Achaemenid Royal Inscriptions

• The general system to refer to these texts consists of three letters. The first one indicates the king (e.g, X = Xerxes); the second the site (e.g., S = Susa); the third letter is added to distinguish the inscriptions of the same ruler on the same site.
• On this page,  = Photo;  = Drawing;  = original text (usually Persian);  = English translation.
• I am creating these pages because these important sources are not available online, and not every library in the world owns the relevant iranological books.
• The drawings were scanned from R.N. Sharp, The Inscriptions in Old Persian Cuneiform of the Achæmenian Emperors (s.l., s.d.). They will be replaced by something better as soon as I have mastered Unicode.
• If you see a mistake, or have a better picture, contact me.

• AmH: gold tablet, possibly a fake (, , )

• AsH: gold tablet, possibly a fake (, , )

• CB ("Cyrus Cilinder"), in Babylonian (, , )

Cyrus the Great (559-530), Pasargadae / Murghab

• CMa, entrance of Palace P and Palace S (, , , )
• CMb, on the "genius" in Gate R, lost (, )
• CMc, on a relief of king Cyrus in Palace P (, )

• DB ("Behistun Inscription") (column #1, #2, #3, #4, #5)  (,, )
• DBa, DBb, DBc, DBd, DBe, DBf, DBg, DBh, DBi, DBj, DBk: additions to DB (, )

Darius I the Great (522-486), Gandj Nameh / Elvend

• DE, on a rock near a waterfall (, , , )

Darius I the Great (522-486), Gherla

• DG, fragment from a clay tablet from Rumania ()

Darius I the Great (522-486),  Hamadan

• DH, gold and silver tablet (text identical to DPh) (, )

Darius I the Great (522-486), Naqš-i Rustam

• DNa, upper register of Darius' tomb (, , , )
• DNb, lower register of Darius' tomb (, , , ) (later copied as XPl)
• DNc, brief honorific text for Gobryas (, , )
• DNd, brief honorific text for Aspathines (, )
• DNe, names of peoples (, )

Darius I the Great (522-486), Persepolis

• DPa, from the Palace of Darius (, , , )
• DPb, on reliefs in the Palace of Darius and the Palace of Xerxes (, , )
• DPc, on the window corniches of the Palace of Darius (, , , )
• DPd, Terrace inscription (, , , )
• DPe, Terrace inscription (, , , )
• DPf, Terrace inscription, in Elamite (, )
• DPg, Terrace inscription, in Babylonian (, )
• DPh, gold and silver tablets from the Apadana (text identical to DH) (, , , )
• DPi, doorknob (, , )
• DPj, fragment of  a column base (, )

Darius I the Great (522-486), Susa

• DSa, two tiles (, , )
• DSb, two tiles (, , )
• DSc, column base (, )
• DSd, column base (, )
• DSe, empire list (, , , )
• DSf, foundation inscription (, , )
• DSg, column base (, , )
• DSi, column base (, , )
• DSj, column base (, , )
• DSk, brick (, , )
• DSl, brick (, , )
• DSm, incomplete inscription on glazed bricks (, )
• DSn, statue (, )
• DSo, slab of marble (, )
• DSp, incomplete slab of marble (, , )
• DSq, slab of marble (, )
• DSs, slab of marble (, )
• DSt, slab of marble (, , )
• DSu, Elamite inscription on a slab of marble ()
• DSv, damaged Babylonian list on a slab of marble ()
• DSw, Babylonian inscription on a slab of marble ()
• DSy, column base (, , )
• DSz, adaptation of DSf ()
• DSaa, abridged Babylonian version of DSf ()
• DSab, a statue, in Egyptian (, )

• Three texts on one stele:
  • a cartouche (DZa; , )
  • a brief "signature" (DZb; , )
  • a description of the Red Sea canal (DZc; (, , )

Darius I the Great (522-486), Others

• DWa, weight (, )
• DWb, weight (, )
• DWc, weight (, , )
• DWd, weight (, , )
• Seal (, , , )
• Vase (, ) (possibly of Darius II Nothus)

• XE, on a rock near a waterfall (, , , )

Xerxes I (486-465), Hamadan

• XH, fragment of a silver pitcher (, )

Xerxes I (486-465), Persepolis

• XPa, Gate of all nations (, , , )
• XPb, stairs of the Apadana (, , , )
• XPc, Palace of Darius (, , , )
• XPd, stairs of the Palace of Xerxes  (, , , )
• XPe, Palace of Xerxes (, , , )
• XPf, "Harem inscription" (, , , )
• XPg, glazed bricks from the Apadana (, , , )
• XPh, "Daiva inscription" (, , , )
• XPi, doorknob (, )
• XPj, column bases (, )
• XPk, relief (, )
• XPl, adaptation of DNb () 
• XPm, column bases (, )

Xerxes I (486-465), Susa

• XSa, column bases (, , )
• XSb, Babylonian inscription on column bases ()
• XSc, inscription on a slab of marble (, , )
• XSd, column bases (, )
• XSe, Babylonian inscription on a slab of marble ()

Xerxes I (486-465), Lake Van

• XV, rock inscription (, , , )

Xerxes I (486-465)

• Seals (, )
• Vase ()

• A1Pa, block of stone (, , )
• A1Pb, Hall of Hundred Columns ()

Artaxerxes I Makrocheir (465-424)

• Vases: A1Va (, ), A1Vb (, ), A1Vc = A1Vd (, )

• D2Ha, gold tablet ()

Darius II Nothus (424-404), Susa

• D2Sa, column base (, , )
• D2Sb, column bases (, , )

Darius II Nothus (424-404), Others

• Vase (, ) (possibly of Darius II the Great)

• A2Ha, column base (, , , )
• A2Hb, column bases (, )
• A2Hc, gold tablet (, , )

Artaxerxes II Mnemon (404-358), Persepolis

• A2Pa, names of people on the Tomb of Artaxerxes II (, , )

Artaxerxes II Mnemon (404-358), Susa

• A2Sa, column bases (, , )
• A2Sb, column bases (, , )
• A2Sc, stone tablet (, )
• A2Sd, column bases (, , , )

• A3Pa, Palace of Darius I  (, , , )

Artaxerxes III Ochus (358-338)

• Seals ()

Related texts

• An Egyptian amulet with the name of Darius I (, )
• An Egyptian vase with the name of Xerxes (, )
• A recently discovered inscription from Hamadan, mentioning a king Artaxerxes (, )

Literature

• Pierre Lecoq, Les inscriptions de la Perse achéménide (1997 Paris)