DSf

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.

DSf, foundation tablet from Susa

[In the following text, known as DSf, Darius tells how he built the royal palace of Susa and imported products from all over his empire. The text, written in three languages, has come to us in many fragments (thirteen Old Persian, twenty-seven Babylonian, and twelve Elamite) of marble, clay, or glazed tiles. They were discovered in the Apadana, but also on other places on the hill. There are parallel texts like DSaa (in Babylonian) and DSz (in Elamite).]

  1. baga vazraka Auramazdâ \ hya \ imâm \ bûmim \ a
  2. dâ \ hya \ avam \ asmânam \ adâ \ hya \ martiyam \ adâ
  3. \ hya \ šiyâtim \ adâ \ martiyahyâ \ hya \ Dâra
  4. yavaum \ XŠyam \ akunauš \ aivam \ parûnâm \ XŠ
  5. yam \ aivam \ parûnâm \ framâtâram \ adam \ Dâra
  6. yavauš \ XŠ \ vazraka \ XŠ \ XŠyânam \ XŠ \ DHnâm \ XŠ
  7. \ ahyâyâ \ BUyâ \ Vištâspahyâ \ puca \ Haxâma
  8. nišiya \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \ Auramazdâ \
  9. hya \ mathišta \ bagânâm \ hauv \ mâm \ adâ \ ha
  10. uv \ mâm \ XŠyam \ akunauš \ haumaiy \ ima \ xša
  11. çam \ frâbara \ tya \ vazrakam \ tya \ uvaspam \ uma
  12. rtiyam \ vašnâ \ Auramazdâha \ hya \ manâ \ pitâ
  13. \ Vištâspa \ utâ \ Aršâma \ hya \ manâ \ niyâka \
  14. tyâ \ ubâ \ ajîvatam \ yadiy \ Auramazdâ \ mâ
  15. m \ XŠyam \ akunauš \ ahyâyâ \ BUyâ \ Auramazd
  16. âm \ avathâ \ kâma \ âha \ haruvahyâyâ \ BUyâ \ mar
  17. tiyam \ mâm \ avarnavatâ \ mâm \ XŠyam \ akunauš \
  18. haruvahâyâ \ BUyâ \ adam \ Auramazdâm \ ayadaiy \
  19. Auramazdâmaiy \ upastâm \ abara \ tyamaiy \ fram
  20. âtam \ cartanaiy \ ava \ ucâramaiy \ akunauš \ t
  21. ya \ adam \ akunavam \ visam \ vašnâ \ Auramazdâha \
  22. akunavam \ ima \ hadiš \ tya \ Çûšâyâ \ akunavam \
  23. hacâciy \ dûradaša \ arjanamšaiy \ abariya \ frava
  24. ta \ BU \ akaniya \ yâtâ \ athagam \ BUyâ \ avârasam \
  25. yathâ \ katam \ abava \ pasâva \ thikâ \ avaniya \ aniyâ \
  26. XL \ arašaniš \ baršnâ \ aniyâ \ XX \ arašniš \ barš
  27. nâ \ upariy \ avâm \ thikâm \ hadiš \ frâsahya

A great god is Ahuramazda, who created this earth, who created yonder sky, who created man, who created happiness for man, who made Darius king, one king of many, one lord of many.

Darius the King says: By the grace of Ahuramazda I built this palace.

Darius the King says: Ahuramazda, the greatest of the gods, created me, made me king, bestowed upon me this kingdom, great, possessed of good horses, possessed of good men.

By the grace of Ahuramazda, my father Hystaspes and Arsames my grandfather - these both were living when Ahuramazda made me king in this earth.

To Ahuramazda thus was the desire: he chose me as his man in all the earth; he made me king in all the earth.

I worshipped Ahuramazda. Ahuramazda bore me aid. What was by me commanded to do, that he made successful for me. What I did, all by the grace of Ahuramazda I did.

This palace which I built at Susa, from afar its ornamentation was brought. Downward the earth was dug, until I reached rock in the earth. When the excavation had been made, then rubble was packed down, some 40 cubits in depth, another part 20 cubits in depth. On that rubble the palace was constructed.

  1. \ utâ \ tya \ BU \ akaniya \ fravata \ utâ \ tya \ thikâ \
  2. avaniya \ utâ \ tya \ ištiš \ ajaniya \ kâra \ hya \ Bâ
  3. biruviya \ hauv \ akunauš \ tharmiš \ hya \ nau
  4. caina \ hauv \ Labanâna \ nâma \ kaufa \ hacâ \ avanâ \ aba
  5. riya \ kâra \ hya \ Athuriya \ haudim \ abara \ yâtâ \
  6. Bâbirauv \ hacâ \ Bâbirauv \ Karkâ \ utâ \ Yau
  7. nâ \ abara \ yâtâ \ Çušâyâ \ yakâ \ hacâ \ Gadârâ
  8. \ abariya \ utâ \ hacâ \ Karmânâ \ daraniyam \ hacâ
  9. \ Spardâ \ utâ \ hacâ \ Bâxtriyâ \ abariya \ tya
  10. \ idâ \ akariya \ kâsaka \ hya \ kapautaka \ utâ \ sikab
  11. ruš \ hya \ idâ \ karta \ hauv \ hacâ \ Sugudâ \ aba
  12. riya \ kâsaka \ hya \ axšaina \ hauv \ hacâ \ Uvâraz
  13. miyâ \ abariya \ hya \ idâ \ karta \ ardatam \ utâ \ a
  14. sâ \ dâruv \ hacâ \ Mudrâyâ \ abariya \ ar
  15. janam \ tyanâ \ didâ \ pištâ \ ava \ hacâ \ Yaun
  16. â \ abariya \ piruš \ hya \ idâ \ karta \ haca \ Kûš
  17. â \ utâ \ hacâ \ Hidauv \ utâ \ hacâ \ Harauvat
  18. iyâ \ abariya \ stûnâ \ athagainiya \ tyâ \ id
  19. â \ kartâ \ Abirâduš \ nâma \ âvahanam \ Ûjaiy
  20. \ hacâ \ avadaša \ abariya \ martiyâ \ karnuvakâ \ t
  21. yaiy \ athagam \ akunavatâ \ avaiy \ Yaunâ \ utâ
  22. \ Spardiyâ \ martiyâ \ dâraniyakarâ \ tyaiy \ daran
  23. iyam \ akunavaša \ avaiy \ Mâdâ \ utâ \ Mudrây
  24. â \ martiyâ \ tyaiy \ dâruv \ akunavaša \ avaiy \
  25. Spardiyâ \ utâ \ Mudrâyâ \ martiyâ \ tyaiy
  26. \ agurum \ akunavaša \ avaiy \ Bâbiruviy
  27. â \ martiyâ \ tyaiy \ didâm \ apitha \ avaiy \ Mâd
  28. â \ utâ \ Mudrâyâ \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ XŠ \
  29. Çûšâyâ \ paruv \ frašam \ framâtam \ paruv \ fraša
  30. m \ âha \ mâm \ Auramazdâ \ pâtuv \ utâ \ V
  31. štâspam \ hya \ manâ \ pitâ \ utamaiy \ DHum

And that the earth was dug downward, and that the rubble was packed down, and that the sun-dried brick was molded, the Babylonian people performed these tasks.

The cedar timber, this was brought from a mountain named Lebanon. The Assyrian people brought it to Babylon; from Babylon the Carians and the Yaunâ [=Greeks] brought it to Susa. The yakâ-timber was brought from Gandara and from Carmania.

The gold was brought from Lydia and from Bactria, which here was wrought. The precious stone lapis lazuli and carnelian which was wrought here, this was brought from Sogdia. The precious stone turquoise, this was brought from Chorasmia, which was wrought here.

The silver and the ebony were brought from Egypt. The ornamentation with which the wall was adorned, that from Yaunâ was brought. The ivory which was wrought here, was brought from Kush and from India and from Arachosia.

The stone columns which were here wrought, a village named Abirâdu, in Elam - from there were brought. The stone-cutters who wrought the stone, those were Yaunâ and Lydians.

The goldsmiths who wrought the gold, those were Medes and Egyptians. The men who wrought the wood, those were Lydians and Egyptians. The men who wrought the baked brick, those were Babylonians. The men who adorned the wall, those were Medes and Egyptians.

Darius the King says: At Susa a very excellent work was ordered, a very excellent work was brought to completion.

May Ahuramazda protect me, my father Hystaspes, and my country.

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