Bodleian Library Pell. Aram IV
TAD A.6.07 Driver v
Metadata
- Collection
- Bodlien Library, Oxford, UK | Bodl (Public)
- Genre
-
- Letter
- Language
- Aramaic
- Script
- Aramaic
- Find Type
- Acquisition
- Acquired
- Ludwig Borchardt [< 1933]
- Created by
- James D. Moore
- Material
- leather
- Updated by
- James D. Moore, 2026-01-18
- References
-
- Porten, Bezalel and Yardeni, Ada 1986. TAD A.6.07.
Porten, Bezalel, and Ada Yardeni. Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt. 4 vols. Jerusalem: Hebrew University, 1986.
Textual Notes
As for the names between lines 2–5 cf Tuplin commentary (pdf) lines 2-5 Prym’ ....Mwsrm. *Bagafarna- is certainly a Persian name (Tavernier 2007, 134), and
*Saraka- probably is (ibid. 309).77 Asmaraupa may well be too (ibid. 118), though Goetze
(1962, 56-57) thought it Anatolian (formed from asimi- “beloved” plus an unidentified second
element) and this view is followed in Porten & Lund 2002, 324. K’ (Ka) was thought Egyptian
by Driver 1965, 52 and Goetze 1962, 55, Hurrian by Driver 1965, 100 (cf. Goetze 1962, 52, 55
n.15) and Anatolian by Kornfeld 1978, 115 (followed by Porten & Lund 2002, 364). The fourth
name in the list was read T‘npy by Driver, which would yield Anatolian T‘uanapiya (Goetze
1962, 56), but Porten-Yardeni plausibly think we actually have T‘ndy or T‘nry, which (however)
Porten & Lund 2002, 420 still classify as Anatolian. (The potential link between T‘n and the GN
Tuana is unaffected, of course.) A more or less uncontroversially Anatolian explanation seems
to be available for all the other properly preserved names (Goetze 1962, 55-57), and must surely
be the best bet where that is the case (Prym’ = Pariyame’, ’mwn = Ammun(a) or Ammuwana,
Sdsbnz = Sadasbinazi, Srmnz = Sarmanazi, Pytr‘nz = Piyatarunazi, Mwsrss = Muwasarma).
About [...]my and ’.[.]m it is hard to say: both could probably be Anatolian or Persian. The
presence of Iranian names among Cilicians (and Cilician slaves at that) may be compared with a
case in the Wadi Daliyeh texts (WDP 10.2: *Bagabta s. of Eli[ ]; cf. Tavernier 2007, 132).
A.Goetze, “Cilicians”, JCS 16,48-58.
Text and Translation
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Porten and Yardeni Last updated 08 October, 2025 by James D. Moore
Porten and Yardeni Last updated 08 October, 2025 by James D. Moore
From Arsames to Artahant. I send yo[u] abundant (greetings of) welfare and strength. And now, here it is well with me;
also there may it be well with y[o]u. And now, there are Cili[cian] persons, my slaves in Egypt –
1 named Pariyama, 1 named Ammuwana, 1 named Saraka, [1 na]med Tʿn{d |r}y, (1) named [...]miya, (1) named Sadasbinazi,
1 named A◦◦m, 1 named Sarmanazi, 1 named Ka, 1 named Bagapharna, 1 named Piyatarunazi,
1 named Asmaraupa, 1 named Muwasarma: all (told) 13 persons, pressers (who) had been appointed in my domains which are
In Upper and Lower (Egypt). Afterwards, when Egypt rebelled and the troop was garrisoned, then
that Pariyama and his colleagues did not succeed in getting into the fortress. Afterwards, the wicked ◦◦n◦◦{d |r}w seized them (and)
they have been with him. Now, if it so please you, let an order be issued by you that one not do anything bad
to that Pariyama and his colleagues. Let them be released. Let them do my work as formerly.
From Arsames the prince to Artahant who is in [Egyp]t.
Concerning the Cilicians
… my
... succeed
... Mizpeh(?).
Moore, James D., Armand Rogers. 'Bodleian Library Pell. Aram IV.' DEAPS. 12 Dec, 2025. https://deaps.osu.edu/text_objects/12338. Accessed: 20 Jan, 2026.