Meaning of the Names Parsa, Parthava and Parsua

Diakonoff considers the names Parsa, Parthava, and Parsua as Median names, interpreting them to mean “rib” and, metaphorically, “side”or “edge” (History of the Medes (Tarikh-e mad), p. 91, Persian translated by Karim Keshavarz, 1966 [1345]).

Lugal-Anne-mundu (ca. 26^th century BCE) mentions a tribe called Parashi in southeastern Iran, which was the ancient ancestor of the Persians before the Achaemenids. In ancient Akkadian, this name was reported as Parashu. These names are derived from the ancient Proto-Indo-Aryan word Paraśī “battle-axe”. Therefore, Parsa means “battle-axe warriors”, and the translations “rib, side, edge” are clumsy and incorrect. Parsa and Parthava share the same root.