Ganjnameh
{{Short description|Cuneiform inscriptions near Hamadan, Iran}}
{{infobox monument
| name =
| image = Ganj Nameh-Hamedan.jpg
| caption = Ganjnameh inscriptions in 2011.
| location = Mount Alvand, Hamadan, Iran
| type = Epigraphy
| material = Stone
}}
Ganjnameh ({{langx|fa|گنجنامه|translit=Ganjnāme|lit=Treasure Book}}) is located 12 km southwest of Hamadan (ancient Ecbatana) in western Iran, at an altitude of {{circa|2000}} meters across Mount Alvand.{{sfn|Brown|2000|pages=285-286}}{{sfn|Kia|2016|page=19}} The site is home to two trilingual Achaemenid royal inscriptions.{{sfn|Brown|2000|pages=285-286}} The inscription on the upper left was created on the order of Achaemenid King Darius the Great ({{reign}}522–486 BC) and the one on the right by his son King Xerxes the Great ({{reign}}486–465 BC).{{sfn|Brown|2000|pages=285-286}}{{sfn|Kia|2016|page=19}}{{efn|The inscription of Darius is also known as the DE inscription, and the one created by Xerxes as the XE inscription.{{cn|date=September 2022}} }}
Description
The two inscription panels of Ganjnameh, carved in stone in 20 lines on a granite rock above a creek, measure 2 × 3 m each.{{sfn|Brown|2000|pages=285-286}}{{sfn|Kia|2016|page=19}} Written in Old Persian, Neo-Babylonian and Neo-Elamite, except for the different royal name, the contents of the two inscriptions are identical; Ahura Mazda receives praise, and lineages and conquests are listed.{{sfn|Brown|2000|pages=285-286}}{{sfn|Kia|2016|page=19}} According to Stuart C. Brown, in the pre-Hellenistic period, this mountain was apparently the main "east-west pass" through Mount Alvand.{{sfn|Brown|2000|pages=285-286}} During the Achaemenid period, Ecbatana functioned as summer capital due to its high elevation and pleasant weather.{{sfn|Kia|2016|page=19}}
The site received its name from locals, who believed that the inscriptions contained the secret code to a hidden treasure.{{sfn|Kia|2016|page=19}}
Gallery
File:Ganjnameh by Eugène Flandin.jpg|Eugène Flandin's 1840 drawing of Ganjnameh.
File:Hamadān. Vue du rocher sur lequel sont gravées les inscriptions; District d'Hamadân (NYPL b12482496-1542732) (cropped).jpg|Pascal Coste's 1851 drawing of Ganjnameh.
File:سنگ نبشته گنج نامه همدان.jpg|Ganjnameh inscriptions in 2018.
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
Sources
- {{Encyclopædia Iranica | title = Ganj-nāma | last = Brown | first = Stuart C. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/ganj-nama- | volume = 10 | fascicle = 3 | pages = 285–286 }}
- {{cite book|last1=Kia|first1=Mehrdad|title=The Persian Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]|date=2016|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1610693912|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B5BHDAAAQBAJ&q=false}}
{{Commons category|Ganj Nameh inscriptions}}
{{coord|34.7608|N|48.4384|E|source:kolossus-frwiki|display=title}}
{{Hamadan Province}}
{{Achaemenid Empire}}
Category:Achaemenid inscriptions
Category:Archaeology of the Achaemenid Empire
Category:Tourist attractions in Hamadan province
Category:Akkadian inscriptions
Category:Persian words and phrases
Category:Buildings and structures on the Iran National Heritage List