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Concept
Behistun Inscription
Summary
The Behistun Inscription (also spelled Bisotun, Bisitun or Bisutun; بیستون, Old Persian: Bagastana, meaning "the place of god") is a multilingual Achaemenid royal inscription and large rock relief, produced during the reign of Darius I the Great (522-486). It is carved on a cliff at Mount Behistun in the Kermanshah Province of modern Iran. The inscription was important to the decipherment of cuneiform, because it is the longest known cuneiform text recorded in multiple languages, being written in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (a variety of Akkadian). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Written in the form of a speech by Darius, the inscription begins with a brief autobiography, including Darius' claimed ancestry and lineage. The inscription describes a lengthy sequence of events during the upheaval following the death of Darius' predecessor, Cambyses II. It states that a series of rebellions were orchestrated in various cities throughout the empire, by several impostors who falsely proclaimed themselves king. Darius claims he fought and won nineteen battles in a period of one year to secure the Achaemenid Empire, attributing his success to the "grace of Ahura Mazda". Based on other sources, modern historians conclude that Darius was actually a usurper who overthrew the legitimate successor of Cambyses II, so the inscription is a form of propaganda intended to legitimize Darius' rule.
The inscription and associated relief are approximately high by wide. The Old Persian text contains 414 lines in five columns; the Elamite text includes 260 lines in eight columns, and the Babylonian text is 112 lines. The inscription is illustrated by a life-sized bas-relief of Darius the Great and twelve other figures.
The date of the inscription is uncertain. The coronation of Darius occurred in the summer of 522 BC, and the series of military victories described in the inscription implies that the campaign ended in December 521 BC. The inscription could have been produced at any point between then and the death of Darius in autumn of 486 BC, but is more likely to have been in the first few years of his reign.
Official source
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