Period: Šāpūr I
Abbreviation: ŠNRb
Description: This is one of early inscriptions of Šāpūr I which is set below one of his rock relief. He is shown along with an array of nobles accompanying him, while he is on his horse. This relief is couched next to three others which include that of the Zoroastrian priest, Kerdīr and Adaxšīr’s coronation scene.
One must pay attention to the order of the languages on the relief, where Parthian is first and then Greek. On the side, then the Middle Persian is written. It seems that Parthian was still carrying much influence and so it was placed first before the Greek and the Middle Persian inscriptions. Finally, one should mention that our reading of the Greek text is more accurate than the previous published works.
Bibliography:
  • Back, Michael. Die Sassanidischen Staatsinschriften, Acta Iranica, Vol. 18. Leiden: Brill, 1978. (Online)
  • Canali De Rossi, F. (ed.), Iscrizioni dello Estremo Oriente Greco. Un repertorio. Inschriften griechischer Städte aus Kleinasien, Bd. 65, Bonn: Dr. Rudolf Habelt, 2004.
  • Sims-Williams, N. “Baga,” Encyclopaedia Iranica, ed. E. Yarshater, 2011.
  • Henning, Walter B. Corpus Inscriptionum Iranicarum. Pt.3, Pahlavi Inscriptions. London: Lund Humphries, 1957.
  • Gignoux, Phillip. Glossaire des inscriptions pehlevies et parthes (Corpus Inscriptionum Iranicarum. Supplement Series, vol. 1) London: Lund Humphries, 1972.
  • Lincoln, Bruce. “ČEHR,” Encyclopaedia Iranica, ed. E. Yarshater, 1990.
MP (ŠNRb)
Transliteration:
ptkry ZNE mzdysn bgy šhpwhry MLKAn
MLKA ’yr’n W ’nyr’n MNW ctry MN yzt’n
BRE mzdysn bgy ’rthštr MLKAn MLKA
’yr’n MNW ctry MN yzt’n npy bgy p’pky

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Transcription:
pahikar ēn mazdēsn bay Šāpūr šāhān
šāh Ērān ud an-ērān kē čihr az yazdān
pus mazdēsn bay Ardaxšīr šāhān šāh
Ērān kē čihr az yazdān nāf bag Pābag

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Translation:
“This is the image of the Mazda-worshipping lord Šāpūr, king of
Kings of the Iranians and non-Iranians, whose lineage is from the gods,
son of the Mazda-worshipping lord Ardaxšīr, king of kings
of Iranians, whose lineage is from the gods, grandson of lord Pābag” 

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Greek Version:
τὸ π[ροσωπο]ν ִτִοִύτο Μαִσδάσνου θεοῦ
ִΣαπώ[ρ]ִοִυ, [βασιλέως β]ασιλέων [Ἀριανῶν]
καὶ Ἀναρִιִαִνῶִν ִἐִκ ִγִέִνους θεִῶ[ν υἱοῦ]
Μαִσ[δάσ]ִνου θεοῦ Ἀρταξάρου, β[ασιλέως]
βασιλέων Ἀִριανῶν, ἐִκ γέִν[ους θεῶν]ִ
ἐγόνου θεοῦ Παπάκου βασιλ[έως]

(Middle Persian by Touraj Daryaee; Greek by Emmanuel Keyvān)