Ricerc@Sapienza

Both Achaemenian and Early Sasanian kings set epigraphic monumental programs in order to celebrate their dynasties and their authority. Despite the wide chronological gap dividing the evidence, there are several linguistic and conceptual parallels recurring within both the corpora. Several scholars underlined the importance of the oral epic tradition and the influence exerted by professional story-tellers upon the composition of the inscriptions. The present paper aims to reconsider the matter, implementing this view through a heterogeneous set of data and adopting a perspective that includes also a different social group with its specific technology as a primary factor for the transmission process. Although the Macedonian conquest put an abrupt end to the epigraphic tradition in Old Persian, the heritage of the so-called Imperial Aramaic offered long-lasting patterns for official communication throughout Iran. Over the course of the centuries the scribal culture, thanks to the skills of high-trained individuals and the competencies cultivated within this professional group, played a substantial role indeed in shaping the royal language arranging its stylistic and conceptual framework.