Misplaced Pages

Inscriptional Pahlavi
Inscribed stone block from the Paikuli inscription
Script type	Abjad
Time period	2nd century BC — 6th century AD
Direction	Right-to-left script
Languages	Middle Iranian languages
Related scripts
Parent systems	Aramaic alphabet Pahlavi scripts Inscriptional Pahlavi
ISO 15924
ISO 15924	Phli (131), ​Inscriptional Pahlavi
Unicode
Unicode alias	Inscriptional Pahlavi
Unicode range	U+10B60–U+10B7F

Inscriptional Pahlavi is the earliest attested form of Pahlavi scripts, and is evident in clay fragments that have been dated to the reign of Mithridates I (r. 171–138 BC). Other early evidence includes the Pahlavi inscriptions of Parthian coins and the rock inscriptions of Sasanian emperors and other notables, such as Kartir the High Priest.

Letters

Inscriptional Pahlavi used 19 non-joining letters:

Name	Image	Text	Phones (IPA; Middle Persian)	Transliteration
Aleph		𐭠‎	[a], [aː]	'
Beth		𐭡‎	[b], [w]	b
Gimel		𐭢‎	[ɡ], [j]	g
Daleth		𐭣‎	[d], [j]	d
He		𐭤‎	[h]	h
Waw-Ayin-Resh		𐭥‎	[w], [o(ː)], [u(ː)], [∅], [r], [ʕ]	w
Zayin		𐭦‎	[z]	z
Heth		𐭧‎	[h], [x]	ḥ
Teth		𐭨‎	y[tˤ]	ṭ
Yodh		𐭩‎	[j], [e(ː)], [i(ː)], [d̠͡ʒ]	y
Kaph		𐭪‎	[k], [ɡ]	k
Lamedh		𐭫‎	[l], [r]	l
Mem-Qoph		𐭬‎	[m], [q]	m
Nun		𐭭‎	[n]	n
Samekh		𐭮‎	[s], [h]	s
Pe		𐭯‎	[p], [b], [f]	p
Sadhe		𐭰‎	[t̠͡ʃ], [d̠͡ʒ], [z]	ṣ
Shin		𐭱‎	[ʃ]	ś/š
Taw		𐭲‎	[t], [d]	t

1. Letter names are based on the corresponding Imperial Aramaic characters

Numbers

Inscriptional Pahlavi had its own numerals:

Value		1	2	3	4	10	20	100	1000
Sign	Image
	Text	𐭸‎	𐭹‎	𐭺‎	𐭻‎	𐭼‎	𐭽‎	𐭾‎	𐭿‎

Numbers are written right-to-left. Numbers without corresponding numerals are additive. For example, 24 is written as 𐭽𐭻‎‎ (20 + 4).

Unicode

Inscriptional Pahlavi script was added to the Unicode Standard in October, 2009 with the release of version 5.2.

The Unicode block for Inscriptional Pahlavi is U+10B60–U+10B7F:

Gallery

• Inscriptional Pahlavi text from Shapur III at Taq-e Bostan, 4th century
• Kartir's inscription at Naqsh-e Rajab
• Coin of Ardashir I (r. 224–42) with Inscriptional Pahlavi writings
• Sasanian relief with Inscriptional Pahlavi monogram ʾpr, which stands for abzūn farr, meaning "May his farr increase!"

References

1. ^ 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). pp. 10–11.
2. Livinsky, BA; Guang‐Da, Zhang; Samghabadi, R Shabani; Masson, Vadim Mikhaĭlovich (March 1999), Dani, Ahmad Hasan (ed.), History of civilizations of Central Asia, Multiple history, vol. 3. The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p. 89, ISBN 978-81-208-1540-7.
3. Daniels, Peter T.; Bright, William, eds. (1996). The World's Writing Systems. Oxford University Press, Inc. pp. 518. ISBN 978-0195079937.

• Abjad writing systems
• Iranian inscriptions
• Middle Persian
• Obsolete writing systems
• Persian scripts