Ancien Culture and Languages

Ancien Culture and Languages

Old Persian bāji- in Achaemenid sources

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Professor,, College of Fine Arts, Visual Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 department of art studies, faculty of fine arts, university of tehran
Abstract
Modern terminology of Old Persian bāji- as an obligation and tribute owes mainly to a comparison between new and middle Persian bāž/ bāj with that of Old Persian bāji- means tribute and tax indeed. But regarding both the Elamite version od DNb inscription and XPl in Old Persian, on the light of the Greek texts and Persepolis Fortification Administrative Tablets and Aramaic documents makes bold the voluntary aspect of bāji- at leat in early Achaemenid period. What we can conceive of DNb is that bāji- was paid as much as possible and mostly accompanies with a mutual paid on behalf of the king itself. Accurate process of administrative recording of bāji- made it gradually as an obligation for subjects but it probably was at least in early achaemenid period voluntary. bāji- could be paid in different forms of monetary or prestige goods but as a gift it would probably be suggestive to be paid in second form and this is why we believe that bāji- system can seem out of the main factors of enhancing of art in guality and quantity as well. So bāji- has a highly rule in developing of art at least in Achaemenid period and later
Keywords

Volume 4, Issue 1 - Serial Number 6
September 2023
Pages 263-287

  • Receive Date 01 May 2024
  • Revise Date 15 July 2024
  • Accept Date 05 August 2024