The Seleucids - Epic Music

Aulos by ‪@stefanoskrasopoulis‬ ney anban by ‪@AliFarbodnia‬, Ancient Greek text by Demetrios Paraschos, music & vocals by Farya Faraji. This project mixes the sounds of Ancient Greek music instruments and theory with modern Iranian music.

The Seleucids were one of the Diadochi dynasties, the dynasties begun by the generals of Alexander who divided and went on to rule over parts of his kingdom. The Seleucids ruled over the Iranian parts of Alexander's realm, coinciding broadly with the previous territories of the Achaemenid Empire. Their rule would see the Hellenization of the region on many levels, as well as a cultural syncretism between Iranian and Greek cultures.

The music uses modern Iranian sounds to represent the Iranian aspect, with the main melody written in Segāh. At the end of the song, my colleague Ali Farbodnia plays the ney anbān, the Iranian bagpipe, native to the southern regions of the country. The Greek parts of the music are rooted in Ancient Greek music theory. Stefanos Krasopoulis plays an improvisation using Ancient Greek aulos he reconstructed, and the middle part of the song, I wrote using the Ancient Greek enharmonic modes. The Ancient Greek enharmonic modes were one of the three genera of Ancient Greek music, and were dying out by the Hellenistic era, something decried by the music theorist Aristoxenus of Tarentum, who viewed them as the noblest of the modes. The enharmonic modes are the first attested usage of microtonality in history, and were defined by extremely dense intervals that sounded off-putting even to the majority of the Greek world by the 3rd century B.C.

The lyrics are in Old Persian, Ancient Greek, and Akkadian. The Old Persian text is taken from royal inscriptions of the Achaemenid era with some names and words swapped out to recontextualise them into the Seleucid context, the Akkadian text is from the Antiochus cylinder, a text proclaiming the imperial right to rule of the Seleucid monarch based in Mesopotamian tradition of similar cylinders being used, and the Ancient Greek text was written by my colleague Demetrios Paraschos.

Old Persian:
Thatyi Sekander nayi āha martyiā
Kašči hya avam Darayavauš xšatham ditam caxryiā
(Says Alexander: no man could take the Kingdom from Darius)

Pasawa adam Zdéusam patiyāvahyayi
Zdeusam ayi upaštam abara
(I asked Zeus for assistance and Zeus gave it to me)

Xšathamšim adam adinam,
Vašna Zdeusam adam xšayathia abavam
Zdeusam xšatham mana frabara

(I took the Kingdom from him, by the Grace of Zeus I became King, Zeus gave me the Kingdom)

Ancient Greek:
Ἡμεῖς ἐσμὲν οἱ διάδοχοι Ἀχαιμένου,
οἱ φύλακες τῆς γῆς τῶν Ἀρίων.
Χάριτι Διὸς καὶ Ἀχουραμάζδου,
βασιλεῖς ἐσμὲν τῆς μεγάλης ταύτης βασιλείας.

We are the successors of Achaemenes
The guardians of the land of the Iranians
By the grace of Zeus and Ahura Mazda
We are kings of this great kingdom.

Τὸ αἷμα ἡμῶν Ἑλληνικόν τε καὶ Ἄριόν ἐστιν·
οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν Ἀλέξανδρος καὶ Κῦρος.
Καὶ ἐν τῇ μνήμῃ αὐτῶν,
ἡ βασιλεία ἡμῶν διαμενεῖ.

Our blood is Hellenic and Iranian
Our forefathers are Alexander and Cyrus
And in their memory,
Our kingdom shall endure."

Akkadian:
Antikus šarru rabu
Šaru dannu šar kiššati
Šar Babili šar matati
Zanin esagil u ezida

(Antiochus, great king,
mighty king, king of the world, king of Babylon, king of the lands, provider for (the temples) Esagil and Ezida)

Aplu ašaredu ša, Silukku šarri
Makkadunaya šar Babili
Anaku!

(foremost heir of Seleucus, the king, the Macedonian, king of Babylon, am I)

Šum qut matati ayabyia
Kašadu ernytyia
Šarrutu mišari pale

Buari šanat tub libbi
Šebelit tutu luši rikti
Šarruti utiš Antikus
U Siluku Šar marišu

(may the overthrow of my enemy's land, the attainment of my ambition,
(the ability) to stand in triumph over (my) foes, a just rule, a prosperous reign, years of happiness and the full enjoyment of great old age be a gift for the kingship of Antiochus and king Seleucus, his son, forever)