PARTHIAN LANGUAGE

(CHAPTER 24) 

Parthian language, often called `Pahlavi-Parthian' (GurHIT VI.B), was thought to be `pure Persian' though disguised in the writing of it to appear a barbarous mixture of Arabic and Persian, with foreign (Aramaic) words considered as `ideograms' or `heterograms,' and that the Persians in reading them substituted for these foreign words their own Iranian ones (EncyAm).

 

Prof. Frye, discussing the Parthians and their language, considers this as a `problem' and asks some questions: 

 

"When did the system of writing of Aramaic with Iranian loanwords change to a system of Iranian with Aramaic ideograms? ... What was the time when we definitely have the end of Aramaic and the writing of Ira­nian with ideograms? (FryHP 174-175).

 

"As we know from the documents of Nisa (Nysa) and Avroman, Parthian was written heterographically with Aramaic words as well as letters" (FryHP 225). 

 

Parthians were known from Achaemenid times living roughly in the mod­ern Persian province of Khorasan (FryHP 207). Their dynasty was estab­lished in Iran by two brothers Arsaces and Tiridates, leaders of the Parni (or Aparni), Sakas (Scythians) who came into Khorasan from the steppe between the Caspian Sea and the Lake Aral in about 250 B.C. (PhiRH 110). They overcame the Seleucid successors of Alexander the Great and set up an empire that became the only other world power besides that of the Romans (FryHP 214). Again, according to Frye, it was probably under Parthian rule, an age of Oriental chivalry, that the early legends of the rulers and heroes of eastern Iran [Khorasan] were revived and given a Parthian flavour in many instances. The Parthian language came to be called the pahlavanic `heroic' language and the Parthians themselves `heroes' [pahlavans] (FryHP 73).

 

Their empire extended from the Euphrates to the Oxus river in the east and from the Caspian Sea to the Indian Ocean in the south, controlling Media, Iran, Mesopotamia, as well as Hyrcania, Ariana, Margiana in the east, and Armenia and the area south of Lake Van, called Kardukh (Xenophon IV.4) or Kardu/Qardu, Korduene or Gorduene, known as Beth Qardu in Syriac sources (FryHP). The name is often equated with the Kurds by modern writers. However, the word is more likely to be equated to Tr. Karluk, name of a Turkish group, written as Xolx (Kholkh "Colchian") by Theophilactos who called them to be one of the five clans of the Hephtalites or White Huns (ToOD 90), and as Khallukh by later Muslim historians (ToUTTG 436).

 

The Parthian civilization and culture seem to be almost a continuation of that of the Achaemenians, especially in their religious system. Ghirshman, discusses the religion and other particulars relating to the Parthians in the following words: 

 

"The Parthians brought with them primitive cults with worship of natu­ral forces, above all the sun and moon... The Parthians were no more Zoroastrians than were the Achaemenians... The triad, Ahuramazda-Mithra-Anahita, worshipped under the Achaemenians, seems to retain its hold under the Parthians... The cult of Anahita spread under the Parthi­ans... At Susa the goddess worshipped (by the Parthians) was Nanaia, which is the Semitic [?] name for Anahita... The exposure of the dead (a Zoroastrian practice) was not adopted by the Arsakids (Parthians), ... for,       archaeological excavations at Nippur, Kakzu, and Dura-Europos (1) have brought to light Parthian cemeteries in which the dead were buried with their funerary furnishings in interracotta sarcophagi. The coffins were often glazed and decorated with a naked goddess in relief, who is thought to be Anahita. These findings were confirmed by our discovery of a Parthian cemetery at Susa...

 

"Parthian Arsakids, who like the Kushans, sprang from the nomad Ira­nian [?] peoples of Central Asia, were very tolerant of foreign religions...

 

"Among the many sanctuaries excavated at Dura-Europos, which long remained an advance post of the Parthian empire, not a single fire temple was discovered, although there was an important Iranian [Parthian] colony in this trading centre...

 

"The tolerance of the Arsakids was particularly evident in their relations with the Jewish people, who regarded Iranian princes as true defenders of their faith. Having been oppressed by the Seleucids and the Romans, the Jews believed that Iran was the only great power capable of delivering them from the foreign yoke, as it had done once before in the Achaeme­nian period... During the great Jewish revolt of the second century A.D., which set all the Roman Orient ablaze, the rebels received aid from the Parthians, a fact which gave rise to the well-known saying: `When you see a Parthian charger tied up to a tomb-stone in Palestine, the hour of the Messiah will be near'" (GhirIR 272). 

 

With this brief introduction to the Parthian history and language, we may start deciphering the following Parthian inscription: 

Case 1 - VOLOGESES INSCRIPTION

Pl.23-a

When I was looking for someinformation, in Prof. Ghirshman's book"Iran,"on the Aparni people which Ithought had their nobles mentioned in the Achaemenid ritual texts (Chapter 20), Iaccidentally came across this Parthian inscription (2) (Pl. 23-a) written on the back of acoin by the Parthian king Vologeses I (r. A.D. 51-80), which I decided to try to decipher.

 

The shock I had, after I put inthe corresponding phonemes, was much greater than the one I had gotten when I haddeciphered the Achaemenid ritual texts. Here, in front of me, was a pure Turkish text thatI could under­stand more easily than a text appearing in the dictionary of Kashgari. Myex­pectation was to find at least a scholarly Aramaic similar to that of the Achaemenids.It turned out that the Parthian Aramaic language of the first century of the Christiancalendar was not the scholarly Aramaic language, but more the language of the people andvery close indeed to the present Western Turkish language.

 

The alphabet of Parthia, calledPahlavi-Arsacid by Ghirshman, turned out to be similar to that of the Aramaic of theAchaemenid ritual texts. However, after a few tries at deciphering, I have observed somedifferences: 

 

⁾           letter aleph (Gk. alpha): represents ingeneral the Turkish sound"a"(3).The sign of the letter itself is a little different, and much larger than the normal⁾aleph.

 

⁽           letter    ⁽(Gk. omicron), hererepresents the soundso/u, ü. It isessentially same as in the Achaemenid Aramaic.

 

/           letter zayn (Gk. Zeta), here representssandsh(as in the Kök-Türk alphabet) as well aszwhich however is not associated with any word in this text. In one case, this sign ismistakenly copied for the sign"l"as in the last word of Line 6.

 

>          letterwaw (w,v),in this text, stands also for the letteryod(',y,i).Here, it represents the Turkish soundsworv,andi,ö?,ı. The last vowel -ıis used as a possessive suffix in the text inplace of the letter⁾aleph"-a"(often mistakenly referred to asthe article) of the Achaemenid or any other Ara­maic inscriptions. 

 

The letter h in one (accusative)case (tp⁽h>tapu-h>tapu-ğ) in Line 7, and in the word khhn (>kağan) of Line 3 corresponds to Turkishğ(gh). Otherwise, the phonemes of the letters"h"and"khet"(h)and even"k"are often interchanged as for example in the words mlh and mlk bothof which readmelik"king, lord."However, based on the inscription in Case 2 further below, we have kept the rule in whichwe gave the sound of the softk,q(ke/ki/kü/kö) to letter k, and the hard soundka/kı/ko/kuto letterh. Thus, in the following Line 1, we have sv⁽k=sevük/sevüq,buthd⁽b=kıdubin Line 7. Only, the words khhnand khkn were left out of this rule since they have rather independent constructions.

 

This so-called Vologesesinscription is written below in reverse from left to right. Putting in the phonemes,except the letters⁾alephand⁽aiyn, the text reads as: 

 

1    sw⁽k :hwpıtsn :⁾ntpp<l l l l l l V

2    ktip: kit⁽⁾tı :⁾ntpp : ktip

3    ⁾⁽ştr⁽b : khhn : mlik :⁾ntp l l V

4    lnlr: ttbı : mlhln : kl[⁽]k :⁾⁽ştr⁽b : mlhn

5    mlik: khkn : pknkhkn : mnp :⁾⁽b : mn : skltn

6    bh: mlhln : kl⁽k : kit⁽⁾tı : mlhn

7    mlik: khkn : mnp :⁾⁽b : mn : skltn : tp⁽h :hd⁽b 

 

Finally,putting in `a' for⁾aleph,u or ü for⁽aiyn,-ğ for h in the word tp⁽hand inserting proper hidden vowels, it becomes our master text for transla­tion, withalternate readings shown in brackets: 

 

1    sewük : kop ıtsın : an(a) tapıp<l ll l l l V

2    kitip : kitü atı : an(a) tapıp : kitip

3    auşturub : khahan : melik : an(a)tap(a) l l V

4    Alanlar : tatab-ı : melik-Alani : Külük :auşturub : melikin

5    meliki : khakan : Püken [Pukan] khakan :minip : aub : men(i) : isikletin [saklatın]

6    bek : melik-Alani : Külük : kitü atı :melikin

7    meliki : khakan : minip : aub : meni :isikletin [saklatın] : tapu-ğ : kıdub 

 

Changing"u"for"ı"when necessary for vowel harmony, and putting in between the two vowels thesoft Turkish consonant"ğ,"the text will read as: 

 

1    sewük : kop ıtsın : an(a) tapıp<l ll l l l V

2    kitip : kitü atı : an(a) tapıp : kitip

3    ağıştırıb : khahan : melik :an(a) tap(a) l l V

4    Alanlar : tatabı : melik-Alani : Külük :ağıştırıb : melikin

5    meliki : khakan : Püken [Pukan] khakan :minip : ağıb : men(i) : isikletin [saklatın]

6    bek : melik-Alani : Külük : kitü atı :melikin

7    meliki : khakan : minip : ağıb : meni :isikletin [saklatın] : tapığ(ı) : kıdıb 

 

whichtranslates into English (with insertions in parentheses to clear the meanings, and withalternate meaning in brackets) as: 

 

1    May the Beloved (God), keep (us) freealways!. Adoring Him (worshiping God), (in this) 11th? (year of my Ascension?),

2    going (forward), having gone and shot(arrows), adoring Him (The God); going (forward),

3    Kaghan (Emperor) the lord (king), makingsorties seven (times) adoring Him (The God).

4    (While) the Alans, the enemy (hostile flood),(and) Külük, the king of Alani, (kept) coming up and fight; the King of

5    Kings, Kaghan (Emperor) Büken [Bukan]Kaghan!, riding (your horse) and rising up (over the enemy), you have fired me up [youprotected me].

6    Külük, the tough king of the Alani, havinggone and shot (arrows); (and); the King of

7    Kings, Kaghan!, riding (your horse) andrising up (over the enemy), you have fired me up [you protected me], (also) defending (my)Temple. 

 

The text, unlike the officialAramaic of the ritual texts of the Achaemenids, is written with the language of the peopleand is made up of pure Turkish words and syntax except a few loanwords such as the Persianab"water, juice, wine; rain (flood);dagger, sword,"and the Semiticmelik"king, lord"(Line 3f). The grammatical syntax of the combination,melik-Alan(i)"king of Alans"(Line 4, 6) is Aramaic (4) or Perso-Arabic, but the words,Alan"one who takes, grabs"or 'lan(ilan)"snake, dragon,"tat"enemy,foreigner,"and -ı, the possessive suffixin the wordtatab-ı, are pure Turkish.

 

Parthian alphabet, as we see inthis 1st century A.D. script, is a con­tinuation of the same alphabet used by theAchaemenids five centuries ear­lier except for some slight variations as discussed above.It is also more cur­sive in the letters b, p, and k, and the loops of d and r are closed.We seem to have a combined or compound letter"lr"(Line 4, third letter fromright) indicating possibly the Turkish plural -lar.

 

The number at the end of the line1, ignoring the first sign"<,"may indi­cate the year of the king's rule,which I read 11th, assuming the numeral V to be borrowed from the Romans.

 

The important word Alan (1^stword in Line 4) ends with a letter which seems to be made up of letter"l"and areversed"r,"thus:ln-lr(Alan-lar)"Alans."Our text is supported by historical evidence given by a contemporaryJewish historian, Josephus (A.D. 37-100), who reports that Alans, whom he calls a Scythiantribe living near the Don (Tanais) and the Sea of Azov, cross the Iron-gate and defeat thearmies of Pacorus, king of Media, and Tiridates, King of Armenia (5), both brothers ofVologeses I, the Parthian emperor to whom the above inscription belongs (6).

 

Etymology of the word ln (Alan) goes back to the wordGelon(us) of Herodotus, brother ofScyth(es) the youngest of the three brothers, sonsof Heracles by a maiden similar to a mermaid except that this one's tail was like a snake(Herod IV.8-10), and out of thisGelon(us), thenation ofGeloni(Gilans) was born. I havealready touched this subject in deciphering the Scythian language which turned out to be aTurkish language. The Alan (ılan"snake") of Josephus who lived near the Don and the Sea of Azov, and the Gelon (jilan,"snake") of Herodotus who livedabout the river Volga must be the same people, and, although Herodotus in another storymakes them a half-breed of Greeks and Scythians (Herod IV.108), they (Alans) seem to beTurkish people from the beginning. Finally, Turkish nameKülüg(fourth word) of their king in thisParthian inscription is another evidence in that direction.

 

The Parthian wordttb,tatabı,tat-ab-ı(2^ndin Line 4) whose truemeaning I discovered already in the Kök-Türk inscriptions (7), is a very sophisticatedand a poetic expression, having several hidden meanings such as"(a) bad drink,""foreign wine,""hostile rain, hostile flood,""hostiledagger,""(the very) essence of (an) infidel,""(the) sword ofenemy"or"(the) sword for enemy,"etc., used for a particular foe. In thisexpression, Tr.tatis"foreigner, enemy;an infidel; hostile,"Pers.ab"water; source; juice; essence; wine; rain (flood); dagger, sword; mirror,"and-ıis the Turkish possessive suffix. The Alanswere in­deed a very particular enemy for the people living south of the famous CaspianGates (TemirKapu"Iron Gate") which is said to bebuilt to keep back Gog and Magog (8) whom Marco Polo called Tartars (Turkish Comans orCumanians) (9), and before him, Isidor of Seville called Avars (10) by which he meantScythians. Thus, the idea of Gog represented as"God's sword"for unbelieversseems also to be reflected in one of the meanings ofTatabı,"(the) sword of enemy"or"the sword for enemy"where in our present case the sword isKülük, king of Alans. It is quite interestingthat theTatabıof the Kök-Türk inscriptionswhich we had discovered to have referred to the Chinese (Chapter 2), also lived behindanother great wall (of China). Kash­gari, without naming the Chinese, referred to them asYajuj Majuj"Gog Magog"`whoselanguage was not known' to him (DLT I, 29/15).

 

Another important name ispknkhkn(Püken-khakan)"Büken [Bukan] Hakan"(Line 5)must be the kağan of Transoxiana north of the Kushan Kingdom which was then ruled by VimaKadphises (r. A.D. 35-78). In fact the statement of the king of Iran in this text stronglysuggests that Vologeses recognized the kaghan as his superior, and perhaps `Iran' was atleast under the protection of `Turan' at the time. We have, later in history, a BukanKaghan (553-572), emperor of the Kök-Türk Empire, the second son of Bumın Kağan (A.D.552-553) who set up the empire that ex­tended from the Caspian to the Pacific Ocean bydefeating the Avar Turks.

Case2 - [TUTUK-TARI (Ttktr) INSCRIPTION]

Pl.23-b

This Parthian inscription (11)(Pl. 23-b) belongs also to the 1st century A.D.. The scribe of this inscription is morecareful in distinguishing between the letters corresponding to waw (w/v/u/ü),and yod (i/y) which here resembles that of the AchaemenidAramaic alphabet, although some­times his letter zayn (z/s/ş) is written quite similar toyod. His letters t andhare sometimes hardto distinguish from each other, and letters d and r are similar to that of the AchaemenidAramaic and not written with closed loops as in Case 1. Here, there is not any letter h,and the letterhstands for bothğ(aa)andk(aa).We have a new letter in this inscription (Lns. 3 and 8), the letter Tsade similar toletter M written sideways, identical to that of the Canaanite and Aramaic alphabets, andhas here the correct phonetic value of ç (ch).

 

Thus, keeping the letters aleph,⁽aiyn, and / (zayn), writtenapproximately as they are, we have the following reading of the text, from left to right,where the letters having question-marks show unreliable readings: 

 

1    tnhn/?n?t : nd⁽k:⁾rnhtm /wnp : tthtr : bd/ : t/d⁽

2    m? : mny : /wdn : ddmk :⁾hmn: /d/r :⁾w/dn⁾rp:hlw : /⁾t

3    d/y/p : ky/lbd/ : bkn⁽: rn : k⁾y: kl⁾: /w⁽nçç///⁽

4   mrymn : bn?m⁾/tp : k/n⁾rp : ⁾m/ : ⁾rlp : hdmhpr

5   k? ⁾r⁽ : hyrd : bd/ : ⁾t⁽ : mh?⁽? : bd/ :d⁽rp : kd⁽m/

6   bd/ : ⁾kn/ : bd/yb/r/ : bd/ : mhrtr/ : h⁽dbd/ : m⁽ktwrw

7   ddmk : ⁾hmn : ddmk : /wnt : ky/lmn

8   tthtr : kl⁾ : /w⁽ nçç///t 

 

Putting in the proper phonemes, a or e for ⁾aleph; u, o, ü, ö for ⁽aiyn; s, ş or z for /, the text becomes: 

 

1   tnhn s?n?t : ndük : arnht m swnp : tthtr : bdz : tzdü

2   m? : mny : swdn : ddmk : ahmn : şd sr : awşdn arp : hlw : şat

3   dzyşp : kyzl bdz : bknü : rn : key : kle : swü nççs ssü

4   mirymn : bn?maz tp : kzn erp : amş : arlp : hdm hpr

5   kerü : hyrd : bdz : atu : mh?u? : bdz : durp : kdümz

6   bdz : eknş : bdzy bzrz : bdz : mh rtrz : hod bdz : müktwrw

7   ddmk : ahmn : ddmk : swnt : kyzl mn

8   tthtr : kle : swü nççs sst 

 

Filling in the proper hidden vowels (bold letters), putting ğ/ğa/ğı or hard k(aa) for h, and putting in places v or u for waw (w), and i for yod (y) the text reads as: 

 

1   tanğın sene-t : nedük : arınğtım, sevinip : Tutuk-tarı : bediz : tüzdü

2   m. : meni : sevdin : dedem ki : Ağamen : şad sar : avışdan arıp : kalu : şad.

3   dizişip : kizli bediz : beknü : urun : key : kele : sevü neççesi? süsü.

4   miri men : banmaz ti(yi)p : közün erip : amşu : arılap : kadam kapar

5   kerü. : kayırdı : bediz : atu : umuğu? : bediz. : durup : ökdümüz

6   bediz, : ekün-eş : bedizi bezeriz, : bediz : umuğ örteriz. : kod bediz : mükturu

7   dedemke. : Ağamen : dedemki : sevinti. : kizli men

8   Tutuk-tarı, : kele : sevü neççesi? süsti. 

 

which translates literally as: 

 

1   Years of wonders : much : I have been cleansed, rejoicing, : Tutuk-tarı : (a) statue : I made.

2   : Me (acc.) : you loved : my father who (is named) : Ahamen : (a) princely king! : from spell and sorcery being cleansed : remaining : happy.

3   While (all) racing to line up : the statue having (a) throne : the king : erect! : properly (rightfully); : let come : love (to me); much of it (the statue) rising up.

4   I, who is the leader (head) of this (undertaking), : saying that it cannot be attached together : while (only) attaining (physical) power; : the sacrificial gift (food) : choosing the best : (that which) my God takes

5   unto (towards) Himself : He (then) stood as a protector over : the statue : while casting: hope(s) : (on) the statue. : Standing up, : we praised

6   the statue, : the two mates. : we decorate (adorn) the statue, : the statue : we veil (our) hopes. : set the statue : while bowing in reverence

7   to my father. : Ahamen : who is my father : have rejoiced. : I hold the throne,

8   Tutuk-tarı, : let it come : love (to me); much of it (the statue) is (now) raised up. 

 

or in clearer English as: 

 

1   In the past amazing years, much I have been cleansed; rejoicing, I Tutuk-tarı have made a statue.

2   You had loved me my father who (is named) Ahamen, (a) princely king, (and who) being cleansed from spell and sorcery, (now) remaining happy (in heaven).

3   While (all) racing to line up the statue having (a) throne, erect! (the statue of) the king properly; I say that, let (your) love rightfully come to me, as much of the monument (statue) now rising up.

4   I, who is the head (expert) in this (undertaking), say that it is not enough to put this together, with only our physical powers; we choose the best of the sacrificial gift (food), which my God takes

5   for Himself. He (God) has (then) stood as a protector over the statue, casting hope(s) at the statue. Standing up, we praised

6   the statue, the two mates (statue of the king and its base-throne). We adorn the statue, the statue that we veil our hopes on. Now set the statue and bow in reverence

7   to my father. Ahamen who is my father is rejoiced. I am

8   Tutuk-tarı, holder of the throne, let your love come to me, (seeing) how the statue is raised up. 

 

From its content, we suspect that the above inscription belongs to a King named Tutuk-tarı (Ttktr) which must be the real name of King Vonones II (A.D. 51), son of Vonones I (r. A.D. 7-12) and grandson of Phraates. Accord­ing to Tacitus, he was the ruler of the Parthian province of Media and was on the side of a group of Parthian nobles eager to get rid of the cruel King Gotarzes (r. A.D. 38-51) who however died after an illness. Crowned as the next king, young Vonones [ttktr] had a very short reign and was followed by his son Vologeses I (Annals 12.10, 14), the hero of our first inscription of Case 1. The name of the elder Vonones is written by Frye with a question mark as whwnm? (FryHP 319) which name is very similar to the name Ahmn (Ahamen) of the inscription: thus, Whwnm > Whwmn > Ahmn > Ahmn which is: Ahamen or Ağamen "lord I am," or Akaman "true lord." The life of the father Vonones had a sad ending: According to Tacitus, he was sent by his father Phraates to Augustus "to cement friendship, not so much from dread of us as from distrust of the loyalty of his countrymen." After the death of Phraates and the ensuing civil wars, the Parthian nobles had asked Augustus to give them Vonones for the throne of Parthia. Thus, loaded with wealth from Augustus, Vonones returned home to become king. However, his apparent sympathy for the Romans and his foreign manners and training caused a national uprising headed by Artabanus III (r. A.D. 12-38) also an Arsakid (on the mother's side) "who had grown to manhood among the Dahae." Vonones went to Armenia where soon he was asked to be king of the land. However, Romans not willing to go to war against Artabanus, sent him to Pompeiopolis, a city on the coast of Cilicia, where he was killed by a Roman officer when trying "to escape to his kinsman, the king of Scythia" (Annals II.1-4, 58, 68).

 

The first part of the name of Tutuk-tarı (Ttktr), ttk (tutuk), is identical to the last part of the name prdtk (FryHP) or perhaps pr-ttk [Apar-Tutuk] of Phraataces who ruled before Vonones I.

 

A very significant conclusion from the inscription is that concerning the word dede "father" which in this content is proven to be truly an Oghuz Turkish word since Mahmud Kashgari, more than a millennium after the Parthians, clearly indicates that the word dede is "father" in Oghuz Turkish (DLT III, 220). However, the Oghuz Turks later took from the other Turks the word ata "father," and used dede for "grandfather."

 

All the words and grammatical syntax of this case are analyzed in detail in the Parthian Glossary at the end of this chapter. 

 

Case 3 - yzn nnystnkn

 

This Parthian expression is a reading of a second or first-century B.C. inscription (FryHP 228) found at Nysa or Mithradatkirt located near present Ashkabat, capital of Turkmenistan.          If we remember that the letter z, written with sign / (letter zayn, Gk. Zeta) represents the sounds s, sh, and z, as we have already seen above in Case 1, by replacing "z" in the expression with "ş" the inscription can be read as: 

 

yşn nn-y stn kn

 

which I transcribe as:

 

yüşen nine-ay sütun kün

 

which literally translates as: 

 

The polished Mother-Moon (Goddess) temple-pillar (and) the Sun (God)

 

or:

 

The polished pillar-temple of the Mother-Moon (Goddess) (and) the Sun (God) 

 

But, a more poetic translation is also possible which meaning was proba­bly intended: 

 

The shining Mother-Moon (Goddess), the Radiance (of) the Sun (God) 

 

The whole Parthian sentence is undoubtedly Turkish again, with the adjective yüşen(ğ)/üşen(ğ) "polished (stone)" (12) also having a hidden meaning "shining," Tr. nine/nene "mother; grandmother," ay "moon," and kün "sun," and a Persian loanword, sütun meaning "pillar" as well as "beam (of light), radiance." The scribe-scholar very cleverly used words with double meanings, the adjective yüşen acts both as "polished" (stone-pillar of the temple) and as "shining" (Mother-Moon), whereas the noun sütun acts as a "pillar" (of the temple) and as the "radiance" (of the Sun). The Turkish word Nine-ay "Mother-Moon (Goddess)" is nothing but Nanaia which, as we indicated above, is claimed by Ghirshman to be the Semitic name for Anahita wor­shipped by the Parthians at Susa. 

 

Case 4 - NAMES OF THE PARTHIAN KINGS

 

The following is a list of the names of the Parthian kings in chronological order, with their correct Turkish readings and their meanings, the details of which are given in the Parthian Glossary: 

 

Arsak.es (ršk)                  Er-Saka "hero Scythian"

Tiridat.es (tyrdt)              Tarı?-dat "gift of God"

Artaban.us ()rtpn)            Er-tapan "hero the worshiper"

Priapat.ius (prypt)            Böri-batu "wolf-hero"

Phraat.es (prdh or prdty) Ferhat "joy, cheerfulness"

Phraat.es                          Böri-at "wolflike horse"

Mithradat.es (mtrdt)       Mitra-dat "born of Mithra"

Sinatruk.es (sntrwk)        Isen-oturuk "Isen (flawless) king"

Gotarz.es (gwtrz?)           Kuw-tarı "god of the state"

Orod.es (wrwd)                Urı?-od "young fire"

Orod.es (wrwd)                Ur-od "make the fire"

Phraatac.es (prdtk)          Böri-tutuk "wolf, the powerful"

Phraatac.es (prdtk)          Apar-tutuk "Avar, the powerful"

Vardan.es (wrt)n)            Vartın "you have arrived"

Vonon.es I (whwnm?)      Ahamen/Ağamen "lord I am"

Vologes.es (wlgš)            Ulu-göz "the great eye"

Artavasd.es ()rtwzd)        Ortu-bastı "he who has overpowered the (enemy's) army." 

 

Parthians, in spite of being one of the two or three world powers (others, Romans, and perhaps the Central Asian Saka Khanate), were treated rather unfairly by the Muslim historians. They were left outside of the great dynas­ties and were considered a part of the `Factions,' as Ghazali puts it: 

 

"(After Alexander the Great) the kingship passed to the Factions and of these one known as the Ashkanians won the ascendancy. The first of these was Ashk ibn Hurmuz" (BaGAZCK 50). 

 

I think the reason for that was because the Parthians spoke with almost a pure Turkish dialect apparently due to their kings' Scythian background. The Sassanians, speaking a sophisticated language and thinking themselves to be the native descendants of the Achaemenids, and representatives of the old Iranian and Mesopotamian civilizations, considered the Parthians as the intruders into the old Sumero-Babylonian and Elamite-Aramean tradition.

 

Parthian Dynasty (ab. 247 B.C.-A.D. 226) was one of the longest in history, 473 years against 443 for the Sassanid, 370 for the Achaemenid, and 619 for the Ottoman. They had 36 kings against 31 for the Sassanian, 16 for the Achaemenid, and 37 for the Ottoman dynasty which was one of the longest in history.

 

Following glossary contains the words and grammatical syntax found in the four cases above, and some other words and personal names found in the literature. Names of the Parthian kings are taken from Frye. In the entries, pure Parthian words are shown in bold letters, their correct Turkish translit­erations in italics, and all loanwords, Semitic and Iranian, in normal letters. 

 

PARTHIAN GLOSSARY

 

-a/-ı/-u/-ü, etc.            Parthian (Turkish) gerun­dive suffix, synonymous with the other gerundive suffix -p/-ıp "-ing." It is found in the expressions kit-ü at-ı "go-ing (and) shoot-ing" (Case 1:2, 6), and an(a) tap-a "worship-ing him" (Case 1:3), kal-ı "remain-ing" (Case 2:2), süs-ü "ris-ing" (Case 2:3), at-u "cast-ing, throwing" (Case 2:5), and müktur-u "stand-ing in reverence" (Case 2:6). Same forms are found in the Kök-Türk inscriptions: `il tut-a' "having held, hold-ing the country" (ErOA, Kt:S8), and `kör-ü biling' "know (by) see-ing" (Kt:S11), `aş-a yorıdım' "I walked cross-ing (over the mountain)" (BK:E27). It is still used in Modern Turkish in many expressions such as git-i verdi "he just went," lit., "go-ing (or having gone), he delivered," or, şaş-a kaldı "he became stupefied," lit., "be-ing bewil­dered, he remained."

 

-a/-na                          dative suffix, as in a-na/o-na "to him." See: antp-.

 

-d/-dı/-t/-ti/-tü/t)         third person past tense singular. See: hyrd (Case 2:5), swnt (Case 2:7), sst (Case 2:8), the word pht) where it forms a noun, and the personal name Artavasd.es, Parthian king.

 

-dn/-dın/-dan              < Tr. -dan "from." See: awşdn (Case 2:2).

 

-dn/-tn/-din/-tın          < Tr. -din/-tin, 2nd person past tense singular, as in skltn/isikle-tin "you

                                   have fired me up" (Case 1:5, 7), in swdn/sevdin "you loved" (Case 2:2).

 

-düm/-tm/-tım             < Tr. -dim, -düm, -tım, etc., 1st person past tense singular, in the words arnht m (Case 2:1), tzdüm (Case 2:1-2).

 

-dümz/-dümüz             (M. Turkish) Mod. Tr. -dük, 3rd person past tense plural. See: kdümz (Case 2:5).

 

-e                                < Tr. -e/-a,      3rd person optative suffix "he (she, it) should, he may, let him." See: kle (Case 2:3, 8).

 

-h/-ğ/-ığ                      O-M Turkish accusative suffix. We have such accusative formation, with the suffix -ğ/-ığ, in the Kök-Türk inscrip­tions, in the sentence, `Yabguğ, şadığ anda birmiş' "he had appointed then the yabgu (ruler of the East) and the şad (ruler of the West)" (ErOA, BK:E12), where the word yabgu-ğ is identical in form with our word tapu-h/tapu-ğ. See: tpuh/tapu-ğ (Case 1:7).

 

-i                                 "its (his, her)," possessive pronominal suf­fix of the 3rd person in the word mr-y/mir-i "its leader; the leader of" (Case 2:4). See also: -s/-si.

 

-i/-I                             Parthian (Turkish) possessive suffix, as in melik-in melik-i, and in the sophisticated expression ttb-ı/tat-ab-ı (Case 1:4). See also: -s/-si.

 

-i/-u, etc.                     Turkish accusative suffix, as in bdz-y/bdz-i (Case 2:6), mh-u (Case 2:5).

 

-k/-ke                          < Tr. -ke/-ka "to, towards." See: Case 2:7.

 

-l/-li                             "having, provided with." See: kyzl, kizli (Case 2:3, 7). See also: -lük/-lüg.

 

-lr/-lar                         Parthian (Turkish) plural suffix (Case 1:4).

 

-lük/-lüg                     Turkish suffix which forms adjec­tive/nouns from nouns (REDH; DLT III, 212-213), meaning "having, provided with"; as in the word kl`k (Kü-lük) in Case 1:6.

 

-m                                           "my." See: ddm, hdm (Case 2:2, 4, 7).

 

-maz                            Turkish negative aorist participle, "he (it, she, that) does not" (REDH). See: bnmaz (Case 2:4).

 

 

-n/-ın                           imperative 2nd person plural, as in rn/urun "place!, erect!" (Case 2:3).

 

-n/-in/-ın                     Parthian (Turkish) genitive suffix "of" (usually followed by the possessive noun), as in mlh(i)n ml>k (melik-in melik-i) "king of king(s)" (Case 1:4, 6); also in the word tnhn/tanğın (Case 2:1).

 

-nü                              (in the word bknü/bek-nü "the king," in Case 2:3) < Tr. -ni, accusative suffix (generally passive case), which same form is found in Tr. beg-ni "the king" (DLT II, 10/15).

 

-p/-ıp/-ip/-ub/-üp        gerundive suffix at­tached to the root of the verb, and is syn­onymous with the suffix -a/-ı/-u/-ü de­scribed in the first paragraph (Case 1:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7; Case 2:1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

 

-r                                 < Tr. -r/-ar, Turkish 3rd person pre­sent tense meaning "that generally does; that may do." See: hpr/kapar (Case 2:4).

 

-rz/-riz/-eriz                Turkish 1st person present tense plural. See: bzrz, rtrz (Case 2:6).

 

-s/-si                           possessive pronominal suffix, as in nççs/neççesi < Tr. niçe-si "much of it" (Case 2:3, 8).

 

-sn/-sın/-sin                Turkish imperative 3rd per­son sing, "let him, may he" (Case 1:1).

 

-t                                 Old and Middle Turkish plural suffix. See: snt (Case 2:1).

 

-tr-/-tur-/-tır-             Turkish Causative,      "to make, to cause." See: )uştr-.

 

-ük/-uk                       Turkish suffix to make nouns and adjectives from verbs, as in swük/sevük (Case 1:1), Tutuk-tarı (tthtr).

 

a/o/o                            he, she, it ("a" is the scholarly usage when taking the dative "-na" at the end). See. ana/ona (Case 1).

ab                                (Persian loanword) water, drink, wine; source; rain (flood); rank; dagger; mirror; (REDH). See: Tatabı.

 

ağıştır-                                    same as auştur-.

 

ağıb                             same as aub.

 

Ahamen/Agamen        Parthian king Vonones (whwnm?). See: Ahmn.

 

Ahmn                          < Tr.    Ahamen/Aga-men ("lord I am") or Akaman ("true lord"), most likely Vonones I (whwnm?); with aga/aka "lord, master; elder brother" (UYG; REDH). See: Case 2:2, 7.

 

Alan                            same as ln.

 

Alan-lar                      same as lnlr.

 

amş/amşu                   Tr. amşu "sacrificial food" (UYG); amuç "present" (DLT), ançu "present" (UYG). See: Case 2:4.

 

ana-tap-                     same as antp-.

 

ana/ona                      (a'na/o'na) "to him." See: antp-

 

antp-                           < Tr. ana tap- "to worship Him," in the word antp-(ı)p in Case 1:1, 2; and in antp(-a) in Case 1:3.

 

ar-/arı-                        < Tr. arı- "to become clean, to recover health; to lose its force" (DLT; UYG; REDH). See: arp (Case 2:2).

 

arığla-                         same as arl-.

 

arıl-                             same as arl-.

 

arınğ-/arın-                same as arnh/)rn-.

 

arl-                              < Tr.    arığla- "to choose the best out of all"