DSe

Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions: collection of Old Persian cuneiform texts from the sixth, fifth, and fourth centuries BCE, left by the Achaemenid kings on their official monuments.

DSe, empire list from Susa

DSe

The following text, which contains a useful list of satrapies, was written in three languages and is known from eleven Old Persian, five Elamite, and three Babylonian fragments. One of these, a Babylonian stone tablet of 25 × 37 cm, is almost complete. They must have belonged to several copies, which included clay tablets and a small cask.

Literature

  1. baga \ vazraka \ Auramazdâ \ hva \ imâ
  2. m \ bûmim \ adadâ \ hya \ avam \ as
  3. mânam \ adadâ \ hya \ martiyam \ ada
  4. dâ \ hya \ šiyâtim \ adadâ \ mart
  5. iyahyâ \ hya \ Dârayavaum \ XŠm \ ak
  6. unauš \ aivam \ parûvnâm \ XŠm \ a
  7. ivam \ parûvnâm \ framâtâram \ a
  8. dam \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ vazraka \ XŠ \ XŠy
  9. ânâm \ XŠ \ dahyûnâm \ vispazanâ
  10. nâm \ XŠ \ ahyâyâ \ bûmiyâ \ vaz
  11. rakâyâ \ dûraiy \ apiy \ Vištâs
  12. pahyâ \ puça \ Haxâmanišiya \ Pâr
  13. sa \ Pârsahyâ \ puça \ Ariya \ Ari
  14. ya \ ciça \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \
  15. vašnâ \ Auramazdâhâ \ imâ \ dahy
  16. âva \ tyâ \ adam \ agarbâyam \ apata
  17. ram \ hacâ \ Pârsâ \ adamšâm \ pat
  18. iyaxšayaiy \ manâ \ bâjim \ abara \
  19. tyašâm \ hacâma \ athahya \ ava \ aku
  20. nava \ dâtam \ tya \ manâ \ avadiš \ a
  21. dâraya \ Mâda \ Uja \ Parthava \ Haraiva :
  22. Bâxtriš \ Suguda \ Uvârazmiš
  23. \ Zraka \ Harauvatiš \ Thataguš \ Maci
  24. yâ \ Gadâra \ Hiduš \ Sakâ \ haumava
  25. rgâ \ Sakâ \ tigraxaudâ \ Bâbir
  26. uš \ Athurâ \ Arabâya \ Mudrâya \
  27. Armina \ Katpatuka \ Sparda \ Yaun
  28. â \ tyaiy \ drayahyâ \ utâ \ tyai
  29. y \ paradraya \ Skudra \ Putâyâ \
  30. Kušiyâ \ Karkâ \ thâtiy \ Dâra

A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this world, who created yonder sky, who created mankind, who created happiness for mankind, who made Darius king. One king for many, one leader of many.

I am Darius, the great king, king of kings, king of all kinds of peoples of all kinds of origins, king of this earth far and wide, the son of Hystaspes, the Achaemenid, Persian, son of a Persian, an Aryan of Aryan descent.

King Darius says: By the grace of Ahuramazda, these are the nations that I subdued outside Persia. I ruled them. They brought me tribute. What I ordered them, they did. They kept my law: the Mede, the Elamite, the Parthian, the Arian, the Bactrian, the Sogdian, the Chorasmian, the Drangian, the Arachosian, the Sattagydian, the Macian, the Gandaran, the Indian, the Haoma-drinking Saca, the Saca with pointed caps, the Babylonian, the Syrian, the Arab, the Egyptian, the Armenian, the Cappadocian, the Lydian, the Greeks near and across the sea, the Thracian, the Libyan, the Kushite, the Carian.

  1. yavauš \ XŠ \ vasiy \ tya \ duškarta
  2. m \ âha \ ava \ naibam \ akunavam \ da
  3. hyâva \ ayauda \ aniya \ aniyam \
  4. aja \ ava \ adam \ akunavam \ vašnâ
  5. \ Auramazdâhâ \ yathâ \ aniya \ a
  6. niyam \ naiy \ jatiy \ cinâ \ gâ
  7. thavâ \ kašciy \ astiy \ dâtam \
  8. tya \ manâ \ hacâ \ avanâ \ tarsati
  9. y \ yathâ \ hya \ tauvîyâ \ tyam \ s
  10. kauthim \ naiy \ jatiy \ naiy \ vi
  11. mardatiy \ thâtiy \ Dâruyavauš \
  12. XŠ \ vašnâ \ Auramazdâhâ \ dastaka
  13. rtam \ vasiy \ tya \ paruvam \ naiy
  14. \ gâthava \ kartam \ ava \ adam \ gâtha
  15. vâ \ akunavam \ [lacuna] \ nâma \ varda
  16. nam \ didâ \ hanatâyâ \ avagmat
  17. â \ paruvam \ akartâ \ hacâ \ ava
  18. daša \ â \ pasâva \ didâm \ aniy
  19. âm \ akunavam \ thâtiy \ Dârayavau
  20. š \ XŠ \ mâm \ AM \ pâtuv \ hadâ \ ba
  21. gaibiš \ utamaiy \ vitham \ u
  22. tâ \ tyamaiy \ nipištam

King Darius says: Much that was done badly, I made good. The nations were in commotion; people were fighting each other. By the grace of Ahuramazda, I brought about that they no longer fight each other at all. Each one is in his place. They feel fear of my law, so that the stronger does not fight or destroy the weak.

King Darius says: By the grace of Ahuramazda, much constructions that had previously been put out of place, I put in place. In a town called [lacuna], the wall was fallen from age. Before this unrepaired wall I built another, [to serve] from that time into the future.

King Darius says: May Ahuramazda and the gods protect me, my royal house, and what I wrote in this inscription.