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Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions: A2Sd
  In ca.521, the Persian king Darius I the Great ordered that a new alphabet, the Aryan script, was to be developed. This was used for a small corpus of inscriptions, known as the Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions. An overview of all inscriptions can be found here.
 
A copy of A2Sd in the National Archaeological Museum of Tehran. Photo Marco Prins.
A copy of A2Sd (National
Archaeological Museum,
Tehran)

A2Sd, inscription on column bases from Susa

[Partly reconstructed Old Persian Inscription on several column bases; with Elamite and Babylonian translations.]

  1. adam \ Artaxšaçâ \ XŠ \ vazraka \ XŠ \ XŠyânâm \ XŠ \ DHyûnâm \ XŠ \ ahyâyâ \
  2. BUyâ \ Dârayavauš \ XŠâhya \ puça \ Haxâmanišiya \ thâtiy \ Artaxšaçâ \ XŠ \
  3. vašnâ \ AMhâ \ imâm \ hadiš \ tya \ jivadiy \ paradayadâm \ adam \ akunavâm \ AM \ Anah
  4. ita \ utâ \ Mitra \ mâm \ pâtuv \ hacâ \ vispâ \ gastâ \ utamaiy \ kartam
Detail of A2Sd in the National Archaeological Museum of Tehran. Photo Marco Prins.
A detail of A2Sd (National
Archaeological Museum,
Tehran)
 (1-2) I am Artaxerxes, the great king, the kings' king, king of all nations, king of this world, the son of king Darius, the Achaemenid. King Artaxerxes says: 

(3-4) By the grace of Ahuramazda, I built this palace, which I have built in my lifetime as a pleasant retreat [paradise]. May Ahuramazda, Anahita, and Mithra protect me and my building against evil.
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