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Inscription Department of National Museum of Iran was established in August 1998, aiming at gathering, maintenance and renovation, issuing identity certificate, duplicating and reading the scripts which had not been red yet. The majority of the discovered brick and clay inscriptions in Susa and Takht-e-Jamshid and also clay inscriptions of Takht-e- Jamshid treasury and ramparts are kept in this department, to which preliminary identity certificate have been issued and some have been read and are printable.
Today, the scientists believe that the first signs of handwritings were conical or bullae materials which indicated the numbers and were used for counting. They were the basis of inventing real scripts.
It has been found the first clay inscriptions named “Proto Elamite” in Iran belong to about the late 4th millennium (about 3200 B.C.), bearing numbers which indicate statements of business, transferring and delivering goods and animals. These pictures of animals are sometimes alongwith the seals related to the seller (sender) and buyer (receiver) of the goods. These clay inscription which was considered as the temporary documents of official directors, have no language figures. These inscriptions which are called “numerical texts” in Iran were found in Susa, Chaghamish, Tap-e-silk ghariz and Godin Tape.
The new Proto Elamite called “Proto Elamite Official inscription A” was caused the evolution of script in Iran which were official bearing numerical and non- numerical figures. The non-numerical are drawn either as pictures or geometric figures. For this writing, it was used basic figures alongwith compound figures.
Like ancient Sumerians scripts, it was included 5500 different figures. Based on the late studies, the basic figures were constituted of 800 different figures of which 100 figures were commonly used. The actual time of these scripts which were written after numerical texts, have not been found yet. Most of the inscriptions have been discovered in Susa and a few in Tap-e Silk (Kashan), Tape Yahia (Kerman), Tel Melian (Fars) , Shahr-e Sookhte (Sistan) which indicate their geographical spread.
The third group of the first scripts in Iran is called “Proto Elamite writing B” including 19 scripts which have been seen on the discovered statuses and dishes and contains less than 100 signs. 17 manuscripts of these writings have been discovered in Susa, an epitaph in Shahdad and a manuscript in Takht-e- Jamshid. Three manuscripts on one of the statue of one of the Elam kings, bear the translation to Akkad which shows that it belongs to one of Elam kings named Poozour – In Shushing” from Awan dynasty who ruled Elam about 220 B.C.
The other custom script in Iran was Cunelform script which was invented in the south of Mesopotamia, mostly in the Sumerian regions and likely before Sumerians and coincidently with “Susa Numerical manuscripts”. It seems that the first Cunelform scripts which belong to the south of Mesopotamia have no grammar signs. After several hundred years, grammar sings were gradually used in writings and the figures were reduced to about 600 and were similarly widespread in the south cities of Mesopotamia.
This script was used for 2500 years. According to the documents, it is likely that Cunelform script was first invented by a tribe before Sumerians who had been the ancient natives of Mesopotamia. However, Cunelform script was used in fluency and versatile by the Sumerians and left to other tribes, then any tribe matched it with its own language and applied it.
Cunelform script was used in Iran in two styles:
1.In writing Sumerian and Akkad languages
2.In writing native language or Elam language
The first samples of Cunelform scripts are found in Susa in Iran which have been written in Mesopotamia, Sumerian and Akkad and belong to Akkad dynasty (2193-2334 B.C.)
These scripts were applied by the end of Achaemenidae dynasty, then the script and language of Akkad and Sumerian were used in Babel schools until 75 A.D. and Elam language writing is derived form 600 Sumerian-Akkad figures about 130 compunded figures and a few Hezvaresh ( which is writing a word in Aramaic language and reading it in Pahlavi-Ashkani and Pahlavi-Sassanid languages). There is a clay inscription belong to ancient Babel (1500-1950
B.C.).
This clay inscription is a contract between Akkad King “ Naram Sin, 2182-2254 B.D” and a king who is likely Hita the eleventh king of Awan dynasty.
Unfortunately, it has not been found any other transcription in Elam script and language from this time to Middle era of Elam kings dynasty. In the early Middle Elam (since about 1350 B.C. ) it was appeared a nationalist movement for applying Elam language ( with Cunelform script derived from Mesopotamia). It has been discovered scripts belong to Kings of this era till 1100 B.C. and New Elam era (7th and 8th centuries B.C). It was also used in Achaemenidae dynasty.
The majority of Elam scripts belong to Achaemenidae kings which are divided in two groups as follows:
1.Shahi scripts which mostly included three scripts and 3 languages of Ancient Persian, Elam and Babel, such as wall scripts and inscriptions.
2.Official documents named treasury and rampart of Takht-e-Jamshid bearing transmits, payments and receipts called Economic Office of Pars State from 13th year of Great Darius till 7th year of Ardeshir I dynasties. The particular specification of Elam language of Achaemenidae era caused that Elam language of this era can be found more than the pervious Elam eras.
About 7th and 8th centuries B.C., Arami script was applied using ink, which was spread in Mesopotamia, then were used in Iran. The signs of this script can be found on the dishes which were used for religious ceremony in Achaemenidae kings era and also on the Elam clay inscriptions and seals. The scientists believe that Achaemenidae kings’ charters to western regions of Iran were written in this script and language. The translation of a manuscript on Bistoon inscriptions to Arami language discovered in Alfantin located at Egypt is considered as evidence.
After Achaemenidae, Arami script and language was spread and applied in all the west Asia except south schools of Mesopotamia. It was used in Iran as Pahlavi-Ashkani and Pahlavi-Sassanid on inscription as writing alongwith Hezvarshes derived from Arami, subsequently new and complete script of Avesta was invented.
By the entrance of Islam into Iran, Pahlavi-Sassanid script style was used in the religious writings of Zoroaster for several centuries, but since the early Islam, Pahlavi-Sassanid scripts replaced by Arabic scripts which had been derived from Arami.
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