Paper Squeezes of Inscriptions

National Museum of Asian Art

Object Details

sova.fsa.a.06_ref9924

GUID

Local Numbers: FSA A.06 6
General: - For the Arabic inscriptions, titles are provided by Xavier Courouble, FSg Archives cataloger, based on Ernst Herzfeld's publication, "Iran in the Ancient East. Archaeological Studies Presented in the Lowell Lectures at Boston. London: Oxford University Press, 1941," and Joseph Upton's Finding Aid.; - For the Cuneiform inscriptions, titles are provided by Xavier Courouble, FSg Archives cataloger, based on the publication, "Corpus Inscriptionum Iranicarum; Part I, Inscriptions of Ancient Iran; Vol. I, The Old Persian Inscriptions; Portfolio I: Plates i-xlviii. Old Persian Inscriptions of the Persepolis platform. Edited by A. Shapur Shahbazi. Published by Lund Humphries, London, 1985;" and Roland G. Kent's publication, "Old Persian. Grammar, Texts, Lexicon. 2nd Revised Edition. American Oriental Society, Vol. 33. American Oriental Society, New Haven, Connecticut, 1953," and Joseph Upton's Finding Aid.; - For the Middle-Persian and Parthian inscriptions, titles are provided by Xavier Courouble, FSg Archives cataloger, based on Ernst Herzfeld's publication, "Paikuli: Monument and Inscription of the Early History of the Sasanian Empire; Berlin: D. Reimer, 1924;" Helmut Humbach and Prods O. Skjærvø's publication, "The Sassanian Inscription of Paikuli; Supplement to Herzfeld's Paikuli. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 1980;" and Joseph Upton's Finding Aid.; Series title in Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive reads, "Series VI: Paper Squeezes of Inscriptions."
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note: For the Arabic inscriptions, Paper squeezes related primarly to several archaeological campaigns carried out by Ernst Herzfeld in the Middle East, from 1908 to 1934.; For the Cuneiform inscriptions, Paper squeezes related primarly to a trial excavation at Persepolis and several nearby sites carried out by Ernst Herzfeld from December 1923 through March 1924 as well as an excavation campaign carried out by Ernst Herzfeld in Persepolis under the auspice of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, from 1931 to 1934.; For the Middle-Persian and Parthian inscriptions, Paper squeezes related primarly to three expeditions to Paikuli (Iraq), in 1911, 1913, and 1923, as well as an excavation campaign carried out by Ernst Herzfeld in Persepolis and several nearby sites, from December 1923 through March 1924.

Creator: Herzfeld, Ernst, 1879-1948
Names: Herzfeld, Ernst, 1879-1948
Collection Creator: Herzfeld, Ernst, 1879-1948

Place: Asia; Iraq; Iran; Iṣfahān (Iran); Naqsh-i Rustam (Iran); Paikuli (Iraq); Pasargadae (Extinct city); Persepolis (Iran); Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq); Taq-e Bostan Site (Iran)

Topic: Achaemenian inscriptions; Ancient Near Eastern Art; Archaeology; Architecture; Art of the Islamic World; Excavations (Archaeology); Cuneiform inscriptions; Cuneiform inscriptions, Akkadian; Cuneiform inscriptions, Elamite; Inscriptions; Inscriptions, Arabic; Inscriptions, Pahlavi; Inscriptions, Parthian; Middle Persian language; Old Persian inscriptions; Relief (Sculpture); Sassanids; Textile design

Creator: Herzfeld, Ernst, 1879-1948

See more items in: Ernst Herzfeld Papers

Biographical / Historical: "Ernst Emil Herzfeld (1879-1948) was an orientalist whose many talents led him to explore all phases of Near Eastern culture, from the prehistoric period to Islamic times and from linguistics and religion to art and architecture." [Margaret Cool Root, 1976: "The Herzfeld Archive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 11, pp. 119-124."]

Extent: 393 Items (Squeezes, various dimensions)

Date: 1911-1934; undated

Archival Repository: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

Identifier: FSA.A.06, Series 6

Type: Archival materials; Paper squeezes

Collection Citation: Ernst Herzfeld Papers. FSA.A.06. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Ernst Herzfeld, 1946.

Arrangement: Papers squeezes are organized into three subdivisions: FSA A.6 06.A, 100 items, inscriptions in Arabic language. FSA A.6 06.C, 129 items, inscriptions in Cuneiform writing. FSA A.6 06.M, 164 items, Middle-Persian and Parthian inscriptions.

Collection Rights: Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Existence and Location of Copies: Microfiche available at the Freer Gallery of Art Library.

Bibliography: - Herzfeld, Ernst, 1910: "Iranische felsreliefs; aufnahmen und untersuchungen von denkmälern aus alt- und mittelpersischer zeit. Berlin, E. Wasmuth A.-G." - Herzfeld, Ernst, 1920: "Am Tor Von Asien, Felsdenkmale aus Irans Heldenzeit. Dietrich Reimer, Ernst Vohsen, A.-G., Verlag in Berlin." - Herzfeld, Ernst, 1924: "Paikuli: Monument and Inscription of the Early History of the Sasanian Empire; Volume II, containing 228 plates. Berlin: D. Reimer, Ernst Vohsen." - Herzfeld, Ernst, 19230-31: "Archaeologische Mitteilunen aus Iran; Band II and III. Verlag von Dietrich Reimer, Ernst Vohsen, Berlin." - Herzfeld, Ernst, 1935: "Archaeologische Mitteilunen aus Iran; Band VII. Verlag von Dietrich Reimer, Ernst Vohsen, Berlin." - Herzfeld, Ernst, 1938: "Archaeologische Mitteilunen aus Iran; Band IX. Verlag von Dietrich Reimer, Ernst Vohsen, Berlin." - Herzfeld, Ernst, 1941: "Iran in the Ancient East. Archaeological Studies Presented in the Lowell Lectures at Boston. London: Oxford University Press."

Genre/Form: Paper Squeezes

Scope and Contents: The references to N- and SK-refer to Notebooks and Sketchbooks in the Collection. The squeezes are divided into Arabic script, Middle Persian and Cuneiform. The number of the squeeze comes first, followed by the negative number, when a photographic negative exists.; - Additional information related to paper squeezes in Arabic language reads, "100 paper squeezes taken at the following archaeological sites: Bistam (Iran), Congregational Mosque, 1 Inscription in Floral Kufic Script, 5 items. Isfahan (Iran), Tomb in Imamzada Ismail Mausoleum and Tomb in Masjid-i ʿAli, 4 inscriptions, in Kufic and Naskhi Script, 4 items. Kale i Khosrawi (Iran), unidentified building, 1 Inscription in Kufic Script, 1 item. Pasargadae (Iran), Mausoleum of Cyrus the Great, Mashhad-i-Madar-i-Suleiman, 9 inscriptions, 20 items. Pasargadae (Iran), Gate R (Palace with the Relief), 1 inscription, 1 item. Persepolis (Iran), Tachara, 5 Inscriptions, in Kufic and Naskhi Script, 6 items. Rayy (Iran), Tughril Mausoleum, 1 Inscription, 1 item. al-Dūr (Iraq), Mausoleum Imām al-Dūr, 1 inscription, 1 item. Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq), Balkuwārā Palace, 1 sgraffito, 1 item. Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq), unidentified building, 1 inscription, 4 items. Shiraz (Iran), Khatun Mausoleum, 2 inscriptions, in Naskhi Script, 2 items. Shiraz (Iran), Shāh Dāʿi, 3 inscriptions, 3 items. Sunghur (Iran), unidentified gravestone, 2 inscriptions, in Kufic Script, 4 items. Taq-i Bustan (Iran), Sassanid Rock Reliefs, 3 inscriptions, 4 items. Tus (Iran), Haruniya Mausoleum, 4 inscriptions, 10 items. Miscellaneous objects, 33 items related to unidentified Arabic inscriptions on diverse objects and 1 item related to unidentified Cuneiform inscription."; - Additional information related to paper squeezes in Cuneiform writing reads, "129 paper squeezes taken at the following archaeological sites: Naqsh-i Rustam (Iran), Tomb of Darius I, 3 inscriptions, DNb: Old Persian Version, 30 items; Akkadian Version, 30 items; Elamite Version, 9 items. Persepolis (Iran), Southern Terrace Wall, 4 "Foundation Inscriptions," DPd: Old Persian Version, 5 items, DPe: Old Persian Version, 7 items, DPf: Elamite Version, 7 items, DPg: Akkadian Version, 8 items. Persepolis (Iran), Apadana, 1 Inscription, XPba, Old Persian Version, 7 items. Persepolis (Iran), Tachara, 4 Inscriptions, XPca: Old Persian, Akkadian, and Elamite Version, 3 items; XPcb: Old Persian, Akkadian, and Elamite Version, 5 items; A3Pb: Old Persian Version, 3 items; DPa?: Elamite Version, 1 item. Persepolis (Iran), Hadish, 1 Inscription, XPd(west): Old Persian Version, 1 item. Persepolis (Iran), Palace H, 1 Inscription, A3Pc: Old Persian Version, 4 items. Persepolis (Iran), unidentified, 1 Inscription, XPb? or XPd?: Akkadian Version, 2 items. Sarpul (Iran), Rock Relief depicting Triumph of Annubanini, 1 inscription, Akkadian version, 1 item. Bonze tablets, 'Abdadana Tablet', 3 items; unidentified tablet, 2 items."; - Additional information related to paper squeezes from the Sassanian Inscription of Paikuli (Iraq) reads, "164 paper squeezes taken at the following archaeological sites: Paikuli (Iraq), 1 inscription, Middle-Persian version, 98 items. Paikuli (Iraq), 1 inscription, Parthian version, 63 items. . Paikuli (Iraq), Unidentified inscription, Unidentified version, 2 items. Persepolis (Iran), Tachara, 1 inscription, Middle-Persian version, 1 item."