Sacred site · c. 520 BCE

Darius carves his victory at Bisotun

Mount Bisotun, Kermanshah, Iran

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Illustration · AI-generated: artistic, not documentary.

On a cliff above the road from Babylon into Media, Darius I had his victory over the usurper Gaumata and nine rebel kings carved in relief, with a text in Elamite, Babylonian and Old Persian that credits his kingship to the favour of Ahuramazda. He thanks Ahuramazda 'and the other gods', never mentions Zarathustra, and whether he was a Zoroastrian is still debated; palace records from Persepolis show the same state supplying offerings for Elamite gods as well.

People: Darius I

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