home   :    index    :    ancient Persia    :    Achaemenid Royal inscriptions

Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions: D2Sa and D2Sb
  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.

The following texts are by Darius II Nothus and were found in Susa.
 

D2Sa, inscription on a column base

[Badly damaged column base.]

  1. imam \ apadânam \ stûnâya \ athagainam \
  2. Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ vazraka \ akunauš \ Dâraya
  3. vaum \ XŠm \ AM pâtuv \ hadâ \ BGgaibiš
This audience hall [apadana] with columns, made of stone, was made by Darius, the great king. May Ahuramazda and the gods protect king Darius!

D2Sb, inscription on column bases

[Two column bases; Babylonian translation added.]

  1. adam \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ vazraka \ XŠ \ XŠyânâm \ XŠ \ DHyûnâm XŠ \ a
  2. hyâyâ \ BUyâ \ Artaxšaçahyâ \ XŠhyâ \ puça \ Haxâmanišiya \
  3. thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ ima \ hadiš \ Artaxšaçâ \ paranam \ akunauš \
  4. hya \ manâ \ pitâ \ ima \ hadiš \ pasâva \ vašnâ \ AMha \ adam \ akunavam
I am Darius, the great king, the king of kings, the king of all nations, the king of this world, the son of king Artaxerxes, the Achaemenid.

King Darius says: my father Artaxerxes, had almost built this palace. Later, by the grace of Ahuramazda, I have built this palace.
 home   :    index    :    ancient Persia    :    Achaemenid Royal inscriptions