The Khalili Collection Ancient Aramaic Documents from Bactria

288 Pages·2006·11.57 MB·English

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