Parthian language

Parthian language

      Middle Iranian language that originated in the ancient province of Parthia (the northeastern portion of modern Iran) and became the official language of the Arsacid period of Persian dynastic history (2nd century BC–3rd century AD). Among the earliest records of the language are more than 2,000 ostraca (inscribed pottery fragments), largely records of wine deliveries dating from the 1st century BC, which were discovered in excavations (1949–58) at Nisa, an Arsacid capital near modern Ashgabat in Turkmenistan. Parthian is also attested by inscriptions of the first Sāsānian kings (224–303), which were accompanied by a Middle Persian version. Manichaean Parthian literature is a very rich source for the language and includes the outstanding hymn cycles of the poet Mar Ammo (second half of the 3rd century). The Parthian script was derived from the Aramaic alphabet.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Parthian language — Infobox Language name=Parthian nativename= region=Ancient Iran extinct=Marginalized by Middle Persian from the 3rd century familycolor=Indo European fam2=Indo Iranian fam3=Iranian fam4=Western Iranian fam5=Northwestern Iranian iso2=|iso3=xprThe… …   Wikipedia

  • Parthian — may refer to:*Indo Parthian Kingdom *Parthia *Parthian class submarine *Parthian Empire *Parthian language *Parthian shot *Seven Parthian clans …   Wikipedia

  • Parthian — I noun 1. a native or inhabitant of Parthia • Hypernyms: ↑Asian, ↑Asiatic • Member Holonyms: ↑Parthia 2. the Iranian language spoken in the Parthian kingdom (250 BC to AD 226) • Hypernyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Parthian — 1. adjective /ˈpɑːθɪən/ a) Relating to Parthia or Parthians. A Parthian shot. b) Delivered as if in retreat. 2. noun /ˈpɑːθɪən/ a) A native or inhabitant of Parthia …   Wiktionary

  • Parthian — /pahr thee euhn/, n. 1. a native or inhabitant of Parthia. 2. an Iranian language of ancient and medieval Parthia. adj. 3. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Parthia, its inhabitants, or their language. [1520 30; PARTHI(A) + AN] * * * …   Universalium

  • Parthian — Par·thi·an || pɑːθjÉ™n adj. of or pertaining to to the ancient country of Parthia or its inhabitants; of or pertaining to the language of Parthia n. resident or citizen of the ancient country of Parthia n. language of the ancient country of… …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Parthian — Par•thi•an [[t]ˈpɑr θi ən[/t]] n. 1) peo a native or inhabitant of Parthia 2) peo the Iranian language of the Parthians 3) peo of or pertaining to Parthia, its inhabitants, or their language • Etymology: 1520–30 …   From formal English to slang

  • Parthian — ISO 639 3 Code : xpr ISO 639 2/B Code : ISO 639 2/T Code : ISO 639 1 Code : Scope : Individual Language Type : Ancient …   Names of Languages ISO 639-3

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  • Persian language — Farsi redirects here. For other uses, see Farsi (disambiguation). Persian فارسی, دری, تاجیکی Wri …   Wikipedia

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