Linguistic representations of identity in the Achaemenid World. Case studies

This paper investigates the dynamics of the relationship between identity and otherness in the ancient world by focusing on an analysis of some epigraphic documents found in a multilingual and multi-ethnic environment of antiquity, namely, the Achaemenid empire. Special attention will be paid to the main linguistic and socio-cultural traits of communities where different languages were used. Our purpose is twofold: a) to show that ancient epigraphic texts can reveal useful clues about the linguistic strategies adopted by a given writer in order to display his belonging to a specific community or group; b) to test the applicability of methods which have recently been developed in historical sociolinguistics to this field of research and, where necessary, to implement them.