The Sassanian Game-board of ‘Hashtpay’

By: Dr. Kaveh Farrokh

he article below is written by Antonio Panaino and originally posted in the CAIS website hosted by Shapour Suren-Pahlav in London, England. Readers are also encouraged to consult/click the link “The Sassanian Era” (or click image below …)

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Name of a game from the Sassanian era which has not been precisely identified. The haštpay [hštp’y] “eight feet” (more likely than aštapad) is mentioned together with other games in chapter 15 of the Xusraw ud Redag (ud pad Chatrang ud new-ardaxšî r ud haštpay kardan az hamahlan fraztar hom “and in playing chess, backgammon and the haštpay I am superior to my comrades” (Unvala, p. 16; Monchi-Zadeh, 1982, p. 65; Panaino, 1999, p. 51). Its name, as in the case of chess (Pahl. Ch < Skt. caturanµga-), is an Indian borrowing; it derives from Sanskrit astapada- (cf. pali atthapada), originally referring to a game-board of 8 x 8 little squares. Such a board was used for various games (Murray, 1913, pp. 35-40; 1952, pp. 129-36), one of them played, according to the Balabharata (II, 5, pp. 10-13), with red and white pieces and a pair of dice. In many other sources the astapada- was doubtless the chessboard and its name strictly associated with this game (MacDonell, p. 122; Jacobi, p. 228; Thomas, 1898, pp. 272; 1899, pp. 365; Thieme, 1984, p. 208).

A conjectural drawing by Ashkan H. (اشکان.ح) of a possible configuration of the Hashtpay game-board (Source: Public Domain).

From the Xusraw ud Redag it is clear that the Sassanian haštpay was distinguished from other popular games like chess and the variety of backgammon represented by new-ardaxšî r. The haštpay could perhaps be associated, according to Semenov (pp. 16-20, 131; but see Panaino, 1999, pp. 153-56, 189), with a game-board (with three lines of eight squares) recently discovered in Paikend and with another one represented on a later Sassanian silver cup with a different but apparently comparable form.

An Indian manuscript depicting Krishna and Radha playing chaturanga on an 8×8 Ashtāpada (Source: CAIS). For more see “Chess: An Indian or Iranian invention” …

Bibliography

Jacobi, “Über zwei ältere Erwähn-ungen des Schachspiels in der Sanskrit-Litteratur,” ZDMG 50, 1896, pp. 227-33.

A. MacDonell, “The Origin and Early History of Chess,” JRAS, 1898, pp. 117-41.

Monchi-Zadeh, “Xus-rôv i Kavâtân ut Rêtak,” in Monumentum Georg Morgenstierne, vol. II. Acta Iranica 22, Leiden, 1982, pp. 47-91.

J. R. Murray, A History of Chess, Oxford 1913. Idem, A History of Board-Games other than Chess, Oxford 1952.Panaino, La novella degli Scacchi e della Tavola Reale. Un’antica fonte orientale sui due gixochi da tavoliere piuà diffusi nel mondo euroasiatico tra Tardoantico e Medioevo e sulla loro simbologia militare e astrale. Testo pahlavi, traduzione e commento al Wiz-arišn î Chatrang ud nihišn î  new-ardaxšî r “La spiegazione degli scacchi e la disposizione della tavola reale,” Milano, 1999.

L. Semenov, Studien zur sogdischen Kultur an der Seidenstrasse, Wiesbaden, 1996.

Thieme, “Chess and Backgammon (Tric-Trac) in Sanskrit Literature,” in E. Bender, Indological Studies in Honor of W. Norman Brown, New Haven, 1962, pp. 204-16, reprinted in Kleine Schriften, Wiesbaden, 1984, pp. 413-25.

W. Thomas, “The Indian Game of Chess,” ZDMG, 52, 1898, pp. 271-72; 53, 1899, pp. 364-65.

M. Unvala, The Pahlavi Text “King Husrav and his Boy,” published with its Transcription, translation and copious notes, Paris, n.d.

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On Friday, May 15, 2020, the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), 1 Jonathan Greenblatt, announced on Twitter that the tomb of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan, Iran had been set afire overnight.
Two days later, the Hamadan prosecutor told reporters that “the case of the fire at the tomb of Esther and Mordechai is under investigation.” At the same time, the director general of Hamadan’s cultural heritage announced that “only minor damage was caused to the holy site by the fire.” In addition to the statements of officials in Hamadan, all different forms of contradictory information have been announced by the government official and state news agencies about this incident.
Based on the fact that many Iranian cultural and historical heritage sites have undergone damage and experienced negligence after the Islamic Revolution, it is quite
possible that none of the information heard from the officials of the Islamic government
or their news agencies is true. It is plausible that those who set fire to the tomb have
been supported by authorities of the Islamic Republic.
In addition to the conflict that the Islamic Republic has with non-religious cultural and
historical heritage or non-Shiite religious sites, these historical monuments have
become a means of political exploitation against the people of Iran and foreign
countries. It is clear that what has occurred to the tomb of Esther and Mordecai is an act
of revenge against Israel and the United States.
The tomb of Esther and Mordecai, which has religious significance for Jewish people in
addition to its heritage and historical significance, has repeatedly been the target of
threats by agents linked to the Iranian government in recent years. The tomb has been
in Hamadan for hundreds of years and has always been respected by Iranian people.
Furthermore, it is also quite unfortunate that the United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s representatives based in Iran have not objected
to the Iranian government’s strategic negligence of cultural heritage and historical sites.
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1 The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is a leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all.

Recent research highlights the power of the canine nose to uncover buried remains from ancient human history On a sunny summer day in Croatia several years ago, an archaeologist and two dog handlers watched as two dogs, one after another, slowly worked their way across the rocky top of a wind-scoured ridge overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
Bodies had lain in beehive-shape tombs on this necropolis, part of the prehistoric hill fort of Drvišica, since the Iron Age. The two dogs, trained to detect human remains, were searching for scents that were thousands of years old.
Panda, a Belgian Malinois with a “sensitive nose,” according to her handler, Andrea
Pintar, had begun exploring the circular leftovers of a tomb when she suddenly froze, her nose pointed toward a stone burial chest. This was her signal that she had located the scent of human remains.
Ms. Pintar said the hair on her arms rose. “I was skeptical, and I was like, ‘She is kidding me,’” she recalled thinking about her dog that day. Archaeologists had found fragments of human bone and teeth in the chest, but these had been removed months earlier for analysis and radiocarbon dating. All that was left was a bit of dirt, the stone slabs of the tomb and the cracked limestone of the ridge.
Human-remains detection dogs, or cadaver dogs, are used worldwide on land and water. Well-trained dogs help find the missing and dead in disasters, accidents, murders and suicides. But the experiment in Croatia marked the start of one of the most careful
inquiries yet carried out of an unusual archaeological method. If such dogs could
successfully locate the burial sites of mass executions, dating from World War II through
the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990s, might they be effective in helping
archaeologists find truly ancient burials?

On the scent of new tombs
Panda wasn’t kidding. Neither was Mali, the other Belgian Malinois trained by Ms. Pintar
and her husband, Christian Nikolić. Each dog gave her final indications that day by either sitting or lying inside the flattened circle of the tombs, their noses pointing toward the burial chests within. In some cases they leapt into the small burial chests before offering an alert.
The dogs’ archaeological expedition had been initiated by Vedrana Glavaš, an
archaeologist at Croatia’s University of Zadar. She already knew a great deal about the necropolis at Drvišica, having fully excavated and analyzed the contents of three tombs
there. Inside each were rough limestone burial chests. She and her team recovered amber beads, belt buckles, bronze pins, teeth and phalanges. Each chest once held at least two bodies, which radiocarbon dating confirmed were 2,700 years old. The skeletal material was highly fragmented, however, and is still being analyzed.
But were there other tombs on the site, and could the dogs help locate them?
After that first preliminary search and its surprising result, Dr. Glavaš had beers at a local pub with the dogs’ handlers. They decided to hold off any discussion for a few weeks. That “test run” was the beginning of a careful study on whether human-remains detection dogs could be an asset to archaeologists. Setting up a controlled study was difficult. Dr. Glavaš had to learn the scientific literature, such as scent theory, far outside the standard confines of archaeology; the same was true for Ms. Pintar and the field of archaeology.
The training challenges were also difficult. Ancient human remains probably present a
different and fainter scent profile than more recently deceased cadavers, especially as
decades turn into centuries and then millenniums. False negatives seemed likely to occur.
“I think dogs are really capable of this, but I think it’s a logistical challenge,” said Adee
Schoon, a scent-detection-animal expert from the Netherlands who was not involved in
the study. “It’s not something you can replicate again and again. It’s hard to train.”
And, as Dr. Schoon noted, dogs are “great anomaly detectors.” Something as subtle as
recently disturbed soil can elicit a false alert from a dog that is not rigorously trained.
Nonetheless, the team returned to the necropolis for the first controlled tests in September 2015, and again a full year later. Both times, they used all four of Ms. Pintar and Mr. Nikolić’s cadaver dogs: Panda, Mali, a third Belgian Malinois and a German shepherd. They worked them on both known and double-blind searches, in areas where nobody knew if tombs were located.

A unique system of underground rooms dating back to 2000 years ago were discovered by a group of archaeologists just adjacent to the Western Wall in the Old City of
Jerusalem, under the lobby of the Western Wall tunnels in the “Beit Straus” complex.
The rare discovery sheds light on Jewish life in the holy city ahead of the destruction of the Second Temple, as explained in a joint announcement by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation ahead of Jerusalem Day.
The complex features two rooms and an open courtyard and contained several every-day objects. The researchers suggested several possible purposes for the spaces, from food storage to residential place.
The structure was sealed later in the Byzantine period under the floors of a large building about 1,400 years ago and was left untouched for centuries .
“This is a unique finding,” said Dr. Barak Monnickendam-Givon and Tehila Sadiel,
directors of the excavation on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, according to a
press release. “This is the first time a subterranean system has been uncovered adjacent to the Western Wall. You must understand that 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, like today, it was customary to build out of stone. The question is, why were such efforts and resources invested in hewing rooms underground in the hard bedrock?”

By Nadia Dimattina • Reporter

The largest section of Inverloch’s historic shipwreck has been revealed, with more than 30 centimetres of sand eroding away to uncover more of the wreckage.
On December 12, 1863, the Amazon departed Melbourne for Mauritius with a cargo of salted meats. Only four days later it washed up on Inverloch surf beach, after encountering a storm on Bass Strait.
Since then, the 157-year-old shipwreck has slowly been uncovered due to erosion.

The Inverloch shipwreck is being uncovered by sand erosion on a country Victorian beach. (9News)  “There has been a lot of locals walking on the beach trying to keep themselves fit and healthy, and everyone is just amazed with what they are seeing,” secretary of Amazon 1863 Project Inc, Karyn Bugeja said.
“At the moment there is more uncovered and it is telling a completely different story to what we thought up until 48 hours ago.”
“We always thought we were looking at the keel of the ship but Heritage Victoria have confirmed it is the stem of the ship which is the bow at the front, which is where the figure head would have been placed,” Ms Bugeja said.
The ship, the Amazon, departed Melbourne on December 12, 1863. (9News)
The Amazon 1863 Project Inc. was formed in November, with a group of budding maritime archaeologists working with Heritage Victoria to collect and conserve items that have been detached from the wreckage.
Related
• Lost wreck of freighter sunk by Japanese submarine discovered off NSW coast
• Plagued Artania ship sets sail from Western Australia
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“I don’t think people are aware of the value of the shipwreck, it is the most  significant shipwreck on Victoria’s coast and it is the only wooden shipwreck so we have to respect it and appreciate what we have in Inverloch,” Ms Bugeja said.
The committee is working to create a children’s book to tell the story of the shipwreck discovery.
It washed up at Inverloch just four days later. (9News)
“We want to teach people about the story of the Amazon and its demise and sort of more importantly why we should appreciate and respect such items of heritage value.”
“The text is pretty much formalised and illustrations are being done at the moment and we hope later in the year it will be published,” Bugeja said.
“A lot of people know nothing about this shipwreck, so talking about where it came from, what kind of ship it was, where it came from and what happened to it, how it ended up on the beach, ” chairperson Trilby Parise said.
The largest section so far has been uncovered recently. (9News)
Ms Parise said the long-term plan is to showcase some of the preserved artefacts in a museum.
“We can’t preserve every piece of the shipwreck, that is just not going to happen, so we have to be really careful about which pieces get chosen and what is significant enough to go through the preservation process,” she said.
The community is being urged to stay away from the shipwreck in order to preserve it.
“We would just encourage people that the only thing they take away are photos and memories,” Ms Bugeja said.  

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/historic-shipwreck-uncovered-on-victorian-beach/ar-BB13Gl6J

Your Excellency Mr. Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State for the United States of
America

Yesterday, the 22 rd of April 2020, in a conversation on Fox TV, you erroneously called the Persian Gulf by another name.

I am sure you are also familiar with historical and geographical information regarding the countries of the world because of your very important position representing the USA, and that you know the real names of important regions and areas of the world.
The name ‘Persian Gulf’ has been written on many inscriptions, historical texts, and ancient world maps. Many of these can be seen in the world’s major museums.

In addition, the name of the Persian Gulf is clearly on the map of the United Nations and used by all the countries around the world.

I am sure you agree that the cultural and historical values of millions of Iranians have been violated, neglected, and destroyed by the religious and oppressive government in Iran. Therefore, we greatly hope that countries that consider themselves friends and supporters of Iranian people do not forget the rich history of Iran and will defend Iranian heritage.

With respect and regards,
Shokooh Mirzadegi
Executive Director of the Pasargad Heritage Foundation, Denver, Colorado
April 24, 2020
www.savepasargad.com

Translated by: WCHV

As expected, heritage experts and lovers of culture have repeatedly warned the Iranian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts about the protection of historical heritage during the coronavirus pandemic, with increasing reports of the destruction and looting of historical Iranian buildings and sites. This situation is believed to be due to the
closure of historical sites by government officials to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

The Iranian government has continued to attribute such acts of destruction to the work
of “ordinary people” and blames the looting of historical monuments on profiteers or
“illegal diggers.” It seems unlikely that during these difficult times of the coronavirus
pandemic, even those unaware of the need to preserve cultural heritage would want to
destroy the historical sites. One wonders if there are people who have a long-standing
grudge against Iranian cultural heritage. What is also strange is that these so-called
“unauthorized diggers” seem to have tractors and drilling equipment, yet somehow still
go undetected.

A letter, addressed to Ali Asghar Monsan, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism,
said, “As we all know, in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus in coming
weeks, the Cabinet has come up with a variety of plans and ‘social distancing’ has been
implemented. Therefore, many government agencies and organizations have been shut
down or are working on a part-time basis. These measures, which help to prevent the
spread of COVID-19, could also provide opportunities for looters to steal cultural
artifacts and damage and destroy some cultural heritage sites. The lack of adequate
monitoring of historical and cultural sites and cultural relics are detrimental to our
homeland.”

“Unfortunately, both online and in the media, there have been unpleasant news
regarding destruction and damage to the structures and boundaries of some historical
and cultural monuments throughout the country, especially in the provinces of
Kermanshah, Fars, and others, which is of great concern to us.” The letter continued.

The letter also addresses another important issue, which has been a major concern for
cultural heritage experts for years and that has been ensuring the safety of experts and
those who take care of the national heritage sites.
From: www.savepasargad.com