Re-identifying the Color Violet in Persian Culture and Literature with a Textual Emphasis on Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāmeh )According to the Berlin-Kay Theory)

Document Type : Research Article

Author

• Mehrab Asadkhani

Faculty Member, Department of Visual Communications, Faculty of Arts, University of Neyshabur, Iran

10.22067/jhistory.2023.82753.1229

Abstract

The term “blue” (as a color) did not appear in Persian literature prior to the 12^th century A.H./ 18^th century A.D. However, the term “violet” is frequently mentioned, and especially in Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāmeh.  In spite of this fact, the Berlin-Kay theory proposes that human languages develop a term for the color blue in their fifth state of evolution; then developing a term for the color violet in the seventh stage of evolution.  The present study aims to answer the following questions: What are the characteristics of the color violet in Ferdowsi’s Shāhnāmeh? To what extend do these characteristics align with contemporary definitions of the color violent? This study applies the Berlin-Kay theory and investigates instances of mentioning the color violet in the text of Shāhnāmeh (edited by Khāliq-i Muṭlaq). These instances are then compared with other verses in Shāhnāmeh and other works of Persian poetry, in order to re-present the characteristics of the color violet in the text and its relation to the current definition of violet in Persian language. The findings showcase that the characteristics of the color violet in Shāhnāmeh concord with the color azure blue and not with the color of violet as known in contemporary Persian.

Keywords

• Berlin-Kay theory
• color term
• color theory
• Ferdowsi
• purple
• Shahnameh

Main Subjects

• History of Islamic Arts

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