History of the Parsis : including their manners, customs, religion and present position : with coloured and other illustrations : in two volumes

CHAP. IV.] THE PARTHIANS. 175

chief difficulty in the study of this language consists in reading it, because several letters are written in the same form.

Tt also belongs to the Iranian branch of the Aryan stock of languages. Some authors trace its descent from the Semitic stock because the earliest Sassanian inscriptions contain a large admixture of Semitic words. This was due to the foreign Assyrian rule that was established in Iran for some time.

Various meanings have been attached to the word Pehlevi by different authors. Anquetil derived it from pahlu, “side,” meaning thereby that it was the language spoken on the frontiers of Ivan. Spiegel connects it with Avesta perethu, “wide,” meaning thereby a widespread language. Dastur Peshotanji derives it from perethwa, “road,” meaning thereby the language of the road or way, that is, the current language. Dr. Haug identifies it with Parthva of the Cuneiform inscriptions, that is, the Parthia of the Greeks and Romans, meaning thereby the language of the Parthians. Dr. Haug thus connects the word with the meaning: “The Parthians were the actual rulers of Persia for nearly five hundred years, and made themselves famous and respected everywhere by their fierce and successful contests with the mightiest nation of the ancient world, the Romans. It is not surprising therefore that the name which once struck terror into the hearts of the Roman