Old Persian language

The **Old Persian language** is one of two Old Iranian languages. The other is Avestan). Old Persian was used during the Achaemenid era (c. 600 BC to 300 BC). Examples of Old Persian have been found in Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt. It belongs to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family and was originally spoken during the Old Iranian period ( – 400 BCE) by the Iranians living in the eastern portion of Greater Iran.

## Classification

Old Persian is an Old Iranian language and a member of the Southwestern Iranian language group. As an Iranian language, Old Persian is a member of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family.

Old Persian subsequently developed into Middle Persian, which is in turn the nominal ancestor of New Persian.

## Phonology

The following phonemes are expressed in the Old Persian script:

**Vowels**
- Long:
- Short:

**Consonants**
|||colspan="2"|Labial|colspan="2"|Dental/ Alveolar|colspan="2"|Palatal|colspan="2"|Velar|colspan="2"|Glottal|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|p|b|t|d|c|j|k|g|||||
||m||n|||||||||
|f||θ||ç||x||h||||
|||s|z|š||||||||
||||r|||||||||
||v||l||y|||||||

### Nouns

Old Persian stems:
- a-stems (-a, -am, -ā)
- i-stems (-iš, iy)
- u- (and au-) stems (-uš, -uv)
- consonantal stems (n, r, h)

|rowspan="2"||colspan="3"|-a|colspan="3"|-am|colspan="3"|-ā|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|**Nominative**|-a|-ā|-ā, -āha|-am|-ā|-ā|-ā|-ā|-ā|
|**Vocative**|-ā|-ā|-ā|-am|-ā|-ā|-ā|-ā|-ā|
|**Accusative**|-am|-ā|-ā|-am|-ā|-ā|-ām|-ā|-ā|
|**Instrumental**|-ā|-aibiyā|-aibiš|-ā|-aibiyā|-aibiš|-āyā|-ābiyā|-ābiš|
|**Dative**|-ahyā, -ahya|-aibiyā|-aibiš|-ahyā, -ahya|-aibiyā|-aibiš|-āyā|-ābiyā|-ābiš|
|**Ablative**|-ā|-aibiyā|-aibiš|-ā|-aibiyā|-aibiš|-āyā|-ābiyā|-ābiš|
|**Genitive**|-ahyā, -ahya|-āyā|-ānām|-ahyā, -ahya|-āyā|-ānām|-āyā|-āyā|-ānām|
|**Locative**|-aiy|-āyā|-aišuvā|-aiy|-āyā|-aišuvā|-āyā|-āyā|-āšuvā|

|rowspan="2"||colspan="3"|-iš|colspan="3"|-iy|colspan="3"|-uš|colspan="3"|-uv||||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|**Nominative**|-iš|-īy|-iya|-iy|-in|-īn|-uš|-ūv|-uva|-uv|-un|-ūn|
|**Vocative**|-i|-īy|-iya|-iy|-in|-īn|-u|-ūv|-uva|-uv|-un|-ūn|
|**Accusative**|-im|-īy|-iš|-iy|-in|-īn|-um|-ūv|-ūn|-uv|-un|-ūn|
|**Instrumental**|-auš|-ībiyā|-ībiš|-auš|-ībiyā|-ībiš|-auv|-ūbiyā|-ūbiš|-auv|-ūbiyā|-ūbiš|
|**Dative**|-aiš|-ībiyā|-ībiš|-aiš|-ībiyā|-ībiš|-auš|-ūbiyā|-ūbiš|-auš|-ūbiyā|-ūbiš|
|**Ablative**|-auš|-ībiyā|-ībiš|-auš|-ībiyā|-ībiš|-auv|-ūbiyā|-ūbiš|-auv|-ūbiyā|-ūbiš|
|**Genitive**|-aiš|-īyā|-īnām|-aiš|-īyā|-īnām|-auš|-ūvā|-ūnām|-auš|-ūvā|-ūnām|
|**Locative**|-auv|-īyā|-išuvā|-auv|-īyā|-išuvā|-āvā|-ūvā|-ušuvā|-āvā|-ūvā|-ušuvā|

Adjectives are declinable in a similar way.

### Verbs

**Voices**

Active, Middle (thematic present -**aiy-**, -**ataiy-**), Passive (-**ya-**).

In Old Persian, the first- and the third-person forms were mostly used. The only dual form used was _ajīva**tam**_ 'both lived'.

|rowspan="2" colspan="2"||**Athematic**|**Thematic**||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="2"|**Sg.**|**1.pers.**|a<sup>h</sup>**miy**|bar**āmiy**|
|**3.pers.**|as**tiy**|bar**atiy**|||
|rowspan="2"|**Pl.**|**1.pers.**|a<sup>h</sup>**mahiy**|bar**āmahiy**|
|**3.pers.**|h**atiy**|bar**atiy**|||

|rowspan="2" colspan="2"||**Athematic**|**Thematic**||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|rowspan="2"|**Sg.**|**1.pers.**|**a**kunav**am**|**a**bav**am**|
|**3.pers.**|**a**kunau**š**|**a**bav**a**|||
|rowspan="2"|**Pl.**|**1.pers.**|**a**ku**mā**|**a**bav**āmā**|
|**3.pers.**|**a**kunav**a**|**a**bav**a**|||

|**Active**|**Middle**|
| --- | --- |
|-_nt-_|-_amna-_|

## Lexicon

|Proto-Indo-Iranian||Old Persian||Middle Persian||Modern Persian||meaning|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|*açva|aspa|asp|asp اسپ|horse|||||
|*kāma|kāma|kām|kām کام|desire|||||
|*daiva|daiva|div|div دیو|devil|||||
||drayah|drayā|daryā دریا|sea|||||
||dasta|dast|dast دست|hand|||||
|*bhāgī|bāji|bāj|bāj باج/باژ|tribute|||||
|*bhrātr-|brātar|brādar|barādar برادر|brother|||||
|*bhūmī|būmi|būm|būm بوم|region, land|||||
|*martya|martya|mard|mard مرد|man|||||
|*māsa|māha|māh|māh ماه|moon, month|||||
|*vāsara|vāhara|Bahār|bahār بهار|spring|||||
||stūnā|stūn|sotūn ستون|column (related to stand)|||||
||šiyāta|šād|šād شاد|happy|||||
|*arta|arta|ard|ord ارد|truth|||||
|*draugh-|drauga|drōgh|dorōgh  دروغ|lie (maybe legendary related to drought)|||||

## Related pages

- Indo-Iranian languages

## References and bibliography

- : 238-245
- : 56–85

## Further reading

- University Of Chicago (2007, June 22). Everyday text shows that Old Persian was probably more commonly used than previously thought.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619100108.htmhttp://www.physorg.com/news101409720.html

## Infobox (language)

- **name**: Old Persian
- **region**: History of Iran#Classical Antiquity, Ancient Iran
- **era**: evolved into Middle Persian by c. 300 BC
- **familycolor**: Indo-European
- **fam2**: Indo-Iranian languages, Indo-Iranian
- **fam3**: Iranian languages, Iranian
- **fam4**: West Iranian languages, Western
- **fam5**: Southwestern Iranian languages, Southwestern
- **script**: Old Persian cuneiform
- **iso2**: peo
- **iso3**: peo
- **linglist**: peo
- **notice**: IPA
- **glotto**: oldp1254
- **glottorefname**: Old Persian