Psalter Pahlavi Letter Beth

It is a letter in Middle Persian writing, not a whole word. Beth is transliterated as b; its reported readings include the b sound and a brief lip glide like the start of “wet.” The surrounding Middle Persian word helps determine which reading fits.

Psalter Pahlavi is written from right to left, with spaces between words. On its own, this glyph identifies a letter rather than spelling a complete word.

Where did Psalter Pahlavi come from?

It descends from Imperial Aramaic, used from the 8th century BCE. Imperial Aramaic was a script for writing Aramaic. Psalter Pahlavi is known chiefly from a damaged manuscript fragment found at Bulayiq near Turfan: a Middle Persian translation of the Syriac Psalms, a collection of biblical songs and prayers. It is the oldest known Pahlavi literary fragment; the manuscript was probably written in the 6th or 7th century. One argument based on its language places the text as early as the 4th century, and it appears to have been recopied over about 300 years.

Christian communities in the Persian empire used the script for Middle Persian texts; accounts also mention translations for converts from Mazdaism, the region’s Zoroastrian faith. Its forms are more archaic than those of Book Pahlavi, a later Pahlavi variety. Some Psalter forms helped shape Avestan signs transcribed as γ, j, and d. A bronze processional cross from Herat, dated about the 8th century, shows the script on an object carried in church ceremonies.

Why does beth change shape inside a word?

Joining strokes can change its shape inside a word. Psalter Pahlavi is fully cursive: letters connect and can take contextual forms according to their place in a word.

If you see a box or replacement mark, the font cannot display 𐮁. The text still contains the same character; a font with Psalter Pahlavi support can show its glyph.