Inscriptional Parthian

Inscriptional Parthian
Parthian version of Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht
Script type	Abjad
Period	c. 100 CE – c. 400 CE [1]
Direction	Right-to-left script
Languages	Parthian language
Related scripts
Parent systems	Aramaic alphabet Pahlavi scripts Inscriptional Parthian
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Prti(130),​Inscriptional Parthian
Unicode
Unicode alias	Inscriptional Parthian
Unicode range	U+10B40–U+10B5F

Inscriptional Parthian was a script used to write the Parthian language; the majority of the text found has been from clay fragments. This script was used from the 2nd century CE to the 5th century CE or in the Parthian Empire to the early Sasanian Empire. During the Sasanian Empire, it was mostly used for official texts. ^{[2] [3] [ citation needed ]}

Inscriptional Parthian is written right to left, and the letters are not joined.^{[ citation needed ]}

Parthian and Greek inscriptions on a relief of Shapur I.

Inscribed stone block from the Paikuli inscription of Narseh, 293 CE

Drawing of a Parthian relief at Sarpol-e Zahab. What can be read of the inscription behind the rider reads: ptkr ZNH̱ NPSH̱ gwtrz MLKʾ (𐭆𐭍𐭄 𐭍𐭐𐭎𐭄 𐭂𐭅𐭕𐭓𐭆 𐭌𐭋𐭊𐭀‎) 'This (is) the own image of Gōdarz, king'

Letters

Inscriptional Parthian uses 22 letters: ^[3]

Name [A]	Image	Text	Principal phones (IPA; Parthian) [6]	Transliteration
Aleph		𐭀‎	[ a ], [ aː ]	ʾ
Beth		𐭁‎	[ b ], [ w ]	b
Gimel		𐭂‎	[ ɡ ], [ ɣ ]	g
Daleth		𐭃‎	[ d ], [ ð ]	d
He		𐭄‎	—	h
Waw		𐭅‎	[ w ], [ o(ː) ], [ u(ː) ]	w
Zayin		𐭆‎	[ z ], [ ʒ ]	z
Heth		𐭇‎	[ h ], [ x ]	ḥ
Teth		𐭈‎	—	ṭ
Yodh		𐭉‎	[ j ], [ e(ː) ], [ i(ː) ]	y
Kaph		𐭊‎	[ k ], [ g ]	k
Lamedh		𐭋‎	[ l ]	l
Mem		𐭌‎	[ m ]	m
Nun		𐭍‎	[ n ]	n
Samekh		𐭎‎	[ s ]	s
Ayin		𐭏‎	—	ʿ
Pe		𐭐‎	[ p ], [ b ]	p
Sadhe		𐭑‎	[ t͡ʃ ]	ṣ
Qoph		𐭒‎	—	q
Resh		𐭓‎	[ r ]	r
Shin		𐭔‎	[ ʃ ], [ ʒ ]	š
Taw		𐭕‎	[ t ], [ d ]	t

1. ^
   Letter names are based on the corresponding Imperial Aramaic characters ^[3]

Ligatures

Inscriptional Parthian uses seven standard ligatures: ^[3]

Ligature		Sequence
Image	Text
	𐭂𐭅‎	𐭂‎ (gimel) + 𐭅‎ (waw)
	𐭇𐭅‎	𐭇‎ (heth) + 𐭅‎ (waw)
	𐭉𐭅‎	𐭉‎ (yodh) + 𐭅‎ (waw)
	𐭍𐭅‎	𐭍‎ (nun) + 𐭅‎ (waw)
	𐭏𐭋‎	𐭏‎ (ayin) + 𐭋‎ (lamedh)
	𐭓𐭅‎	𐭓‎ (resh) + 𐭅‎ (waw)
	𐭕𐭅‎	𐭕‎ (taw) + 𐭅‎ (waw)

The letters sadhe (𐭑) and nun (𐭍) have swash tails which typically trail under the following letter. ^[3]

Ligature		Sequence
Image	Text
	𐭍𐭍‎	𐭍‎ (nun) + 𐭍‎ (nun)
	𐭍𐭃‎	𐭍‎ (nun) + 𐭃‎ (daleth)

Numerals

Inscriptional Parthian uses its own numerals:

Value		1	2	3	4	10	20	100	1000
Sign	Image
	Text	𐭘‎	𐭙‎	𐭚‎	𐭛‎	𐭜‎	𐭝‎	𐭞‎	𐭟‎

Numerals are written right-to-left, the rightmost being the highest—with the exception of multiplication. Numerals add when the one to the left is lower or equal but multiply when it is larger.

Examples: 1580 is written as 𐭟𐭞𐭝𐭝𐭜𐭛𐭛‎ (1000 + 100 + 20 + 20 + 10 + 4 + 4) and 500 is written as 𐭚𐭙𐭞‎ ((2 + 3 ) × 100). ^[3]

Unicode

Main article: Inscriptional Parthian (Unicode block)

Inscriptional Parthian script was added to the Unicode Standard in October 2009, with the release of version 5.2.^{[ citation needed ]}

The Unicode block for Inscriptional Parthian is U+10B40–U+10B5F:

Inscriptional Parthian [1] [2] Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

A

B

C

D

E

F

U+10B4x

𐭀

𐭁

𐭂

𐭃

𐭄

𐭅

𐭆

𐭇

𐭈

𐭉

𐭊

𐭋

𐭌

𐭍

𐭎

𐭏

U+10B5x

𐭐

𐭑

𐭒

𐭓

𐭔

𐭕

𐭘

𐭙

𐭚

𐭛

𐭜

𐭝

𐭞

𐭟

Notes 1. ^ As of Unicode version 17.0 2. ^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

Gallery

• 
  An abbreviation of the Parthian king's name was introduced on their coins by Vologases I. wl ^{[note 1]} can be read behind the head on this coin's obverse side. ^[7]
• 
  Reverse of a Parthian drahm. The legend at the top reads: [m]trdt MLKA ^{[note 2]} . From Mithridates V on, the ruler's full name and title appeared in Parthian script on drahms, while also becoming increasingly stylized. ^[7]
• 
  A probably commemorative bronze coin of Vologases IV (ca. 147–191 CE), with the legend ⤸ʾršk ⤹wlgšy ⤺MLKYN ⤻MLKA ^{[note 3]} 'Arsacid Vologases, king of kings'. Minted at Edessa. ^{[8] [9]}
• 
  Greek and Parthian on a bronze statuette of Hercules from Seleucia on the Tigris. The inscription dates it to 151 CE. Housed in the Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
• 
  Relief of Artabanus IV handing the ring of power to Khwasak, satrap of Susa. From Susa, Iran Bastan Museum, Tehran, 215 CE ^[10]
• 
  Inscription next to one of the petroglyphs of Kāl-i J̌angāl  [ fa ], a gorge near Birjand. ^{[note 4]} Probably of early Sassanian date. ^[11]
• 
  Ostraca from Dura-Europos

Notes

1. 𐭅𐭋‎
2. 𐭌𐭕𐭓𐭃𐭕 𐭌𐭋𐭊𐭀‎
3. 𐭀𐭓𐭔𐭊 𐭅𐭋𐭂𐭔𐭉 𐭌𐭋𐭊𐭉𐭍 𐭌𐭋𐭊𐭀‎
4. 𐭂𐭓𐭉𐭀𐭓𐭕𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓 \ 𐭍𐭇𐭅𐭃𐭓 𐭅 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓𐭐 [...]‎[...] gryʾrtḥštrn / ḥwdr W ḥštrp '[...] the prefect and satrap of Gryʾrtḥštr'

References

1. Michael, Everson; Roozbeh, Pournader (18 September 2007). "Proposal for encoding the Inscriptional Parthian, Inscriptional Pahlavi, and Psalter Pahlavi scripts in the SMP of the UCS".
2. Michael, Everson; Roozbeh, Pournader (18 September 2007). "Proposal for encoding the Inscriptional Parthian, Inscriptional Pahlavi, and Psalter Pahlavi scripts in the SMP of the UCS". escholarship.org. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
3. Everson, Michael; Pournader, Roozbeh (2007-08-24). "L2/07-207R: Proposal for encoding the Inscriptional Parthian, Inscriptional Pahlavi, and Psalter Pahlavi scripts in the SMP of the UCS" (PDF).
4. E. F. Schmidt (1970). OIP 70. Persepolis III: The Royal Tombs and Other Monuments. p. 126.
5. "GŌDARZ". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2026-03-13.
6. Daniels, Peter T.; Bright, William, eds. (1996). The World's Writing Systems . Oxford University Press, Inc. pp.  518. ISBN   978-0195079937.
7. "Monnaies parthes - Les Inscriptions". www.parthika.fr (in French). Retrieved 2025-12-12.
8. Ancient Iranian Numismatics: In Memory of David Sellwood. BRILL. 2021-02-01. ISBN   978-90-04-46072-0.
9. Talattof, Kamran (2023-06-06). Routledge Handbook of Ancient, Classical and Late Classical Persian Literature. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1-351-34173-8.
10. "CROWN ii. From the Seleucids to the Islamic conquest". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2025-07-16.
11. Walter Bruno Henning. A New Parthian Inscription.