Performative uses of monumental rock inscriptions
Résumé
In both the Achaemenid and Sassanian periods, monumental rock inscriptions were a means of visual and ritual colonisation of the topography of empire. Beyond their semantic message, Sasanian inscriptions engraved on older Achaemenid monuments enabled the new dynasty to establish continuity with the previous rulers of Fārs and appropriate for themselves the ancient ritual significance of sites such as Naqsh-e Rostam (Canepa 2010).
Through a close study of key Middle Persian Sasanian inscriptions, this paper will show that these inscriptions systematically reference and actively engage with their context: their geographical surroundings (both natural and built) as well as other inscriptions contiguous to them. This approach, standing at the crossroads of linguistics, philosophy and anthropology, provides us with a broader framework within which to consider the meta-linguistic aspects of ancient Iranian inscriptions and to better understand the use of monumental writing in ancient Iran.
Domaines
Sciences de l'Homme et Société
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