Elymaic letter Sadhe

It contributes a sound inside a written word. Elymaic Sadhe is conventionally transliterated ṣ, the Latin letter s with a dot below; the surrounding letters make the word.

Elymaic grew from the Aramaic script used by the scribes of the Achaemenid Empire. Local administrators adapted that writing system to record official Aramaic. Elymaic graffiti at Tang-e Chilau may mark a transition from chancery Aramaic as early as the first century BCE or earlier.

Why does Elymaic appear on coins and reliefs?

It served administration, rulers, and public inscriptions. Local administrators adapted the script used by the Achaemenid Empire’s scribes to write official Aramaic. Later, rulers used Elymaic on coins for names and titles; inscriptions also accompanied rock reliefs at Tang-e Sarvak and Tang-e Butan. Tang-e Sarvak is considered a sanctuary site.

Elymaic and Mandaic are closely related scripts, though scholars disagree whether Elymaic came before Mandaic, followed it, or was its sibling. Coin lettering shows another distinction: large tetradrachms resemble stone inscriptions, while some small copper coins have forms closer to Parthian and may use a separate script.