Behistun T 25

Behistun or Bisotun: town in Iran, site of several ancient monuments, including a famous inscription by the Persian king Darius I the Great (r.522-486 BCE), the great organizer of the Achaemenid Empire.

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

Column 3, lines 20-28

  1. š \ xšâyathiya \ pasâva \ dahyâuš \ manâ \ abava \ ima \ tya \ ma
  2. nâ \ kartam \ Bâxtriyâ \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ xšâya
  3. thiya \ I martiya \ Vahyazdâta \ nâma \ Târavâ \ nâma \ vardanam
  4. \ Yautiyâ \ nâmâ \ dahyâuš \ Pârsaiy \ avadâ \ adâraya \ ha
  5. uv \ duivitîyam \ udapatatâ \ Pârsaiy \ kârahyâ \ avathâ
  6. \ athaha \ adam \ Bardiya \ amiy \ hya \ Kûrauš \ puça \ pasâva
  7. \ kâra \ Pârsa \ hya \ Vithâpatiy \ hacâ \ Yadâyâ \ frataram \ ha
  8. uv \ hacâma \ hamiçiya \ abava \ abiy \ avam \ Vahyazdâta
  9. m \ ašiyava \ hauv \ xšâyathiya \ abava \ Pârsaiy \ thâ

(39) King Darius says: Then was the province mine. This is what was done by me in Bactria.

(40) King Darius says: A certain man named Vahyazdâta dwelt in a city called Târavâ in a district in Persia called Vautiyâ. This man rebelled for the second time in Persia, and thus he spoke unto the people: 'I am Smerdis, the son of Cyrus.' Then the Persian people who were in the palace fell away from allegiance. They revolted from me and went over to that Vahyazdâta. He became king in Persia.