Ganjnameh ( fa, گنجنامه, translit=Ganjnāme, lit=Treasure Book) is located 12 km southwest of Hamadan (ancient Ecbatana) in western Iran, at an altitude of meters across Alvand, Mount Alvand. The site is home to two trilingual Achaemenid Empire, Achaemenid cuneiform epigraphy, inscriptions. The inscription on the upper left was created on the order of Achaemenid King Darius the Great (522–486 BC) and the one on the right by his son King Xerxes the Great (486–465 BC).

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. Written in Old Persian, Akkadian language, Neo-Babylonian and Elamite language, 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. According to Stuart C. Brown, in the pre-Hellenistic period, Hellenistic period, this mountain was apparently the main "east-west pass" through Mount Alvand. During the Achaemenid period, Ecbatana functioned as summer capital due to its high elevation and pleasant weather. The site received its name from local natives, who believed that the inscriptions contained the secret code to a hidden treasure. Two modern contemporary carved tablets have been placed in the site's parking lot with Persian explanation and its English translation.

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

References

Sources

* * {{Achaemenid Empire Achaemenid inscriptions Archaeology of the Achaemenid Empire Tourist attractions in Hamadan Province Darius the Great Xerxes I Akkadian inscriptions Elamite language Cuneiform Persian words and phrases