The research developed in this doctoral dissertation contributes to Sasanian studies in particular, and to ancient Iranian studies more generally, in three main ways. First, it offers a critical... Show moreThe research developed in this doctoral dissertation contributes to Sasanian studies in particular, and to ancient Iranian studies more generally, in three main ways. First, it offers a critical study of the history of research surrounding the decipherment of the Middle Persian script, to define the contribution of Sasanian epigraphy to the broader historiographical debates concerning the study of Late Antiquity. Then, through the palaeographic analysis of the earliest pre-Sasanian and Sasanian Middle Persian written vestiges, it highlights the existence of a lively scribal tradition that was local to Persis in the Seleucid and Parthian periods. Finally, it investigates a possible model for the study of Sasanian inscriptions which takes into account the references made in these monumental texts to (now lost) manuscript documents, as well as to key features of their natural and built environment; this helps bring into sharp focus the often overlooked legal, administrative and religious functions of Sasanian rock-cut texts. Show less
