Emperor Shapur Inscription Moulage Being Restored 

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Sasanian Dynasty

A moulage of the emperor Shapur inscription, the most important tablet written in Pahlavi (Middle Persian), is undergoing restoration in the National Museum.

Head of the museum’s tablets hall Dariush Akbarzadeh said the moulage was produced in 1950 by Professor Hening, based on the Shapur inscription in Naqsh-e Rostam. Found recently in the museum’s warehouse, it has sustained some damages.He stressed the Shapur inscription was needed as a reference for historical, social and linguistic studies.

“Written in three languages of the Sasanid Pahlavi, Arsacid Pahlavi and Greek, it is the only inscription that contains names of many courtiers and officials of Emperor Shapur and Emperor Ardeshir’ government. It is an account of a war between Emperor Shapur and the Roman king Valerianus and the victory of the Iranian army,” Akbarzadeh notes.

He added it was difficult to make new moulages of the inscriptions and it made sense to restore the plaster moulages.