; BRH D; RYW (7) MLK;. The coins, from paleographical as well as in part semasiological point of view, have been divided into three or four series: I includes 1)-4), II 5)-6), III 7)-9) and IV thereafter or III 7)-9) and thereafter. Of the names, 3) and 9) comes from OP. Artaxsassa- or rather from OM. *Artaxsaθra- 'Kingdom of 47 Justice' while 5) and 7) from OP. Darayavahu-, whose -vahu- occurs in 2) Wahu- burz and 8) Wahuxsahr meaning respectively 'High in Goodness' and 'Kingdom of Goodness'. The name 4) and 6) comes from OP. *vatafradata- 'Promoted by (God) Vata or Vayu' while 1) comes from OP. *baga-data. 'Created by God'. In regard to their lineage, the legends tell us only that 7) is the son of 6) and the father of both 8) and 9). The legend of 7) reads 'Darayaw the King, son of Watafradat the King, while 8) 'Wahuxsahr the King, son of Darayaw the King' and 9) 'Artaxsahr the King, son of Darayaw the King'. The title MLK; i. e. 'sah is likely to have come from their acceptance of the supremacy (sararih) of the Arsacid MLKYN MLK; i. e. 'sahan 'sah 'king of kings'. From BRH (ber-eh, lit. 'his son', but in reality -eh 'of his' is otiose), we may take it for granted that the Aramaic words MLK; and BRH are to be read with their respective MP. equivalents 'sah and 'pus-although we have the same BRH instead of BR in the Aramaic documents of the fifth century B. C.(2) -, because the stereotype BRH is peculiar to the Aramaic heterogram for MP, pus 'son' in contrast with BRY (ber-i 'my son') for Parthian puhr 'son'. In contrast with the later coinage bearing the legend MLK;, the earlier four 1)-4) (I series) have PRTRK; ZY ;LHY; (or ;LH), which has recently been subjected to critical treatment by P. Naster(3). Of various readings and inter- pretations of PRTRK;, he has taken up fratakara 'fire-maker', fratadara 'fire- guardian, fire-holder' and frataraka 'governor' so as to attain the conclusion that the former two are too much tinted with religious colour for a designation of the political authority, and has hesitatingly proposed a new interpretation of fratakara, affiliating frata- with πρωτοζ and kara- with OP. kara- 'army; people', i. e. 'premier a l'armee, chef d'armee'. He has further stated that a third read- ing and interpretation frataraka 'superior; governor' is acceptable in the light of PRTRK/PRTTRK; 'superior; governor' in the Elephantine papyri, but at the same time he seems to have gone too far in saying that a sovereign or prince of Persis would have called himself neither one of frataraka, fratadara, fratakara and fratakara, so that it will be always exaggarated and imprudent to employ in the history political, religious, artistic and numismatic of Persis the expressions in any way improper such as: dynasty of the frataraka or of the fratadara, temple of the fratadara, and other analogous. The connection of Armenian hrat 'fire' with Iranian *frata- dates as far back as to F. Justi(4) and has found many defenders in the 'Fratadara'-theory(5). But 'the old affiliation of *frata- with Arm. hrat《fire》is to be rejected(6)', because 48 ORIENT GATHICA against the supposed affiliation comes the linguistic data that *pur- 'πυρ, fire, Feuer' has been preserved nowhere in the Indo-Iranian domain(7), If one insist that *frata- itself is the only instance, man may refer to the facts that, on the one hand, the Iranians from the ancient times have expressed 'fire' with atar- with one exception Dastaγni-having-aγni-'fire' in its second member: Av. atar-; OP. and OM. *atar-, *atarbanu-, *atarbarzana- - *atarvanus-(8); Parth. 'trw, 'trwn, etc.(9); MP. 'twly, 'twl'n, etc.(10); BPahl. 'ths (NP. at as), 'twr (NP. adar), and that, on the other, ;TRPRT (Cowley(11) No. 66, Fragment No. 7, 1.3) would lead to such a nonsense as *Atar-frata- 'Fire-fire'. As for *fratakara 'chef d'armee', proposed hesitatingly by Naster, OIr. *frata- 'primus' is theoreti- cally unacceptable(12) and sachlich 'chef d'armee' is too narrow for a designation of political authority. ;TRPRT(13) above cited may be interpreted as *Atar- frata- 'who loves Fire (-god)'; Φραταφερνηζ(14) (Arrianos: Anabasis III, 8, 4), as *Fratafarnah- 'who loves farnak'; Φραταγουνη(15)(Herod. VII 224), as *Fratagauna- f. 'who loves colour'. *frata- in these forms is to be regarded as another form of frita- (frina-), ppp. of fra(y)- 'love'. For frita- and *frata- to fra(y)-, see mita- and mata-, ppp. of Av. ma(y)- 'measure'. But even if my *frata- may be recognized as such, *Frata-kara- 'who loves the army-people' as a designation of political authority is somewhat inadequate to the despotism expressed by ZY ;LHY; 'of the gods'. ZY ;LHY; here means 'of the gods(16)' as in Cowley No. 13=Grelot No. 36=Porten, p. 14 ff., 1.15: kemar zi ... 'al ahayya 'priest of the gods', and not 'divine' as is generally accepted(17). In the Elephantine papyri, we have PRYRK/PRTRK; agreed in inter- pretation frataraka/frataraka(18) 'governor, prefect (<superior, foremost)' since F. C. Andreas(19), which interpretation however requires further consideration. In Cowley No. 20=Grelot No. 39=Porten, p. 24 ff. (Sept. 420 B. C.(20)), 11.1- 5 are read: In the month of Elul, that is Payni, year 4 of Darayavahus (II) the King-at that time in Yeb the fortress, said Menahem and 'Ananyah, all 2(21), sons of Mesullam son of Salomam, Jews of Yeb the fortress, of the detachment (daegael) of 'Iddinnabu, to Yedanyah and Mahseyah, all 2(21), sons of 'Ashor son of Sehah by Mibtahyah daughter of Mahseyah, Jews of the same detachment, saying: We have sued you in the court of NP; before Ramnadaina(22) PRTRK <and> Vidranga rab hayla ('the commander of the garrison'), saying:... Whether the court of NP; (DYN NP;) was a superior one or not is quite uncer- Vol. XII 1976 49 tain, but it is only natural that the rab hayla together with the frataraka- presided over the court, because the rab hayla was an Aramaic expression of OP. HPTH- PT; attested in Kraeling(23) No. 8=Grelot No. 49=Porten, p. 120 f. (416 B. C.), 11.1-3: On the 6th of Tisri, that is the 22nd of Payni, year 8 of Darayavahus (II) the King- at that time, in Syene the fortress, said 'Uriyah son of Mah- seyah, an Aramaean of Syene, before Vidranga, HPTHPT;, rab hayla of Syene, to Zakkur son of Mesullam, an Aramaean of Syene, before Vid- ranga, HPTHPT;, rab hayla of Syene, saying:... Here Vidranga HPTHPT; rab hayla zi Sewen (11.2-3) means 'Vidranga, Guar- dian of the public peace, Commander of the garrison, of Syene' in which HPT- HPT; is not *haftaxvapata 'Guardian of the Seventh(24) (District)' (lit. 'Guardian of a Seventh Part') but *hapatixupata 'Guardian of the public peace'. As for *hapatixu- <*ha-patyaxu- <*ha-pati-axu- 'public peace', cf. BPahl. ptyhw' (padix, padex, patexu) 'flourishing, prosperous' <*pati-axva-(25). In both papyri cited (420 and 416 B. C.) Vidranga is entitled hapatixupata or rab hayla of Syene whom Papyrus Cowley No. 27=Grelot No. 101=Por- ten, p. 86 ff. calls frataraka-. In 11.2-4 is read: In year 14 of Darayavahus (II) the King (410 B. C.), when our lord (mare-na) Arsama went to the king, this is the evil deed (duskarta) which the priests of the god Ha nub did in Yeb the fortress in concert(26) with Vidranga who was frataraka here (Vidranga zi frataraka tanna hawa): They gave him money and goods. 10-6 years before, Vidranga had been hapatixupata or rab hayla of Syene who appeared now 410 B. C. as frataraka. He seems to have become frataraka in 411 B. C. when the Jewish temple was destructed(27). The statement here seems to be related to that in Cowley No. 30=Grelot No. 102=Porten, p. 90 ff. Cowley No. 27 is probably a copy of a letter addressed to Bagohi (Bagavahya), governor of Judaea asking him to stop the evil deed done against the Jews by the Egyptian priests in league with Vidranga, frataraka of Syene. It was only the governor (paehha) that standing above the frataraka could sway his influential power upon the latter.
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    Perdiccas, 323-320 Antigonus (western Asia Minor) 288-285 Antipater (Macedonia) 301, after Ipsus Lysimachus (Anatolia, Thrace) Archon (Babylon) Lysimachus (Anatolia, Thrace) Ptolemy (Egypt) Asander (Caria) Ptolemy (Egypt) Seleucus (Babylonia, N. Syria) Persia to Alexander the Great Atropates (northern Media) 315-311 Alexander’s Seleucus (Babylonia, N. Syria) Eumenes (Cappadocia, Pontus) vs. 318-316 Cassander Cassander (Macedonia) Laomedon (Syria) Lysimachus Daniel 11:1-4 Antigonus Demetrius (Cyprus, Tyre, Demetrius (Macedonia, Cyprus, Leonnatus (Phrygia) Ptolemy Successors Cassander Sidon, Agaean islands) Tyre, Sidon, Agaean islands) Lysimachus (Thrace) Peithon Seleucus Menander (Lydia) Ptolemy Bythinia Bythinia Olympias (Epirus) vs. 332-260 BC Seleucus Epirus Epirus “And now I will tell you the truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise Peithon (southern Media) Antigonus Greece Greece Philippus (Bactria) vs. Aristodemus Heraclean kingdom Heraclean kingdom Ptolemy (Egypt) Demetrius in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them; as soon as Eumenes Paeonia Paeonia Stasanor (Aria) Nearchus Olympias Pontus Pontus and others . Peithon Polyperchon Rhodes Rhodes he becomes strong through his riches, he will arouse the whole empire against the realm of Greece. And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and do as he pleases.” (Dan 11:2-3) 320 330310 300 290 280 270 260 250 Antipater, 320-319 Alcetas and Attalus (Pisidia ) Antigenes (Susiana) Antigonus (army in Asia) Arrhidaeus (Phrygia) Cassander
  • The Seleukid Empire Between Orientalism and Hellenocentrism: Writing the History of Iran in the Third and Second Centuries BCE* ∗

    The Seleukid Empire Between Orientalism and Hellenocentrism: Writing the History of Iran in the Third and Second Centuries BCE* ∗

    Nāme-ye Irān-e Bāstān 11/1-2 (2011-12): 17-35 The Seleukid Empire between Orientalism and Hellenocentrism: Writing the History of Iran in the Third and * Second Centuries BCE ∗ Rolf Strootman University of Utrecht Wedged between the Achaemenid and Parthian periods in Iranian history, there is the so-called Hellenistic Age, in which the lands of Greater Iran were part of the political organization known as the Seleukid Empire. For two centuries the Seleukid Empire (312-64 BCE) was the largest of the three Macedonian empires that had emerged after the death of Alexander the Great. It was created by, and later named after, Seleukos I Nikator (‘the Victorious’) from his satrapy of Babylonia, incorporating and transforming the infrastructure of the preceding Achaemenid Empire. It was an archetypal ∗ * This article is based on a paper given at the Center for Persian Studies at the University of California, Irvine, on May 25, 2011; I am grateful to Professor Touraj Daryaee for kindly inviting me to UC Irvine. A different version of the present argument was presented on May 23 at the Asia Institute of the University of California at Los Angeles, where I stayed as a visiting professor for the Spring Semester of 2011; I would like to thank Claudia Rapp and Nile Green of UCLA for arranging the talk and their helpful comments during and after the discussion. All dates are BCE. Name-00 ﻧﻤﻮﻧﺔ دوم ﺻﻔﺤﻪ 20 2012/ 10/11 18 Rolf Strootman imperial polity: a huge, composite hegemonial system characterized by wide ethnic, cultural, religious and political diversity – like most premodern imperial organizations, the empire can be best described as a centralized network of power relations rather than a rigidly structured ‘state’.