Behistun Inscription of Darius I
Darius the Great's cliff-face account of how he won the throne, and the key to reading cuneiform
Found 1835 — Known locally for centuries; first copied and deciphered by Sir Henry Rawlinson, beginning 1835 (full copy by 1847)
Where Mount Behistun (Bisotun), near Kermanshah (Iran)
Dates from c. 520–518 BCE · Achaemenid Persian · Reign of Darius I; rebuilding of the Second Temple (Ezra 4–6, Haggai, Zechariah)
Now at In situ on the cliff at Bisotun, Iran (UNESCO World Heritage Site)
Names a biblical person Darius
How Behistun Inscription of Darius I was found
Rawlinson, a British officer in Persian service, scaled the cliff repeatedly to copy the Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian texts. His work made it possible to read Akkadian cuneiform.
What it is
A huge relief and trilingual inscription carved about 100 m up a limestone cliff. Darius stands over the defeated usurper Gaumata with nine rebel kings roped before him; the text tells how he crushed rebellions in his first years.
Why it matters for the Bible
Darius took the throne in 522 BCE amid revolts across the empire. Ezra 4–6 and the books of Haggai and Zechariah are dated by his regnal years, and the Temple was finished in his sixth year (515 BCE). Behistun shows the king, his religious language about Ahura Mazda, and the imperial record-keeping that lies behind the search for Cyrus's decree in Ezra 6. It also unlocked the cuneiform archives that now illuminate the whole exile and return.
The Hebrew word: dar-YAH-vesh
דָּרְיָוֶשׁ
דָּרְיָוֶשׁ is pronounced dar-YAH-vesh and means Darius, the Persian king in whose reign the Second Temple was completed (Strong's H1867).
People this discovery connects to
- Darius — דָּרְיָוֶשׁ (dar-YAH-vesh) — Old Persian Darayavaush, 'holding firm the good'
Places
- Persia — פָּרַס (pah-RAHS) — Persia
Events
Accession of Darius I, 522 BCE · Darius's decree confirming the Temple rebuilding (Ezra 6)
Behistun Inscription of Darius I in Scripture
Haggai 1:1 Haggai's prophecy is dated to the second year of Darius, only a few years after the events Behistun describes. (First mention of Darius.)
Zechariah 1:1 Zechariah also dates his visions by Darius's regnal years.
Ezra 6:1-3 Darius orders a search of the royal archives and finds Cyrus's decree; Behistun shows this king and his concern for official records.
Questions people ask
What is Behistun Inscription of Darius I?
A huge relief and trilingual inscription carved about 100 m up a limestone cliff. Darius stands over the defeated usurper Gaumata with nine rebel kings roped before him; the text tells how he crushed rebellions in his first years.
When was Behistun Inscription of Darius I discovered?
It was found in 1835 by Known locally for centuries; first copied and deciphered by Sir Henry Rawlinson, beginning 1835 (full copy by 1847), at Mount Behistun (Bisotun), near Kermanshah.
Where is Behistun Inscription of Darius I today?
In situ on the cliff at Bisotun, Iran (UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Which Bible verses does Behistun Inscription of Darius I relate to?
Haggai 1:1, Zechariah 1:1, Ezra 6:1-3.
Related discoveries
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- גָּלוּתTel Hadid: Assyrian Cuneiform Tablets of Resettled ExilesTwo 7th-century contracts from a village where Assyria planted deportees — the mirror image of Israel's exile
- דָּרְיָוֶשׁThe Lachish 'Darius' Ostracon (2022)A 'first Darius inscription in Israel' that turned out to be a modern demonstration piece
- בִּירָהPalace of Darius at Susa (Shushan)The royal citadel where the book of Esther is set, with its Apadana and garden court
- מָצוֹרSennacherib's Prism (Taylor, Chicago and Jerusalem Prisms)Assyrian annals: 'Hezekiah the Judean I shut up like a bird in a cage'
- יָבִיןHazor Cuneiform TabletsLetters and law fragments from the largest Canaanite archive south of Syria