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Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions: DPd
The terrace wall of Persepolis
 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.

In the following text, to be found on the terrace walls of Persepolis, Darius asks the gods to protect Persia; in the sequel (DPe), and tells about the size of his empire.
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DPd at Persepolis. Photo Marco Prins.
Inscription DPd
Inscriptions DPd, DPe, DPf, and DPg on the southern terrace wall of Persepolis. Photo Marco Prins.
Inscriptions DPd, DPe, DPf, and DPg on the southern terrace wall of Persepolis
  1. Auramazdâ \ vazraka \ hya \ mathišta \ bag
  2. ânâm \ hauv \ Dârayavaum \ xšâyathi
  3. yam \ adadâ \ haušaiy \ xšaçam \ frâba
  4. ra \ vašnâ \ Auramazdâhâ \ Dârayavau
  5. š \ xšâyathiya \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \
  6. xšâyathiya \ iyam \ dahyâuš \ Pâr
  7. sa \ tyâm \ manâ \ Auramazdâ \ frâba
  8. ra \ hyâ \ naibâ \ uvaspâ \ umarti
  9. yâ \ vašnâ \ Auramazdâhâ \ manac
  10. â \ Dârayavahauš \ xšâyathiyahy
  11. â \ hacâ \ aniyanâ \ naiy \ tarsat
  12. iy \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ xšâya
  13. thiya \ manâ \ Auramazdâ \ upastâm \
  14. baratuv \ hadâ \ vithaibiš \ bagai
  15. biš \ utâ \ imâm \ dahyâum \ Aura
  16. mazda \ pâtuv \ hacâ \ hainây
  17. â \ hacâ \ dušiyârâ \ hacâ \ dra
  18. ugâ \ abiy \ imâm \ dahyâum \ mâ
  19. \ âjamiyâ \ mâ \ hainâ \ mâ \ duš
  20. iyâram \ mâ \ drauga \ aita \ adam \
  21. yânam \ jadiyâmiy \ Auramazd
  22. âm \ hadâ \ vithaibiš \ bagaibiš \ a
  23. itamaiy \ yânam \ Auramazdâ \ dadât
  24. uv \ hadâ vithaibiš \ bagaibiš \ 
  A great god is Ahuramazda, the greatest of the gods, who created king Darius and gave him his kingdom. By the favor of Ahuramazda, Darius is king.

King Darius: This country Persia which Ahuramazda gave to me is a good country, full of good horses, full of good men. By the favor of Ahuramazda and of me, king Darius, this country fears no other country.

King Darius says: May Ahuramazda and the gods of the royal house come to my aid. May Ahuramazda protect this country from invaders, from famine, and from the Lie! May there never be upon this country an army, famine, or the Lie! This I pray as a favor from Ahuramazda and the gods of the royal house. May Ahuramazda and the gods of the royal house do me this favor!

The text of this inscription is continued in DPe. (There are similar inscriptions in Elamite and Babylonian, DPf and DPg.)
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