A great god is Ormazd[1] who has created this earth, who has created that heaven, who has created the man, who has given to the man the Good Principle, who made Darius King, sole King of many Kings, sole Emperor of many Emperors.
I am Darius, the great King, the King of Kings, the King of the lands where all languages are spoken, the King of this wide earth, afar and near, the Son of Hystaspes the Achaemenian, Persian Son of Persian, Arian[1] of Arian offspring.
Darius the King says : By the grace of Ormazd, I hold these lands, besides Persia. I ruled over them, they brought tribute to me, that which was ordered by me to them, that was executed :
Media, Susiana ( Uva´za), Parthia, Aria, Bactria, Sogdiana, Chorasmia, Sarangia, Arachotis, Sattagydia, Gandaria, India, the Amyrgian Sacians,[2] the pointed helmets bearing Sacians (Tigrakhaudâ), Babylon, Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, Armenia, Cappadocia, Lycia (Saparda), Ionia, the Sacians beyond the (Black) Sea, the Scudra, the hair-tail bearing Ionians,[3] the Put, the Kus, the Maxyans, Karka (Carthage). Darius the King says : When Ormazd saw this earth, revolting and enemy each to another," then he entrusted it to me. He made me King: I am King. By the grace of Ormazd, I reinstated it in its right place. That which was ordered by me, that was done as it was my will. If thou sayest: "How diverse are the people which DARius maintained," look on the images of those who bear my throne, and thou wilt recognise them, Then it will be evident to thee, that the Persian man's spear reached afar, then it will be evident to thee, that the Persian man sought war far from his land Persia. Darius the King says: All what I have done, I made it by the grace of Ormazd . Ormazd brought help to me, until I had performed the work, May Ormazd protect me from evil, me and my house and my land. That is what I implore from Ormazd, that is what Ormazd may grant to me. 0 man, the law which Ormazd (has given), may it not seem contemptible to thee. Do not leave the right path, do not sin.
[1] Ahura-Mazda.
[2] The words, "Arian offspring of Arian," are omitted in the Assyrian text, addressed exclusively to Semitic readers.
[3] The list of the nations is of great importance; it was executed after the Brat expedition of Darius to the Greek nations, after B.C. 496, for many Hellenic nations are enumerated as subdued to the Persian power. The Amyrgian Sacians are mentioned by Herodotus (VII. 64) ; they are named in Persian Haumavarga (perhaps, who drink the Haoma leaves), and the other Sacians are the Tigrakhaudâ, the pointed helmet bearingr Sacians. The helmet, khauda, modern Persian khud, Zend khaoda, is expressed by the Greek kyrbasis (Her. I, s.), and this very word is found again in the Assyrian version, karbalti for karbasti.
[4] "The hair-tail bearing Ionians " (takabarâ) are the Eretrians, and the taka points out the Euboean queue. The Skudra seems to be the mount Scodrus in Thracia, and the Putiya, Kusiya are clearly the Put and Cush of the Bible. (Sudan) The Maciya may be the Libyan Mashuash, and since 1847 I suggested that Karka may be translated by Carthage.