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Inscriptional Parthian

Inscriptional Parthian is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Inscriptional Parthian rather than just read about it. In short: Inscriptional Parthian was a script used to write the Parthian language; the majority of the text found has been from clay fragments. This script was used from the 2nd century CE to the 5th century CE or in the Parthian Empire to the early Sasanian Empire.

Inscriptional Parthian — main illustration
Inscriptional Parthian — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Inscriptional Parthian belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Inscriptional Parthian to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Inscriptional Parthian from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Inscriptional Parthian was a script used to write the Parthian language; the majority of the text found has been from clay fragments. This script was used from the 2nd century CE to the 5th century CE or in the Parthian Empire to the early Sasanian Empire. During the Sasanian Empire, it was mostly used for official texts.

Letters Inscriptional Parthian uses 22 letters written from right to left, and usually with spaces between words:

Ligatures Inscriptional Parthian uses seven standard ligatures:

The letters sadhe (𐭑) and nun (𐭍) have swash tails which typically trail under the following letter.

Numerals Inscriptional Parthian uses its own numerals:

Numerals are written right-to-left, the rightmost being the highest—with the exception of multiplication. Numerals add when the one to the left is lower or equal but multiply when it is larger. Examples: 1580 is written as 𐭟𐭞𐭝𐭝𐭜𐭛𐭛‎ (1000 + 100 + 20 + 20 + 10 + 4 + 4) and 500 is written as 𐭚𐭙𐭞‎ ((2 + 3 ) × 100).

Unicode

Inscriptional Parthian script was added to the Unicode Standard in October 2009, with the release of version 5.2. The Unicode block for Inscriptional Parthian is U+10B40–U+10B5F:

Gallery

Notes

References

Illustrations

Inscriptional Parthian illustration
Inscriptional Parthian: Drawing of a Parthian relief at Sarpol-e Zahab. What can be read of the inscription behind the rider reads: ptkr ZNH̱ NPSH̱ gwtrz MLKʾ (.mw-parser-output .script-Prti{font-family:Noto Sans Inscriptional Parthian,Segoe UI Historic,sans-serif;font-weight:normal}𐭐𐭕𐭊𐭓 𐭆𐭍𐭄 𐭍𐭐𐭎𐭄 𐭂𐭅𐭕𐭓𐭆 𐭌𐭋𐭊𐭀‎) 'This (is) the own image of Gōdarz, king'[4]
Drawing of a Parthian relief at Sarpol-e Zahab. What can be read of the inscription behind the rider reads: ptkr ZNH̱ NPSH̱ gwtrz MLKʾ (.mw-parser-output .script-Prti{font-family:Noto Sans Inscriptional Parthian,Segoe UI Historic,sans-serif;font-weight:normal}𐭐𐭕𐭊𐭓 𐭆𐭍𐭄 𐭍𐭐𐭎𐭄 𐭂𐭅𐭕𐭓𐭆 𐭌𐭋𐭊𐭀‎) 'This (is) the own image of Gōdarz, king'[4]
Inscriptional Parthian: Parthian and Greek inscriptions on a relief of Shapur I.[5]
Parthian and Greek inscriptions on a relief of Shapur I.[5]
Inscriptional Parthian: Parthian version of Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht
Parthian version of Shapur I's inscription at the Ka'ba-ye Zartosht
Inscriptional Parthian: Inscribed stone block from the Paikuli inscription of Narseh, 293 CE
Inscribed stone block from the Paikuli inscription of Narseh, 293 CE

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Inscriptional Parthian

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Inscriptional Parthian claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Inscriptional Parthian before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Inscriptional Parthian ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Inscriptional Parthian

In research
Inscriptional Parthian appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Inscriptional Parthian in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Inscriptional Parthian is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Abjad writing systems, Iranian inscriptions, Obsolete writing systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Inscriptional Parthian outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Inscriptional Parthian in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Inscriptional Parthian means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Inscriptional Parthian out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Inscriptional Parthian in simple terms?

Inscriptional Parthian was a script used to write the Parthian language; the majority of the text found has been from clay fragments. This script was used from the 2nd century CE to the 5th century CE or in the Parthian Empire to the early Sasanian Empire.

Why does Inscriptional Parthian matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Inscriptional Parthian?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Inscriptional Parthian.

Tags

  • Abjad writing systems
  • Iranian inscriptions
  • Obsolete writing systems
  • Parthian language
  • Persian scripts
  • Writing system stubs

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