Rediscovering the East: Early Notes on Cuneiform Writing and Persepolis
Cuneiform writing was developed by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia around 3200 BCE. Although it was deciphered by the German Georg Friedrich around 1823, the first description and interpretation of these symbols as alphabetic signs is attributed to the ambassador Don García de Silva y Figueroa in 1618. Additionally, through his biography and comments, we can find the first accurate identification of the city of Persepolis.
Introducing the life and comments of a nobleman
Don García de Silva y Figueroa was born in Zafra on December 29, 1550. There are not many details about his childhood and youth, only that he belonged to an affluent family related to the counts of Zafra, whose godparents were the count of Feria and Doña Catalina, daughter of Don Pedro Fernández de Córdoba. In other words, he was a character associated with the high nobility of the time and connected to the crown. Although it is not clear, it is inferred that he might have been a page for King Philip II, studied Law in Salamanca, and participated in the Spanish tercios (regiments) in Flanders, which is not unusual given his connection with the Fernández de Córdoba family and fits into the archetype of Spanish nobility during the 16th and 17th centuries (Córdoba, 2005, p. 649).
He was an educated man, which reflected in the descriptions he made in his work. The Marquis of Velada, who himself was a Major Domo and member of the Council of State, consulted Don García about the originality of Lorenzo Ferrer Maldonado's discoveries, indicative of the high trust and esteem for knowledge that he enjoyed. In 1596, he was entrusted with training an armed force against the English, in addition to serving as Corregidor for two consecutive years (Córdoba, 2005, p. 649).
The key moment for his work came on October 2, 1612, during the reign of Philip III, when the Council of State convened due to instability between its government and Iran, which seemed to be distancing itself from the war against the Turks while simultaneously attacking Portuguese forts. In this way, Portuguese and Spanish possessions in the East were left vulnerable.
At 62 years old, Don García de Silva y Figueroa accepted the position of ambassador whose mission was to establish new relations with the sha Abbas I the Great and prevent war in the city of Ormuz. In April 1614 he set sail, beginning one of the most significant journeys of his time (Córdoba, 2005, pp. 650-651).
Journey to Goa, Portuguese India
In his first chapter, as if it were a diary, he narrated his departure from Lisbon, detailing the islands he saw during his journey and the characteristics and behaviors of the animals he observed. He described the envy among the crew that led to shipwrecks, as well as illnesses suffered during the voyage such as "Loanda disease": scurvy. (Serrano y Sanz, 1903-1905, pp. 9-90)
His description of the island of Goa is one of the earliest and best preserved in the world (Marías Franco, 2002, p. 139). The nobleman was surprised by some customs: women wearing almost transparent blouses with low necklines, and wives of Brahmins and Banians throwing themselves into fire where their deceased husbands' bodies lay, under family influence.
The journey to Iran: description of Persepolis and cuneiform
After leaving the island, he arrived at the coast of Arabia on April 8, 1617. During his voyage, he described some mounds in the mountains. For some researchers, it is the first reference in travel literature about pre-Islamic burial sites typical of the Oman Peninsula (Córdoba, 2012, p. 204).
On his way to Isfahan, he deviated from his route to various places in Persia: Ormuz, Xiras, Margascan, until reaching Chilminara. After examining the site, he wrote: "Looking closely at the place (…) no one could doubt that it was there the great and famous Persepolis" (Serrano y Sanz, 1903-1905, p. 390). He cites descriptions in his own text by Diodorus Siculus, which, though not exact, confirm his theory, as well as mentioning Arrian, Plutarch, Quintus Curtius and others (Escribano Martín, 2020, p. 107).
He describes the colors and shapes he sees, the parts of the columns, their number, as well as those buried by earthquakes and time's passage. He compares the destroyed capitals with those in Rome and Constantinople. Accompanied by a draftsman, he orders them to capture the reliefs and figures in situ. The large remains and gates mentioned are identified as the palaces of Darius, Xerxes I, or Artaxerxes III.
Focusing on a large stone statue with human form, he mentions that what he observes are not drawings or ornaments but letters of ancient Persians: "…all composed of small pyramids placed in different forms, so distinctly one character differed from another…" (Serrano y Sanz, 1903-1905, p. 389). In this way, for the first time in history, they are identified as alphabetic signs and the first copy of a cuneiform inscription is made.
Conclusions
García de Silva's comments are extensive and contain very interesting information about the places he visits, customs, and especially the way different diplomatic figures relate to each other. His work offers various perspectives for analysis. These comments, which have been used to analyze treaties between Iran and Spain, also provide rich historical information that can be called a "rediscovery of the East," returning to the first descriptions by travelers. In them, there is an interesting approach to those elements that over time were lost or deteriorated and did not reach us or only reached us in later descriptions.
In the case of Don García de Silva y Figueroa, his work sheds light on the city of Persepolis and cuneiform writing, as well as being the first confirmed evidence of it. The trail of his work was lost after his death until 1903 and 1905 when editor Manuel Serrano y Sanz published the ambassador's work, reviving academic study of his life.
Bibliography
Córdoba, Joaquín M. (2005). A Spanish Knight in Isfahan. The Embassy of Don García de Silva y Figueroa to Shah Abbas the Great (1614-1624). Arbor 180, no. 711/712.
Córdoba, Joaquín M. (2012) Journey, Discoveries and Fortune of Two European Travelers in the Seventeenth Century in Iran. García de Silva y Pietro della Valle. ISIMU, no. 14-15.
Escribano Martín, F. (2020). The Journey through Persia of García de Silva y Figueroa. A Topographical and Cartographic Tour. ISIMU, no 23.
Marías Franco, F. (2002). Don García de Silva y Figueroa and the Perception of the East: The "Description of Goa". Anuario del Departamento de Historia y Teoría del Arte, no14.
Serrano y Sanz, M., ed. (1903-1905). Comments by D. García de Silva y Figueroa on the Embassy he made from the King of Spain Don Felipe III to the Shah Xa Abbas of Persia. Vol. 1 and 2. Sociedad de Bibliófilos Españoles.
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