Fortification and Treasury Tablets

Persepolis Fortification Tablets

The fortification archive was discovered in two small rooms of a bastion within the casemate fortification wall at the edge of the ceremonial complex in the north east section of the terrace. 

The main content of the Persepolis Fortification Tablets consists of detailed administrative records primarily focused on the management and distribution of foodstuffs, resources, and provisions within the Achaemenid Empire. These clay tablets, mostly written in Elamite, chronicle transactions related to the allocation of rations to workers, travelers, and livestock, as well as the transport of commodities across various regions of Persis and eastern Elam from approximately 509 to 494 BCE.

Key aspects include:

• Records of distribution of barley, flour, dates, fruit, beer, fodder for livestock, and other food commodities to workers and officials.

• Registers documenting the provisioning of royal economy workers (kurtaš) and state officials.

• Inventories and large-scale logistics for moving commodities to create state reserves or seed funds.

• Official correspondence, including orders for food and silver payments to individuals for services rendered.

• Some tablets record the receipt of royal taxes in kind, such as livestock and grain.

• Documentation of rations provided to various ethnic groups working in Persepolis, including Cappadocians, Lydians, Ionians, and others.

• Letters and memoranda from officials, detailing payments, work performed, and distribution of goods.

These tablets provide one of the most extensive sources for understanding the economic administration of the Achaemenid Empire, including supply chain management, labor organization, and royal decree implementation in the imperial capital and its surroundings

Focus Questions

1. Describe the  Persepolis Fortification Tablets

2. What types of information do they reveal? Give 3 examples and comment on the significance. 

3. Where were they found and how many of them were recovered? 

4. What do they reveal about the role of purpose of Persepolis and the organisation of the Persian Empire? 

5. Describe the  Persepolis Treasury Tablets

6. What types of information do they reveal? Give 3 examples and comment on the significance. 

7. Where were they found and how many of them were recovered?  

8. What do they reveal about the role of purpose of Persepolis and the organisation of the Persian Empire? Imagine you are writing an 8 mark response. 

Thousands of clay tablets, fragments and seal impressions in the Persepolis archives are a part of a single administrative system representing continuity of activity and flow of data over more than fifty consecutive years (509 to 457 BCE). These records can throw light on the geography, economy, and administration, as well as the religion and social conditions of the Persepolis region, the heartland of the Persian Great Kings from Darius I the Great to Artaxerxes I. Archaeologists uncovered around 30,000–40,000 clay tablets and fragments from the Persepolis Fortification Archive. These tablets date mainly to the reign of Darius I (522–486 BCE) and record economic, administrative, and legal transactions of the Achaemenid Empire. 

The Persepolis Fortification Tablets (PFT) are a vast archive of administrative records from the Achaemenid Empire, discovered in 1933 by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago during excavations at Persepolis. The archive dates mainly to the reign of Darius I (c. 509–494 BCE) and covers a period of about 15 years.

Material and Language

• Written primarily on clay tablets in Elamite cuneiform, the administrative language of the Persian heartland. Some inscriptions are also in Aramaic, Old Persian, and Greek, reflecting the empire’s multilingual bureaucracy.
  Many tablets bear seal impressions of officials, animals, or mythological creatures, which authenticated the documents.
  
  

Content and Function

• Record the storage, distribution, and movement of food supplies (especially grain, wine, beer, and livestock) in the Fars region.
  Detailed rations provided to workers, artisans, officials, and travellers — including women and children. Show the logistical network supporting construction projects at Persepolis and other sites.
  Include allocations for religious offerings and festivals, showing the blending of state and religious economies.
  Reveal evidence of state-run storage depots and local administrative centres connected to Persepolis.
  
  

Historical Significance

• Demonstrate the highly organised nature of the Achaemenid economic and administrative system. Provide valuable data on workforce composition, showing that labourers came from across the empire (Persians, Elamites, Babylonians, Egyptians, etc.).
  Highlight the role of women in the workforce — including supervisors and ration recipients.
  Show that the Achaemenid state economy relied heavily on redistribution rather than a purely market-based system.
  
  

Archaeological Context

• Found in the Fortification complex at Persepolis, a section of the city that contained administrative offices and storage areas.
  Survived because the tablets were baked accidentally when Persepolis was burned by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE.
  The archive was shipped to the University of Chicago for study and remains a major source for Achaemenid history.

Quotes from Treasury Tablets...

1. Administrative Wage Order
   "To Shaka the treasurer,
   Budkama declares that Herdkama, the Egyptian, was the chief of a team of one hundred laborers, and is entitled to three karšâ and two-and-a-half shekels of silver as his wage. These laborers are working on behalf of Wohuka in Parsa (=Persepolis).
   Written by Marduka"

2. Order for Payment to Accountants
   “(To) Vahush the treasurer speak, Artataxma says: 2 karsha silver, the remaining half of the wage, give as wages to men, accountants at the court, subordinate to Vahush.
   (It is) the wage for the month Açiyadiya(?) of the 19th year.
   4 men, each... [lines destroyed].
   [This sealed order] has been given. The receipt (came) from Bagagiya.”

These lines exemplify the administrative function, recording the assignment of money wages to various labor groups on major construction and royal projects at Persepolis. The tablets often take the form of official instructions or receipts for payments, documenting not only the sum paid but also assigning responsibility for these transactions to specific officials or scribes.

Latest Treasury Tablet that has been translated..

3. To Šakka speak, Baratkama speaks as follows: and 2 shekels and a half of a shekel (of) silver to  Harad-duma, his name, an Egyptian wood carver and centurion who consuming

rations at Persepolis, to him issue (as rations), under the responsibility of Bauka. It’s as

counterpart of sheep and wine rations : instead (of) 1 sheep, 3 shekels (of silver, and) instead (of) 10 quarts (of wine), 1 shekel (of silver).

 The rations of) the *Varkazana and *ƖçiyƗdiš and AnƗmaka (and) Θaviy ta (and) *Vīxana

months for a total period of 5 months, in the 32 nd year of Darius I

What does this tablet reveal about how workers were paid? 

What does it show about the administration and economic management at Persepolis? 

Why do you think there was an Egyptian working at Persepolis? 

Economy in transition> Barter to coinage

The Achaemenid Persian economy transitioned from a primary reliance on barter and silver bullion to a standardized, coin-based system under King Darius I (c. 522–486 BCE). This shift, following the empire's conquest of Lydia (where coinage originated), introduced the gold daric and silver siglo, which facilitated trade, tax collection, and a more centralized economy by providing a universally accepted and portable medium of exchange.

 Before Coinage

• Barter and Bullion:
  Before the introduction of coinage, trade in the Achaemenid Empire relied on a barter system and the use of silver as a form of bullion. 

• Inconvenient Transactions:
  Using silver bullion or other goods for transactions was inconvenient, especially for smaller transactions, and required weighing and assessing the value of goods. 

The Shift to Coinage

• Lydian Influence:
  Coinage was introduced to the empire after Cyrus the Great conquered the Kingdom of Lydia, a region where coinage had been invented by King Croesus. 

• Darius I's Reforms:
  The implementation of a unified, coin-based currency was largely the work of Darius I. He established the gold daric and the silver siglo as the imperial standard. 

• Standardized Currency:
  The daric and siglo offered several advantages over barter: 

  • Uniformity: Coins had a guaranteed weight and purity, which simplified transactions for those unfamiliar with metallurgy or complex calculations. 

  • Portability: Coins were easier to transport than goods or bullion. 

  • Acceptance: Coins served as a universally accepted medium of exchange, simplifying trade across the vast empire. 

  • Impact on the Economy

• Centralized Economy:
  The standardized currency helped unify the Achaemenid economy, which was organized into provinces (satrapies). 

• Efficient Taxation:
  Darius I could collect taxes and tributes more efficiently in coin rather than in a variety of goods or services. 

• Economic Activity:
  The introduction of a standardized currency encouraged more economic activity, fostering greater stability and easier commerce throughout the empire. 

Outline the economic reforms during the reign of Darius. 

How does the above source demonstrate key information about the economic reforms during the reign of Darius? 

Comparison table of Persepolis Fortification Tablets and Treasury tablets

Compare and contrast the PFT and PTT. 

Assess the significance of the PFT and PTT: What light  do they shed tablets about the role of purpose of Persepolis?