An Achaemenid Royal Inscription: The Text of Paragraph 13 of the Aramaic Version of the Bisitun Inscription
Year: 2001
Type: article
Abstract: THE longest and most studied text in the corpus of Achaemenid royal inscriptions is the Bisitun inscription (DB), in which king Darius 1 gives an account of the tumultuous first year of his reign.As is the case with most Achaemenid royal inscriptions, the text is recorded in Old Persian, Babylonian, and Elamite.When in 1911 Sachau published his text edition of Aramaic papyri in Egypt,l however, it became clear that there was also an Aramaic version of this inscription (DB Aram.). This is hitherto the only preserved Aramaic version of an Achaemenid royal inscription.This Aramaic version was written on a papyrus, the verso of which contains several columns of accounts.As can be deduced from the dates mentioned in these accounts, it seems certain that the Aramaic text was written on the papyrus in the early years of the reign of Darius II (around 421 B.C.),2 i.e., approximately a century after DB was carved on the rocks.There are several possible reasons for this.The copy could be an exercise of a master scribe.Yet it is more probable that the new copy was intended to commemorate the onehundredth anniversary of the accession of Darius 1 to the throne and of his suppression of * Many thanks go to A. Schoors of the University of Leuven and S. Creason of the University of Chicago for their critical and helpful remarks. 1 would also like to thank the staff of the Chicago Assyrian Dictionary (CAD) for its hospitality and access to its resources.1 am currently a Research Assistant for the Fund for Scientific Research-Flanders.
Source: Journal of Near Eastern Studies
DOI: 10.1086/468914
Author: Jan Tavernier
Institution: KU Leuven
Language: English
Topic: Ancient Near East History
Subfield: Archeology (arts and humanities)
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1999416136