PowerPoint presentation for the Save Ancient Studies Alliance (SASA) Master Class - presented on the 11th of April 2022.

1. Ancient Cuneiform Inscriptions in the Videogame:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
presented by
Dylan Lawrence Gibson
Archaeogaming & Assyriology Master Class

2. Educational Ambassador:
PhD Student
Master of Music (Musicology)
B.Mus (Musicology)
BA.Mus (Music Education + Minor in Ancient Culture Studies)
Email: (dgibson@saveancientstudies.org)

3. General Context
- Set in Persia, Iran (as title suggests).
- Released in 2003.
- Published by Ubisoft (Montreal).
- Created by Jordan Mechner
- Third-person (action-adventure +
environmental puzzle-platformer).
- Iconic wall-running technique (parkour)
- Time altering ability (correct mistakes).

4. General Context
The predecessor of the Assassin's Creed franchise
“Prince of Persia: Assassins” concept

5. Adaptions and Remakes
Remaster scheduled for 2021
(delayed due to COVID-19)
Film adaption (2010)
(provides additional information – character names)

6. Fictional king of Persia
Siege in an ancient Indian city
Characters & Synopsis
Sharaman
(headdress with military attire)
Is the attire representative of the 9th Century (800 CE – 899 CE)?

7. Fictional king of Persia
Siege in an ancient Indian city
Characters & Synopsis
Sharaman
(headdress with military attire)
Unnamed Prince (Main Playable Character)
Film Adaption – named Datsan - link to Rostam Datsan from Persian
Mythology. Based on the historical person Rostam Farrokhzad from the Sasanian empire
(See: Arabian Nights: The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night).
Is the attire representative of the 9th Century (800 CE – 899 CE)?

8. Fictional king of Persia
Siege in an ancient Indian city
Characters & Synopsis
Sharaman
(headdress with military attire)
Unnamed Prince (Main Playable Character)
Film Adaption – named Datsan - link to Rostam Datsan from Persian
Mythology based on the historical person Rostam Farrokhzad from the Sasanian empire.
(See: Arabian Nights: The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night).
Is the attire representative of the 9th Century (800 CE – 899 CE)?
Vizier (political advisor)
Maharaja = Sanskrit title
that can be translated to mean "great ruler",
"great king" or "high king”.
Zurvān/Zorvan
(coincidently the god of time)

9. Setting & Architecture
Ancient India (the city under siege)
*are the decorations historically accurate for the time period - 9th Century (800 CE – 899 CE)?

10. Setting & Architecture
Hindu Sanskrit Inscriptions
Spear as a
common weapon?
Inscription translation?
Common for the 9th Century (800 CE – 899 CE) ?
Fahra – Maharaja’s Daughter

11. Setting & Architecture
Altered Indian Mythology and Religion (to fit game narrative)

12. Setting & Architecture
Altered Indian Mythology (to fit game narrative)

13. Setting & Architecture
Altered Indian Mythology (to fit game narrative)

14. Setting & Architecture
Altered Indian Mythology (to fit game narrative)
Damaru (hourglass-shaped drum)
Shiva
God of death, time, and change.
Kali
Vishnu

15. Story - Synopsis
- Impress and honor his father
- (by finding the Maharaja’s treasure).
- Prince finds the “Dagger of Time”
- The father finds the “Sand Hour Glass”
Magical time-altering gold sand within the game may be a hidden reference to the historic account given by
Herodotus that mentions India’s annual tribute of gold dust to the Persian king Darius the Great.
*Take note of Hindu Sanskrit inscriptions

16. Story - Synopsis
- Transporting spoils of war to
the Sultan of Persia
- Fictional palace of Azad

17. Story - Synopsis
*Inscriptions mirror locations
- Transporting spoils of war to
the Sultan of Persia
- Fictional palace of Azad

18. Story - Synopsis
*Inscriptions mirror locations
- Transporting spoils of war to
the Sultan of Persia
- Fictional palace of Azad
- Azad Kooh (Persian: ‫آزادکوه‬ )
One of the highest peaks in the central Alburz Range
in Mazandaran province north of Iran (Persia).

19. Arabic Inscriptions
(A note on Weapons)
Are the Indian and Persian weaponry (swords) represented
accurately?
(requires further study)
Stylized Arabic text:
‫سيف‬
‫المحارب‬
‫المنتقم‬

20. Historical Relation
Game influenced by Middle-Eastern tradition of the importance of storytelling inspired by
One Thousand Nights and One Nights; a collection of Persian, Indian, and Arabian
folktales commonly referred to as “Arabian Nights”.
- Set in Medieval Persia (game manual).
- 9th Century (800 CE – 899 CE).
- Ancient Persian rule regularly extends into India.
- Persian-Indian conflict recreated by game.
- No context about a specific conflict given (a generic
fictional battle).
- Possible ties to the Sasanian Empire of Susa.
- Darius I famously had a palace in Susa (this will be
discussed).

21. Music Immersion
- Traditional sounding music in relation to the culture it is intended to represent.
- Sitar = India.
- Oud = Arabia/Persia.
- Includes brief interjections of electric guitar
infused with traditional features.

22. Music Immersion
Nu-Metal influence (down tuned guitars)
- Traditional sounding music in relation to the culture it is intended to represent.
- Sitar = India.
- Oud = Arabia/Persia.
- Includes brief interjections of electric guitar
infused with traditional musical features.
- The sequel Prince of Persia: Warrior Within develops
on this with the use of predominantly nü-metal style guitar riffs and songs.
- Features the song “I Stand Alone” by the metal band
Godsmack (from the 2002 album The Scorpion King).
- Stuart Chatwood is the composer of the Prince of Persia games.
- More studies related to music are needed.

23. Discovering the Cuneiform Inscriptions
- Ancient cuneiform inscriptions found under the Sultan’s
Palace (Mountain Azad)
- Use of cuneiform script is used to imply it is ‘ancient’.
In the game the Prince can be heard saying that he has heard:
“[…] stories about an ancient city that was built beneath the palace”.

24. Discovering the Cuneiform Inscriptions
Pic of screenshots with cuneiform
- Most inscriptions in-game are subtle (proportions exaggerated).
- Usually goes unnoticed.
- Some can be easily seen when scaling/running across and up
walls/ledges.
- Some appear beneath statues and sometimes at points of interest.

25. Discovering the Cuneiform Inscriptions
*A new hidden ancient location
Bricks with cuneiform inscriptions.

26. Discovering the Cuneiform Inscriptions
Pic of screenshots with cuneiform
3 Questions:
- Randomly chosen cuneiform symbols with no meaning?
- If not, do the inscriptions have meaning?
- Are the inscriptions relative to the time period/region the game aims
to depict?
We can look at more contextual history to inform our analysis.

27. Preliminary Assumptions
(Screenshots)
The obvious assumption is that it may be the Old-Persian cuneiform script type
(semi-alphabetic).

28. Preliminary Assumptions
(Screenshots)
No clear match to the Old-Persian cuneiform script type

29. Cuneiform Inscriptions + Historical Ties
- The most obvious thing to do is to look to the famous trilingual
relief inscriptions that refer to Darius and Xerxes:
- Do we have a hidden reference to the great rulers Darius I
(reigning from c. 522 – c. 486 BCE) and Xerxes I (ruling from c.
486 BCE – c. 465 BCE).
- Prince of Persia Wiki identifies that “Darius” was a former
ruler in the game world (we will need to confirm this link).
The ‘Rosetta’ stone for Cuneiform (repetitions)

30. Cuneiform Inscriptions + Historical Ties
Xerxes I inscription
at the Van Fortress in Turkey
Old-Persian Susian Babylonian
(Elamite) (Akkadian)

31. Cuneiform Inscriptions + Historical Ties
Behistun Inscription
(about Darius The Great)
in Iran (Persia), near the city of Kermanshah
More likely because we are dealing with Persia and not Turkey
Persian
Susian
(Elamite)
Babylonian
(Akkadian)

32. Other Familiar Symbols
(Mythology and Religion)
Strengthens ties Darius I and the Behistun Inscription
The Faravahar (Persian: ‫)فروهر‬
The major symbol of Zoroastrianism (Religion).
Signified the authority of the king comes from God
(Zoroastrian God Ahuramazda).
Importance of aban =
water for ritual cleansing and to sustain life (revives player health).

33. Other Decorations
Wall relief depicting soldiers
Bas-Reliefs of the Persepolis – Hall designed by Darius the Great

34. Cuneiform Inscriptions Historical Ties
(Screenshots)
We know the in-game cuneiform inscriptions are not in Old-Persian so we can focus on the
Babylonian section and the Susian columns.

35. Cuneiform Inscriptions Historical Ties
(Screenshots)
Special focus on column I of the Susian version

36. If one knows the inscriptions well enough one will notice one obvious symbol that sticks out.
Cuneiform Inscription:
Spotting a Logogram
The ‘Rosetta’ stone for Cuneiform (repetitions)

37. If one knows the inscriptions well enough one will notice one obvious symbol that sticks out.
The logogram for “King” (zankuk).
Cuneiform Inscription:
Spotting a Logogram
The ‘Rosetta’ stone for Cuneiform (repetitions)

38. Matching Other Cuneiform Symbols
Cuneiform Inscription:

39. Transliterating the Cuneiform
(Screenshots)
Cuneiform Transliteration:
Cuneiform Inscription:

40. Cuneiform Inscriptions Historical Ties
(Screenshots)
Transcription:
Translation:
Cuneiform Transliteration:

41. A Working Method
- There are still cuneiform inscriptions that need to be analysed and commented on.
- This is just based off a preliminary study.
- We now have a working system to translate the inscriptions.
- We can confirm a link to Darius, the region of Susa and the Sasanian period/empire.

42. Historical Accuracy?
Deviations from historical accuracy are not an issue because the game is not
trying to retell a historical event. Instead, it uses convincing and authentic
historical references, locations, and architecture to give background and depth to
the new unfolding story.
According to this presentation, the educational focus is not placed on the
historical story, but rather on the game’s ability to spark interest in Assyriology
and cuneiform studies.