home   :    ancient Persia    :    Achaemenid Royal inscriptions   :   index    :    article by Jona Lendering ©

The Behistun inscription
Relief at Behistun. Photo Ab Langereis. The Behistun relief
 Behistun or Bisotun: town in Iran, site of several ancient monuments, including a famous inscription by the Persian king Darius I the Great (522- 486 BCE), the great organizer of the Achaemenid empire.

On these pages, you can find drawings, a translitteration and an adapted version of the King/Thompson translation of the inscription.

  
 

Column 5, lines 18-26
Sakâ tigrakhaudâ. Relief from the eastern stairs of the Apadana at Persepolis. Photo Marco Prins.
Sakâ tigrakhaudâ. Relief from
the eastern stairs of the
Apadana at Persepolis
  1. \ thâtiy Dârayavauš \ xšâyathiya \ hya \ Auramazdâ
  2. m \ yadâtaiy \ yânam \ avahâ \ ahatiy \ utâ \ jîvah
  3. yâ \ utâ \ martahyâ \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ xš
  4. âyathiya \ pasâva \ hadâ \ kârâ \ adam \ ašiyavam \ abiy \ Sak
  5. âm \ pasâ \ Sakâ \ tyaiy \ xaudâm \ tigrâm \ barati
  6. y \ imaiy \ Sakâ \ hacâma \ âiša \ yadiy \ abiy \ draya \ a
  7. vârasam \ parašim \ avadâ \ hadâ \ kârâ \ visâ \ viyatara
  8. yam \ pasâva \ adam \ Sakâ \ vasiy \ ajanam \ aniyam \ aga
  9. rbâyam \ hauv \ basta \ anayatâ \ abiy \ mâm \ ut
  (73) King Darius says: Whoso shall worship Ahuramazda, divine blessing will be upon him, both while living and when dead.

(74a) King Darius says: Afterwards with an army I went off to Scythia, after the Scythians who wear the pointed cap. These Scythians went from me. When I arrived at the river, I crossed beyond it then with all my army. Afterwards, I smote the Scythians exceedingly; [one of their leaders] I took captive; he was led bound to me, and I killed him.
to Column 5, lines 27-36
 
home   :    ancient Persia   :   index
   :    Achaemenid Royal inscriptions