A stone bust of the Parthian Volgases IV.

Started by JMP, June 19, 2024, 11:49:30 PM

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JMP

I found the image of this stone bust on the www, it is in private hands.
The legend above the head tempted me to start deciphering and the first word that I found was by looking up Vologases IV on Wikipedia. There stood the name "Vologases" in Parthian: "Walagash".

I have good reasons to think I found the rest too. Remember, on their coins, the Parthian kings did not mention their own name, only the name of their founder: Arsak. And yes . . .

When I started to compose with the Parthian alphabet the right to left running text, the first word  could easily be "Arshak" (with shin).

Furthermore I could think of only one known Parthian title besides the adjectives in the coins' legends and that is the famous "King of Kings", which Mithridates II started to use and since sticked to Persia and Iran for ages.
In Parthian times it must have sounded: "Malkyn Malk", so I found and as rest of the legend these words could be found in the letters of the Parthian alphabet.
One little problem: after the final word "MLK" there is a letter too much as it seems (see red arrow).

Is there anybody who knows a solution for that one ?

JMP

Taking a look at it again today, I see there is a letter too much in "Walagash" too.
Could it be these letters have to do with a dative, that there is written litterally:
"To Arsak Vologases, to the Kings'King".
With no dative suffix at Arsak, to make clear that the bust is to Vologases and not to the founder of the dynasty ?
Just speculation :-\.