GATHICA(1)

Think, in this batter'd Caravanserai

Whose Doorways are alternate Night and Day
How Sultan after Sultan with his Pomp
Abode his Hour or two, and went his way.

By
GIKYO ITO
Reader of Iranian Studies, Kyoto University

VIII
Xerxes' Gatehouse "of All-Countries" at Persepolis

From the structure extant, the lay-out of the so-called Xerxes' Gatehouse
"of All-Countries(2)" can easily be traced. It was made up of square mud-brick
wall as thick as of about 5.2m, which, encircling four columns of stone, supplies
three entrances or door-ways, western, eastern and southern. Each entrance
was constructed by two opposite jambs or door-posts and the lintel above them,
from the floor to the upper part of the lintel being 15.5m high while the columns
including the addorsed bulls which formed the uppermost units of columns'
capitals, were 16.66m high. The saddles of the capital-bulls carried the timber-
work above which crossed the beams.
The mud-bricks could be piled up as high as to support the horizontal beams.
The beams connecting the columns with their nearest wall-corners respectively
must be longer than 11.67m. When looking above from the floor of the inner
spaceous room, one must have deeply been impressed with the wide and broad
ceiling of 612.6625m2 (=24.75m×24.75m) carried by the four columns at

the height of more than 16.66m.

The jambs or door-posts are inscribed the inscription Xerxes' Persepolis
a of which Old Persian text reads to this effect (ll. 11-13):
vasna (12) Auramazdaha imam duvarθim visadahyum (13) adam akunavam.

By the will of Auramazda this duvarθi- "of All-Countries" I (Xerxes) made.

The Elamite version runs (ll. 11-12):

(1) For Gathica I-V and VI-VII, see ORIENT, Vol. 3, pp. 1-20, Tokyo 1967 and Vol. 6, pp.
15-33, Tokyo 1970 respectively.
(2) E. F. SCHMIDT:Persepolis I, Chicago 1953, p. 65ff.

1
 sa-u-mi-in anu-ra-mas-da<-na>hi Ie-ma-me mi-is sa-(12)da-a-hu-is Iu hu-ud-da.
By the will of Auramazda this Gate (e-ma-me) "of All-Countries" (Visada-
hyu-) I made.
In the Akkadian rendering we read (ll. 10-12):
ina silli sailua-hu-ru-ma-az-da-' babi (11) a-ga-a u-'-is-pi-da-a-'-i sumi-su
a-na-ku. (12) e-te-pu-su.
By the will of Ahuramazda this Gate (babi), its name being "Of All-Count-
ries" (Vispadahyu-), I made.
The Akkadian version tells us that the "Gate" was called simply "Of All-Count-
ries" (in Old Persian Visadahyu-and in Medean Vispadahyu-).
The comparison of the three versions reveals O. P. duvarθi- syntactic equi-

valent to babi and e-ma-me "Gate". Allured seemingly by babi and e-ma-me,
O. P. duvarθi- has been, from the outset, regarded as haplology from *duvar-varθi-,

the first compound-term being identified with *duvar- "door, gate" and the second
with a variant of *varti- to var- "to cover", hence *duvar-varθi- >duvarθi- "door-

cover"> "colonnade". The interpretation, however, first set up by Chr.

BARTHOLOMAE, has always been accepted with some reservation or scepticism.

The cited German scholar(1) calls duvarθi- "probably haplology from duvar-

varθi-" while with A. MEILLET(2) "duvarθim (acc. sg.)《portique》ne se laisse

guere analyser". The same is the case with A. MEILLET et E. BENVENISTE(3)

and R. G. KENT(4)who referring to haplological treatment says "A second (hap-
lological) example, probable but less certain, is duvarθim from *dvar-varθim
'door-cover'='colonnade'". So also with M. MAYRHOFER(5) who says; "du-

varpi-m. Saulengang, Saulenhalle, Torgang. [Wohl haplologisch fur *duvar-

varpi- 'Tor-Umhullung, ......]". The last mentioned two savants are followed
by W. WUST(6) accordingto whom "Ein anderer Architektur-Terminus, altpers.
duvarθi-, ist wohl auch durch Haplologie zustandegekommen:...". The uncer-

tainty underlying the interpretation has relevantly been expressed by W. LENTS(7)

as follows:
Die nordwestliche Eingangshalle (K) nennt ihr Erbauer Xerxes (Acc.
Sing.) duvrtim visdhyum, das versteht man als duvarθim visadahyum

"All-Lander-Tor", weil die ersten beiden Silben des ersten Worts an

(1) Chr. BARTHOLOMAE: Altiranisches Worterbuch (AirWb.), Strassburg 1904, col. 766.
(2) Grammaire du Vieux Perse, Paris 1915, p. 147.
(3) Grammaire du Vieux Perse, Paris 1931, p.164 (§283).

(4) Old Persian, New Haven 1953, p. 45 (§129).

(5) Handbuch des Altpersischen,Wiesbaden 1964, Lexikon s. v. (p. 118).

(6) AltpersischeStudien, Munchen 1966, p. 22. n. 1.
(7) W. LENTZ (und W. SCHLOSSER): Persepolis-Ein Beitrag zur Funktionsbestimmung (ZDMG,
SupplementaI, Teil 3, Wiesbaden 1969), p. 963.

2
 GATHICA

duvr duvara- "Tor" anklingen. Um die Deutung nachtraglich zu recht-

fertigen, muss Haplologie aus *duvar-varθim "Tor-Umhullung" angenom-

men werden. Was man sich unter einer solchen vorzustellen hat, ist
meines Wissens noch nicht erlautert worden.

Though without tapping a new theory, none of the scholars seems, therefor,
to have been satisfied with such an interpretation.
Now, I want to treat the word duvarθi- from two view-points. First, the

haplology can hardly take place in *duvar-varθi-. As R. G. KENT(1) has rightly

pointed out, the like phenomenon "is the loss of one of two similar sequences of
sounds, each containing at least one consonant and one vowel, or one vowel
and at least one consonant", like O. P. *hama-mata(2) >hamata, O. P. *dipi-
pana-(3)>Middle Persian diwan. Besides, O. P. word for "door" or "gate" is
duvara-, not *duvar- (*dvar-), in spite of Avestan dvar- and Vedic dvar-/dur-. In
DarB. O. P. II, 75, 89-90 we read duvaraya-maiy"at my palace-entrance" (loc.
sg. duvaraiywith a) which is hardly *duvariya-maiyloc. sg. *duvariy of *duvar- with
a. If so, duvarθi- should have been derived from *duvara-varθi- where haplology

is least possible. Second, let us stretch a point and allow the haplology from
*duvar(a)-varθi- which makes, however, poor sense. -varθim is acc. sg. of, most

probably, varti-, nom. actionis "the act of covering". Whether the -θ- has come

from casus obliquus like *varθiya instr. sg. or not, can hardly be decided, because

we have xratu<m> (XerxPersepolis 1, l. 3) and fratara (DarNaqs e Rostam b,

l. 38) along with xraθum (DarNR. b, l. 3) and fraθara (XerxPers.1, l. 42) res-

pectively. DarNR. b, ll. 32-40 may freely be translated thus(4):

This is also my accomplishment that my body is of good ability. As
fighter I am a good fighter. Once when, in a battle field, I must decide
whether what I look (in the far distance) is my enemy or not, then I can
decide it anticipating (my opponent's) anguish and agony, saying:
"What I look (in the far distance) is my enemy or not." I am of moving

(i.e. active) mind (+yaumanis).

Be the matter as it may, what is certain is that *duvar(a)-varθim can reasonably

be regarded as acc. sg. of *duvar(a)-varti-. *duvar(a)-varti-, if not bahuvrihi com-

pound, may signify (a) "the act of covering the door or gate" or (b) "the act of
the door's covering". (a) is compared to Av. bar∂smo.st∂r∂ti- "the act of stretching

(1) KENT: loc. cit.

(2) nom. sg. m. "having the same mother".
(3) MAYRHOFER:op. cit., p. 116 dipi- (*dipi-pana-> neup. divan 'Amtszimmer, Gedichtsam-
mlung u. a.'......)
(4) Differently W. HINZ: Altiranische Funde und Forschungen, Berlin 1970, p. 45ff.; B. GHARIB:
A Newly found Old Persian Inscription (Iranica Antiqua, Vol. VIII, Leiden 1968), p. 54 ff.

3
 the baresman", haomo.stuiti- "the act of praising the haoma" and aesmo.b∂r∂ti- "the

act of fetching the fuel", while (b) as tatpurusa compound, can also signify "what
the gate covers, place or structure which the gate or door covers" just like Av.
gao-yaoiti- "meadow" (<"the place where cows move") and gava-siti- "region
where the Sogdians live". Neither (a) nor (b) can account for the real structure of
the Gatehouse. What meaning, then, does *duvar(a)-varti- propound as bahuvrihi
compound? Since there is no example as such consisted of two nouns, of which
the last is nom. act. in -ti, we are obliged to take *varθiya- instead as the second

term. *duvar(a)-varθiya-, as bahuvrihi compound, would give several meanings

such as(c) "structure having the gate as cover" (cf. Av. aθravo.puθra- "one having

a priest as son"), (d) "structure having derived its cover from the gate" (cf. Av.
atars.ciθra- "one having his lineage from the fire"), (e) "structure containing a

gate's cover" (cf. Av. atr∂.ciθra- "containing a fire's origin"), (f) "structure re-

ceiving the gate's cover" (cf. Av. asa.st∂mbana- "one receiving Asa's assistan ce"),

(g) "structure covering the gate", (h) "structure having its cover in the gate"
(cf. Av. usi.dam-, name of mountain, "having its own residence in the usah-
[usas-]") and (i) "structure having its cover upon the gate" (cf. Av. tanu.drug-
"one having drug in his own body"). Of these meanings (c)-(i), seemingly pre-
ferable are only (g) and (i) which both, referring to the real construction of the
Gatehouse, should be taken as representing one and the same situation, gate
(duvar[a]-) here signifying the three entrances, western, eastern and southern,
and nothing else. If my argument is correct, *duvar(a)-varθiya- (*duvar[a]-varti-)

would imply something like a structure having entrance upon which are piled
up mud-bricks so as to carry the beams and the roof. As is well known, Xerxes'
Gatehouse now under consideration is not the only one of the like construction.
Practically all of the palaces at Persepolis are furnished with huge entrances sup-
porting beams and roof as well. It is a matter of self-contradiction that such an
appellative *duvar(a)-varti->duvarti- "structure with entrance roofed" has been
regarded as referring to the Gatehouse.
According to the present writer, O. P. duvarθim is acc. sg. of *duvarti-, haplo-

logy not from *duvar(a)-varti-, but from *duva-varti- "structure having high cover,
roof", comparable to Av, pouru.azanti- "one having ample knowledge", visto.-
fraor∂ti- "one having well-versed confession" i.e. "one well-versed in confession".

As regards varti-, I have treated above. As for duva-, it may be traced back to
dav-/du- (cf. AirWb. 688) from which comes dura- "distant". duva- with the root
not gunated but only suffixed with a is attested in O. P. duvaistamand Av. dbois-
t∂m(1), both coming from *duva-istam. The a suffixed is to be identified most pro-

(1) dboista-<*dvoista- i.e. *duvoista-<*duvaista-. For the initial db-<b-<dv-, see H. REICHELT:

4
 GATHICA

bably with the internal -a- in Ind. asvin-a-krta- "gemacht von Asvin", asir-a-dugh-
"Milch zum Somasaft milchend", dur-a-dabhna- "Turen tauschend"(1). Darius'

Persepolis e, ll. 22-24 may be interpreted thus:

...... yadiy kara Parsa pata ahatiy haya (23) duvais<t>am siyatis axsata hauv-
ci(24)y aura nirasatiy abiy imam viθam.

...... If the Persian people shall be protected, what (is) happiness unbroken
in the highest degree-this will come down (aura) upon this royal
house.
duvaistam, lit. "farthest", here, is an adverb modifying adj. axsata so that with
duvaistam axsata is expressed the superative degree of axsata. duvaistam does not
mean "for the longest while(2)" nor "pour tres longtemps(3)" which meaning
must have been expressed by mere dargam. The syntactic implication attributed
to O. P. duvaistam is to be vindicated by Av. dboist∂m in Nirangestan, §9:

aat yat he aoxte aesa yenhe ap∂r∂mayuko "hacanuha me +ana, ap∂r∂nayuka, yaθa

vasi", aθa +ha +xsayete +ana +pascaeta +uzdanhucit paθa haxtoit.

Wenn aber der, des der Knabe ist, zu ihm sagt: 'Geh mit ihm, Knabe,
wenn du willst', so darf er dann auch auf einem ausser Land fuhrenden
Weg mit ihm gehen.
cavat +ana dboist∂m ayan∂m paranhacaiti?

Welch hochstfernen Weg soll er mit ihm fortgehen(4)?

ya +frayar∂ne va uzayeirine va +ayan aiwyastis anhat. yo aetahmat paranhacaiti,
nabanazdist∂m he para +pascaeta +raesaca +aδwadaityaca +astaraiti.

So dass seine (des Wegs) Zurucklegung des Vormittags oder des Nachmit-
tags des Tages stattfinden kann. Wenn er (ihn) mit sich wegfuhrt ferner
als dies, dann macht er semen nachsten Verwandten der Sunden Raesa
und Aδwadaiti schuldig.

dboist∂m modifies cavat adj. "how much?", i.e. here "how far?", its superative

degree being cavat dboist∂m "how far in the highest degree?" i.e. "how farthest?",

which, if in another context, can also mean "how nearest, largest, smallest, long-
est, shortest, most or least?", as the case may be. From these two passages, it is

Awestisches Elementarbuch, Heidelberg 1909, §174, 3. Chr. BARTHOLOMAE: Zur Etymologie und

Wortbildung der indogermanischen Sprachen (SHeidelAW., phil-hist. Kl., 1919, 10), p. 22ff., is not
accesible to the present writer.

(1) J. WACKERNAGEL:Altindische Grammatik, II, 1, Gottingen 1905, §25 (p. 61ff.).

(2) KENT: op. cit., p. 136.

(3) MEILLET et BENVENISTE: op. cit., p. 160 (§205); see also p. 235 (§389): "(cette paix inalter-
ee) pendant tres longtemps".
(4) Against AirWb. 1742: Vie gross ist der Weg, den er im Hochstfall mit ihm fortgehen soll?
For the rest, I have cited or followed his German translation (AirWb. 1745 [haxtoit], 97
[aiwyasti-], 1598 [+astaraiti]). Cf. p. 4, n. 1.

5
only natural that duva- should mean "much, excellent, exceeding" -meaning
fairly vague and equivocal. When we confront it, however, on the one hand with
the real construction of the Gatehouse, and on the other with Indic durd- "far"
signifying also "far above" and "in a high degree", the conclusion seems unavoid-
able that duva- in *duva-varti- means only "high" or "wide" and nothing else.
If something like "brilliant" or "beautiful" had been implied, frasa- or naiba-
would have taken place. *dura-varti->*duvarti- means "high-roofed building" or
"wide-roofed structure", of which, however, the former seems preferable, because,
as will be shown below, "wide-roofed structure" would have been expressed by
*auraiy-varti-, not by *duva-varti-. That the adjective prevalent with suffix -ra
like dura- can appear as the first compound-term without -ra like *duva-varti- can
be made certain from Av. jaiwi.vafra- "with deep snow" over against *jufra- or
Av. jafra-<Av, gufra- "deep(1)".
In Old Iranian, by dura- is expressed only what lies horizontally far and
distant. By far the most frequent is the O. P. formula: adam xsayaθiya ahyaya

bumiya vazarkaya duraiyapiy"I am king in this earth large and wide" where duraiy
loc. sg. stands for *duraiy-karanayaor *duraiy-paraya "(earth) with distant limits".
Otherwise, duraiy signifies as adverb "far, in the distance" in two passages, Dar
NR. a, l. 44 and l. 46:
Parsahya (44) martiyahya duraiy arstis pa(45)ragmata;...... Parsa martiya
durayapiy haca Pa(47)rsa parataram(2) patiyajata.
The spear of the Persian man has gone forth far;......the Persian man
has struck back (at enemy) favourably(2) in the distance, too, from Persia.
In Avesta we have several bahuvrihi composita with durae- (loc. sg.) as its first
element(3) (the words in parenthesis show the objects modified by the respective
compounds): durae-karana- "with distant limits" (asman- m. sky), durae-para-
"with distant banks, limits" (the River Ranha-f.; zam-f. earth), durae-urvaesa-
"with far winding" (pantan- m. road), durae-suka- "far-seeing" (Ahura Mazda,
Tistrya- "Sirius", fravasi-), durae-darstar- "who looks far" (Ahura Mazda), durae-
darst∂ma- "who looks most far" (Ahura Mazda, Rasnu-), durae-frakata- "desired

in the distance" (aθravan- m. priest), durae-sruta- "heard in the distance" (p∂su-

cinvato m. the Bridge of the Cinvat). These Avestan composita, with only excep-
tion of durat-suka- "far-shining" (daeman- n. Miθra's glance), and duraiy, the

only attested form of O. P. dura-, suffice to infer that if the inscription had empha-

(1) Av. gufra->*jufra-> (Baloci juhl)>M. P. zufr, zofr>Jewish Persian zurf; Av. gufra->
Av. jafra- (cf. Ind. gambhira-, gabhira-)>Parth. zafr>N. P. zarf.
(2) parataram "favourably"-a tentative interpretation which seems to require further con-
sideration.
(3) Excluding proper names.

6
 GATHICA

sized the broad and wide roof of the Gatehouse, *duraiy-varti- "structure whose
cover reaches far", if not *vazarka-varti-, would have been preferred to *duva-varti-
>*duvarti-. It is true that the roof was about 1235.5225m2 wide, and one
could insist upon this broad width in order to prefer the interpretation of *duva-
varti->*duvarti- as "structure with broad and wide roof". But *duva-varti-,
not *duraiy-varti-, rules out the like arguments. When walking up the stair-way
and looking up at the Gatehouse looming high above his head, one must have
been, first and foremost, overwhelmed by its towering height, rather than its
enormous roof.
The inscription concerned begins with the phrase "A great god is Auramazda,
who created this earth, who created yonder sky, who created man......who
made Xerxes king, one king of many......". The idea that Auramazda
created this earth and yonder sky reminds us of Yasna 444(1) and Rgveda VII
861 b-d(2) (cf. also VIII 4110). In the former passage, Zoroaster asks "This
I ask you. Tell me truly, Ahura. Who has propped the earth under and the
sky from falling down? Who the waters and the plants?", while in the latter
we read "Who has propped apart the wide both spheres, He (Varuna) has
put forwards the high and lofty firmament and in two ways the sun, and he
also has extended the earth." What is referred to in these three texts is nothing
but the Indo-Iranian macrososmos which must have been identified by Xerxes
to his own world-wide empire, intended for containing all possible countries and
peoples. Xerxes' orthostat may, then, be considered a representation of his
macrocosmic kingdom, and if so, O. P. *duvarti- visadahyu- means "orthostat
where come together (the peoples of) all countries". The generally accepted
interpretation "Colonnade 'of or for all countries"(3) may better be corrected
or modified accordingly.

(1) tat θwa p∂r∂sa. ∂r∂s moi vaoca, Akura.

kasna d∂r∂ta zamca ad∂ nabasca

avapastois? k∂ apo urvarasca?

(2) viyas tastambharodasicid urvi￨

pra nakam rsvam nunude brhantam
dvita naksatram paprathac ca bhuma ￨￨1￨￨
(3) KENT: op. cit., s.v. F. H. WEISSBACH: Die Keilinschriften der Achameniden, Leipzig 1911 (1968),
p. 108, n. i) "fur alle Lander bestimmt".