Introduction and review of new Pahlavi inscriptions in Teymareh Golpayegan

Authors

1 Faculty of Conservation and Restoration - Department of Archeology, Isfahan Art University. Isfahan. Iran

2 Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism. Tehran. Iran

10.22084/nb.2024.28135.2620

Abstract

Teymareh petroglyphs are considered as one of the largest and most important colonies of Iranian petroglyphs. This large collection of petroglyphs is located in Isfahan, Markazi and Lorestan provinces, and Golpayegan is one of the major centers of petroglyphs in Teymareh. Most of the motifs of these petroglyphs are related to hunting scenes. Signs and linear signs are one of the important topics on Teymareh petroglyphs. Pahlavi Inscriptions are among these signs and linear signs on Teymareh petroglyphs. Fifteen samples of Pahlavi inscriptions have been identified in the collection of petroglyphs of Teymareh Golpayegan. These Pahlavi inscriptions mostly belong to the late Sassanid period and the early Islamic period. In this article, for the first time, we introduce six new Pahlavi inscriptions in this region. These inscriptions were found in Qarqab, Esfajard and Kucherey sites. In the translation of these inscriptions, we see that most of them are related to the subject of water and the word "zehab" is seen in most of them. In the dictionary of Pahlavi language, the word Zehab mostly means river. This word is directly related to the natural landscape of the area and the proximity to water sources, as well as the location of petroglyphs in these sites. The word Zehab also has a direct alignment with some native terms related to water. According to the study of the text of these Pahlavi inscriptions, it seems that these texts could have marked the existence of water resources in the region, especially for passers-by and nomadic tribes. All these cases show the special place of water among the people of this region, especially during the Sassanid era. Through surveys and field interviews, we found out that the issue of water and historical stories related to it exist in the oral culture of the people of the region, and through library surveys, we also found out that it also exists in historical books.

Keywords

Main Subjects

pazhoheshha-ye Bastan shenasi Iran

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 January 2024

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