Narseh, Armenia, and the Paikuli Inscription

Carlo G. Cereti

Narseh, Armenia, and the Paikuli Inscription

Publication date: 02.07.2021

ELECTRUM, 2021, Volume 28, pp. 69 - 87

https://doi.org/10.4467/20800909EL.21.007.13365

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Titles

Narseh, Armenia, and the Paikuli Inscription

Abstract

Narseh son of Šābuhr I reigned from 293 to 302, once he had won the dynastic war that saw him opposing his grand-nephew, Wahrām III, he narrated the events in the great Paikuli inscription, which also contains the names of a long list of nobles and magnates, who paid obeisance to the new king. In Šābuhr’s inscription at Naqš-i Rustam Narseh bore the title of « King of Hindestān, Sagestān and Tūrān up to the seashore,” while later, likely under either Ohrmazd I or Wahrām I, he became King of the Armenians and stayed in office until 293, when he moved south to challenge his nephew’s right to the crown. Crossing the lower ranges of the Zagros mountains on his way to Mesopotamia, Narseh met the nobles loyal to his cause near the pass of Paikuli, about one hundred kilometres south of the modern city of Sulaimaniya. Recent archaeological excavations on the site have brought to light a number of new inscribed blocks that allow for a better understanding of the structure of the monument. In this paper the passages relative to Armenia will be presented and discussed, together with those containing the name of the goddess Anāhīd, whose cult was widely spread in Armenia.

Keywords

Armenia, Anāhitā, Narseh, Paikuli inscription, Sasanian Empire

References

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Information

Information: ELECTRUM, 2021, Volume 28, pp. 69 - 87

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4467/20800909EL.21.007.13365

Article type: Original article

Authors

Carlo G. Cereti

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8442-9554

Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

Published at: 02.07.2021

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Percentage share of authors:

Carlo G. Cereti (Author) - 100%

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