𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎣

Old Persian edit

From *(w)r̥šā (“man; hero”) +‎ 𐎣 (k /⁠-kaʰ⁠/, hypocoristic suffix).^[1]^[2]^[3] First element alternatively from *r̥šaʰ (“bear”), from Proto-Iranian *Hŕ̥šah.^[4]

𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎣 (a-r-š-k /R̥šakaʰ/)

*R̥šakānaʰ^[5]
- Persian: اشکان (aškân)
- → Elamite:
  Achaemenid Elamite: 𒅕𒐼𒋡𒈾 (ir-šá-ka₄-na /⁠Iršakana⁠/)

(taking Old Persian as representative for all Old Iranian:)

Middle Persian: *Aršak
- Persian: ارشک (aršak), اشک (Ašk)
  - → Arabic: أَشَك (ʔašak)
  - → Gandhari: 𐨀𐨪𐨿𐨮𐨐 (Arṣaka)
- → Old Armenian: Արշակ (Aršak) (see there for further descendants)
- → Middle Chinese: 安息 (ʔan-sik)
- → Ossetian: Арсӕгтӕ (Arsægtæ)^[6]
- → Parthian:
  Inscriptional Parthian script: 𐭀𐭓𐭔𐭊 (ʾršk /⁠Aršak⁠/)
- → Classical Syriac: ܐܪܫܟ (ʾAršaḵ)
→ Ancient Greek: Ἀρσάκης (Arsákēs)
- Greek: Αρσάκης (Arsákis)
- → Latin: Arsacēs

^ Tolman, Herbert Cushing (1908) “aršaka”, in Ancient Persian lexicon and the texts of the Achaemenidan inscriptions transliterated and translated with special reference to their recent re-examination (Vanderbilt Oriental Series; 6), New York/Cincinnati/Chicago: American Book Company, page 67
^ Bartholomae, Christian (1904) “j. ²aršan-”, in Altiranisches Wörterbuch [Old Iranian Dictionary]‎^[1] (in German), Strassburg: K. J. Trübner, column 204
^ Ciancaglini, Claudia (2012) “Outcomes of the Indo-Iranian suffix *-ka- in Old Persian and Avestan”, in DARIOSH Studies II. Persepolis and his Settlements. Territorial System and Ideology in the Achaemenid State‎^[2], Napoli: Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale", page 94
^ Ačaṙyan, Hračʻya (1942) “Արշակ”, in Hayocʻ anjnanunneri baṙaran [Dictionary of Personal Names of Armenians] (Erewani petakan hamalsaran. Gitakan ašxatutʻyunner; 21) (in Armenian), volume I, Yerevan: University Press, page 290f
^ Tavernier, Jan (2007) “4.2.1433 *Ršakana-”, in Iranica in the Achaemenid Period (ca. 550–330 B.C.): Lexicon of Old Iranian Proper Names and Loanwords, Attested in Non-Iranian Texts, Peeters Publishers, →ISBN, page 290: “290”
^ Schmitt, Rüdiger, editor (1989), Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum‎^[3], Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, →ISBN, page 240