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The Role and Place of the Middle Persian Language and Writing in Caucasian Albania
 
PIIS086919080016630-0-1
DOI10.31857/S086919080016630-0
Publication type Article
Status Published
Authors
Murtazali S. Gadjiev 
Occupation: Head of department of Archaeology
Affiliation: Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Daghestan Federal Research Center of RAS
Address: Makhachkala, Yaraghskiy str., 75, office 510
Journal nameVostok. Afro-Aziatskie obshchestva: istoriia i sovremennost
EditionIssue 5
Pages59-70
Abstract

A significant political influence of Sasanian Iran on Caucasian Albania gives reasons to consider the spread of the Middle Persian language and writing among the Albanian nobility and authorities. This process contributed by the existence of close dynastic ties between the Arsacids of Albania and the Sasanian royal family at least since from the reign of King Urnayr (ca. 350–375) up the abolition of Albanian kingdom at the beginning of the 6th century. Written sources provide the correspondence of the rulers of Albania, Armenia, Iberia with the Sasanians and the written decrees of the shāhanshāhs sent to the Transcaucasian provinces of Iran, which indirectly indicates the spread of the Middle Persian language and writing here.

Currently, there are three known unique gem-seals that date back to the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 6th century and belonged to the representatives of higher secular and church authorities. These are the seals of the King of Albania Aswahen, Crown Prince Asay and the Great Catholicos of Albania and Balasakan. They are of great interest for the study of cultural and political ties between Sasanian Iran and Albania, Albanian sphragistics. The title inscriptions on these official seals are made in pārsīg (pahlavi), which shows the role of the Middle Persian languages and writing among the highest Albanian nobility and the highest Christian clergy of the country, clearly indicates the huge political and cultural influence of Sasanian Iran on the Caucasian Albania. These monuments of glyptics show that the Middle Persian language and writing had the official status in the Early Medieval Albania.

KeywordsCaucasian Albania, Sasanian Iran, Middle Persian, Sasanian gem-seals, Asay, Aswahen, Great Ca-tholicos of Albania and Balasakan
Received05.09.2021
Publication date29.10.2021
Number of characters30534
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1 In memory of Sara Kasumova
2 A significant political influence of Sasanian Iran on Caucasian Albania (Gr. Ἀλβανία, Lat. Albania, Arm. Ałuankʿ, Georg. Rani, Syr. Aran, Parth. Ārdān, Mid. Pers. Ārān, Ālbān, Arab. ar-Ran/Arran) since the 330s AD (to the expiry of the forty-year Nisibin Treaty) and its subsequent incorporation into Eranshahr, the presence of large Sasanian military contingents, the Iranian administration, and the acolytes of Zoroastrianism allow us to consider the spread of the Middle Persian language and script among the Albanian nobility and administration. This process was facilitated by the establishment of close dynastic ties between the Arsacids of Albania and the Sasanian royal family. At least since the reign of King Urnayr (ca. 350–375), we can speak of the establishment of these dynastic ties, which became habitual and continued right up until the abolition of Albanian kingdom at the beginning of the 6th century.Thus, King Urnayr of Albania (ca. 350–375) was married to the sister (or daughter) of the shāhanshāh Shapur II (309–379); King Aswahen (ca. 415–440) was the son of the sister of Shapur III (383–388) and the husband of daughter of shāhanshāh Yazdagird II (439–457); King Vache II (ca. 440–462) was the son of the sister of the shāhanshāhs Hormizd (457-459) and Peroz (459–484) and was married to their niece; and finally, a passionate follower of Christianity, King Vachagan III the Pious (ca. 485–510) was also “from the royal family of Persia”, son (or nephew) of Yazdagird II and brother (or nephew) of Vache II [Gadjiev, 2015, p. 68–75; Gadjiev, 2020, p. 29–35]. Prince (ishkhan) of Gardman1 Mihran (late 6th century), whose descendants founded a new dynasty of rulers of Albania, was also of Iranian origin. There is some discernible confusion surrounding the nature of the degree of kinship – brother or nephew, sister or niece – for which an explanation is revealed in the forms of marriage that were practiced among the higher nobility of Sasanian Iran. The above-mentioned Albanian king Vache II, as the nephew of Yazdagird II (i.e. son of a sister) and Peroz I (i.e. son of his sister, who was also the sister of Yazdagird II, as Peroz was married to his own aunt – sister of Yazdagird II), was married to the niece of Peroz, that is, to his own sister or cousin. Along with dynastic and property considerations, Zoroastrian religious norms also played the significant role here [Perikhanyan, 1983, p. 65]. Written sources provide the correspondence of the rulers of Albania, Armenia, Iberia with the Sasanians and the written decrees of the shāhanshāhs sent to the Transcaucasian provinces of Iran, which indirectly indicates the spread of the Middle Persian language and writing here. For instance, Eghishe (5th century), writing about the preparation of Yazdagird II for the war with the Kushans, reports that the shāhanshāh sent an order to the vassal countries to provide and collect troops: “... the edict was received in the lands of the Armenians, Iberians, Albanians, Lpinkʿ, Tsawdeikʿ, Kordukʿ, Aldznikʿ, and in many other distant parts ...” [Eghishe 1971, p. 30; Elishē, 1982, p. 64]. Later, early in the 6th century, the incorporation of Albania into the Sasanian Empire on the rights of marzbāndom assumed its inclusion in the sphere of administrative office work and the written culture of Iran. The use of the Middle Persian language and pārsīg (pahlavi) in Albania is evidenced by the Middle Persian inscriptions of Derbent, dating from the time of the shāhanshāh Khosrow I Anushirvan (531–579), more precisely 568–569 AD [Gadjiev, 2008, p. 1–15]. These inscriptions can be considered monuments of the Middle Persian epigraphy of Caucasian Albania, given their location in the historical territory of Albania (as an integral part of Eranshahr), at the same time taking into account the fact that they were written by the Iranians, as indicated by the proper names in them – Dariuš, Ādurgušnasp, Mōšīg, Rašn(u) [Gadjiev, Kasumova, 2006]. There are, however, three unique monuments of lapidary paleography, which are monuments of the Middle Persian epigraphy of Albania – gem-seals that belonged to representatives of the highest secular and religious nobility of Caucasian Albania. These are unique intaglios of the Crown Prince of Albania Asay, King of Albania Aswahen and the Great Catholicos of Albania and Balasakan. They are of great interest for the study of cultural and political ties between Sasanian Iran and Albania, Albanian sphragistics. 1. Gardman – one of the provinces (ghavar) of Albania.
3 The seal of Asay, the Crown Prince of Albania (fig. 1). The seal is made of banded brown and white agate in the Sassanian style. The central field of the gem is occupied by a deep three-dimensional image of a recumbent deer with branched antlers; there is a clear Middle Persian inscription below it and on its side. Unlike most images of a deer in Sasanian glyptics, this intaglio shows the animal in a rather realistic and expressive manner, which demonstrates the high professionalism of the gemcutter and the prestigious nature of the product. This gem-seal, the origin of which is unfortunately unknown, was first published in 2009 by J.A. Lerner [Lerner, 2009, p. 83–89]. In her paper, in particular, a detailed description of the gem, its historical and cultural analysis are given along with a translation of the Middle Persian inscription on it (without transliteration and transcription) made by P.O. Skjærvø: “Asay, Prince of Alan” [Lerner, 2005, p. 83]. Based on its overall carving style, J. Lerner dates the print to the 4-5th century; she notes that “its actual style, however, is not completely typical and sets it apart, as will be seen, from seals of this time. The orthography of the inscription, too, is not completely typical but “is in part provincial, an assessment that… fits well with the seal's ownership and choice of image” [Lerner, 2005, p. 83]. Based on the translation of the inscription and the image of the deer, the gem is attributed to the Scytho-Alanian culture [Lerner, 2009, p. 83–89]. However, this conclusion, as well as the translation of the inscription, are incorrect. In 2013 E. Khurshudyan in his article [Khurshudyan, 2013, p. 191–201] gave the historical attribution of the gem and the correct translation of the inscription on it: 's'dy ZY' ld'n BRPYT'y “Āsāy ī Ārān vispuhr” “Āsāy, the Crown Prince of Ārān”. The researcher not only pinpoints the reading of Ārān (not Ālān) as a well-known Parthian and Middle Persian name of Caucasian Albania, but also compares the name of its owner mentioned in the inscription on the gem with the famous king Asay, mentioned in the list of kings of Caucasian Albania by Movses Dasxurantsi/Kalankatuatsi [Dasxuranci, 1961, I, 15; Kalankatuatsi, 1984, I, 15]. According to the chronology of the kings of Caucasian Albania proposed by me, Asay ruled in around 405–415 AD [Gadjiev, 2015, p. 68–75; Gadjiev, 2020, p. 29–35]. Since Asay has the title of the Crown Prince in the seal inscription – vispuhr (Av. vīsō puθra – literally “son of the [royal] clan / house”), and not the king, then the gem should be dated to the previous period, i.e. to the boundary of the 4-5th centuries. It can be assumed that Asay was the son or younger brother of one of the previous kings – Mrhavan (Merhavan) (ca. 385–395) or Satoy (ca. 395–405). Thus, we have a gem with an absolute date, which serves as a chronological marker for dating the monuments of the Sassanian glyptics with the Middle Persian texts.

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