Behistun T 41

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 iv, lines 77-86

  1. yathiya \ yadiy \ imâm \ dipim \ imaivâ \ patikarâ \ vainâhy \ vikanâhadiš \ ut
  2. âtaiy \ yâvâ \ taumâ \ ahatiy \ naiydiš \ paribarâhy \ Auramazdâtaiy \ jatâ \ b
  3. iyâ \ utâtaiy \ taumâ \ mâ \ biyâ \ utâ \ tya \ kunavâhy \ avataiy \ Auramazd
  4. â \ nikatuv \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ xšâyathiya \ imaiy \ martiyâ \ tyaiy
  5. \ adakaiy \ avadâ \ âhatâ \ yâtâ \ adam \ Gaumâtam \ tyam \ magum \ avâjanam \
  6. hya \ Bardiya \ agaubatâ \ adakaiy \ imaiy \ martiyâ \ hamataxšatâ \ anušiyâ \ man
  7. â \ Vidafarnâ \ nâma \ Vâyaspârahyâ \ puça Pârsa\ Utâna \ nâma \ Thuxrahyâ
  8. \ puça \ Pârsa \ Gaubaruva \ nâma \ Marduniyahyâ \ puça \ Pârsa \ Vidarna \ nâma \ Ba
  9. gâbignahyâ \ puça \ Pârsa \ Bagabuxša \ nâma \ Dâtuvahyahyâ \ puça \ Pârsa \
  10. Ardumaniš \ nâma \ Vahaukahyâ \ puça \ Pârsa \ thâtiy \ Dârayavauš \ xšâyath

(67) King Darius says: If you shall behold this inscription or these sculptures, and shall destroy them and shall not preserve them so long as your line endures, may Ahuramazda slay you, may your family come to nought, and may Ahuramazda destroy whatever you do!

(68) King Darius says: These are the men who were with me when I slew Gaumâta the Magian, who was called Smerdis; then these men helped me as my followers: Intaphrenes, son of Vayâspâra, a Persian; Otanes, son of Thukhra, a Persian; Gobryas, son of Mardonius, a Persian; Hydarnes, son of Bagâbigna, a Persian; Megabyzus, son of Dâtuvahya, a Persian; Ardumaniš, son of Vakauka, a Persian.