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Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions: XPa |
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| 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. |
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![]() Persepolis: Gate of all Nations |
The following text, known as XPa,
is inscribed in the walls of the Gate
of all nations, the main gate to the terrace
on which the Persepolis
palaces have been built. Next to the Old Persian text are Babylonian and
Elamite translations.
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![]() Inscription XPa
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[6-11] I am Xerxes, the great king, the king of kings, the king of all countries and many men, the king in this great earth far and wide, the the son of Darius, an Achaemenid. [11-17] King Xerxes says: by the favor of Ahuramazda this Gate of All Nations I built. Much else that is beautiful was built in this Persepolis (Pârsâ), which I built and my father built. Whatever has been built and seems beautiful - all that we built by the favor of Ahuramazda. [17-20] King Xerxes says: may Ahuramazda preserve me, my kingdom, what has been built by me, and what has been built by my father. That, indeed, may Ahuramazda preserve. |
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