home   :    index    :    ancient Persia    :    Achaemenid Royal inscriptions

Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions: XPc

XPc: eastern pillar
 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.

XPc is an inscription on the eastern pillar of the southern portico of Darius' palace, added by Xerxes and therefore known as XPc. Translations into Elamite and Babylonian can be seen below the first Old Persian text.  The texts are repeated on the western pillar. A third copy of this text can be read on the south wall of the terrace on which the palace is built.
Ancient-Warfare.com, the online home of Ancient Warfare magazine
XPc. Photo Marco Prins.
XPc: western pillar
  1. baga \ vazraka \ Auramazdâ \ hya \ imâm \ bûmim \
  2. adâ \ hya \ avam \ asmânam \ adâ \ hya \ marti
  3. yam \ adâ \ hya \ šiyâtim \ adâ \ martiyahyâ
  4. \ hya \ Xšayâršâm \ XŠm \ akunauš \ aivam \ pa
  5. runâm \ XŠm \ aivam \ parûnâm \ framâtâram
  6. \ adam \ Xšayâršâ \ XŠ \ vazraka \ XŠ \ XŠânâm \ XŠ \
  7. dahyûnâm \ paruv \ zanânâm \ XŠ \ ahyâyâ \ b
  8. umiyâ \ vazrakâyâ \ dûraiy \ apiy \ Dârayava
  9. hauš \ XŠhyâ \ puça \ Haxâmanišiya \ thâtiy \ X
  10. šayâršâ \ XŠ \ vazraka \ vašnâ \ Aurahya Mazdâha \ i
  11. ma \ hadiš \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ akunauš \ hya \ manâ \
  12. pitâ \ mâm \ Auramazdâ \ pâtuv \ hadâ \ baga
  13. ibiš \ upâ \ tyamaiy \ kartam \ utâ \ tyamaiy \
  14. piça \ Dârayavahauš \ XŠhyâ \ kartam \ avašciy
  15. \ Auramazdâ \ pâtuv \ hadâ \ bagaibiš
A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this world, who created yonder sky, who created mankind, who created happiness for mankind, who made Xerxes king. One king for many, one leader of many.

I am Xerxes, the great king, the king of kings, the king all kinds of people with all kinds of origins, king of this world great and wide, the son of king Darius, the Achaemenid.

The great king Xerxes says: By the grace of Ahuramazda, my father, king Darius built this palace.

May Ahuramazda together with the gods protect me, and what I built, and what was built by my father, king Darius. May Ahuramazda and the other gods protect this.
 home   :    index    :    ancient Persia    :    Achaemenid Royal inscriptions