Posters

The Language Exhibit used excerpts from royal inscriptions, administrative documents, and diverse religious texts to illustrate the major languages and scripts of Ancient Iran. Visitors were able to examine a replica of the famous Cyrus Cylinder, written in Babylonian language and script, as well as having their names written in Pahlavi (Middle Persian).

Left: Volunteer Dutton Crowley studies material at the Language table

All posters are free to download and use.

Elamite was spoken by the inhabitants of the first literate kingdom on the Iranian Plateau and was later co-opted as an administrative language by the Achaemenids. As a linguistic isolate, Elamite has no familial relationship with other regional languages.

Avestan, the language of Zoroastrian scripture, is the oldest known Iranian language and is most closely related to ancient Sanskrit. It existed only as a spoken language for many centuries before the Sasanians developed a script for it.

Old Persian first appeared in written form during the Achaemenid era (550-330 BC). It was promoted across the empire in administrative contexts and is best known from the inscribed rock relief of King Darius at Behistun.

Aramaic was one of the most widely used languages in Ancient Iran and the Near East. Adopted by the Achaemenids, it became influential in administrative, religious, and commercial contexts of the pre-Islamic Near East and Central Asia.

Greek was first widely disseminated in the Iranian world after Alexander of Macedon's conquest (ca. 330 BC). Multiple dynasties, including the Seleucids and Arsacids, made Greek an official language within the Persian world.

Bactrian was one of several East Iranian languages widely spoken in ancient and early medieval Central Asia. The Hephthalite and Kushan Empires made Bactrian their primary language, and wrote it in a version of the Greek script.

Pahlavi was the successor of Old Persian and was brought into widespread use during the Sasanian period. Despite the complexity of its script, Pahlavi remained the principal language of Zoroastrian teaching and doctrine for more than a thousand years after the downfall of the Sasanians.

Armenian is an Indo-European language spoken in the southern Caucasus, a region incorporated into the Ancient Iranian empires. Although not written down until the early 5th century CE, Armenian literature remains an invaluable repository for information on the political, cultural, and religious life of Ancient Iran.

Georgian is a Caucasian language unrelated to Indo-European. Although first written in the 5th century CE, it illuminates an early medieval Christian culture in dialogue with the Iranian world.