The positin of Aramaic language during the Achaemenid

جستارهای نوین ادبی

Article 2, Volume 41, Issue 1 - Serial Number 160, April 2009, Pages 17-28   

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: 10.22067/jls.v41i2.13197

Abstract

Following the formation of the Persian Empire by Cyrus the Great and its extension by Darius I, from Indus River in India to Nile in Egypt, Persian kings felt that there is a need to use an international language to be understandable by all nations of this great empire. This need was greater when they sent orders and messages to these different nations. When Darius I defeated his enemies and suppressed the revolts; ordered for the Bistun inscription to be written in three languages; Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian. Since few provinces in South western Iran and Mesopotamia were familiar with these languages, he ordered for the translation of this document to Aramic language which was understood by a large number of people in the Persian Empire. He also continued to do so for his royal orders and other documents. The writer of this article has studied the history of Aramic language and its extension before the formation of the Persian Empire, based on the documents found from this period. He has also searched for this language as an official language of that period based on the same documents.