Sources for the Study of Ancient Persia (courtesy of Fran Armour)

Appendix I: Native Sources

Ariaramnes, Hamadan

AmH: gold tablet, possibly a fake

Arsames, Hamadan
AsH: gold tablet, possibly a fake

Cyrus the Great (559-530), Babylon


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





Cyrus the Great (559-530) Other
CB ("Cyrus Cylinder"), in
Babylonian

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

PFS 93

Darius I the Great (522-486), Behistun


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


Darius I the Great (522-486), Gherla

Darius I the Great (522-486),
Hamadan
DB ("Behistun Inscription")
(column #1, #2, #3, #4, #5)
DBa, DBb, DBc, DBd, DBe, DBf,
DBg, DBh, DBi, DBj, DBk:
additions to DB

DE, on a rock near a waterfall


DG, fragment from a clay tablet
from Rumania

DH, gold and silver tablet (text


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











Darius I the Great (522-486), Persepolis














Fortification texts

Darius I the Great (522-486), Susa







identical to DPh)
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

DPa, from the Palace of Darius
DPb, on reliefs in the Palace of
Darius and the Palace of Xerxes
DPc, on the window cornices 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

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
Darius I the Great (522-486), Suez



Darius I the Great (522-486), Others



Three texts on one stele:
o a cartouche DZa
o a brief "signature" DZb
o a description of the Red
Sea canal DZc
DWa, weight
DWb, weight
DWc, weight
DWd, weight
Seal
Vase (possibly of Darius II
Nothus)
Xerxes I (486-465), Gandj Nameh /
Elvend
Xerxes I (486-465), Hamadan

Xerxes I (486-465), Persepolis















XE, on a rock near a waterfall
XH, fragment of a silver pitcher
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








Xerxes I (486-465), Lake Van

Xerxes I (486-465) Other

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
XV, rock inscription

Seals
Vase

Artaxerxes I
(465-424), Persepolis


Artaxerxes I (465-424)


A1Pa, block of stone
A1Pb, Hall of Hundred Columns
Vases: A1Va
A1Vb
A1Vc = A1Vd

Darius II (424-404), Hamadan

Darius II (424-404), Susa


Darius II (424-404), Others

D2Ha, gold tablet
D2Sa, column base
D2Sb, column bases
Vase (possibly of Darius II the
Great)
Artaxerxes II Mnemon (404-358),
Hamadan


Artaxerxes II Mnemon (404-358),
Persepolis


Artaxerxes II Mnemon (404-358), Susa

A2Ha, column base
A2Hb, column bases
A2Hc, gold tablet
A2Pa, names of people on the
Tomb of Artaxerxes II
A2Sa, column bases
A2Sb, column bases
A2Sc, stone tablet
A2Sd, column bases
Artaxerxes III (358-338), Persepolis

Artaxerxes III (358-338)
A3Pa, Palace of Darius
Seals

Appendix II
Non-native sources.

Herodotus Ionian
(Halikarnassos)
The Histories
c.490-79
The Persian wars,
insight in the form
of digressions.
Ctesias Ionian (Caria) Persika (now
fragmentary and
epitomised)
History/Insight
into court life.
Aeschylus c.525-
456 BC?
Eleusis and Athens Play The Persae
c.472BC
Hellenised version
of court life.
Berossus Babylon 3 bks on Babylon
c.3CBC
From early times
until Alexander.
Diodorus Agyrium (Sicily) Peace of Callius,
c.1CBC
Uses Hecateus and
Ctesias.
Plutarch Chaeronea
(Boeotia)
Life of Artaxerxes,
c.50-120AD
Character analysis
and use of sources.
Strabo Amaseia (Pontus) Geography, c.
64/3BC-23AD
Books 12-15 on
Asia (and Persia)
Thucydides Thrace/Athens Peloponnesian
Wars, c.450-
400BC
Details of
Pentekontaetia,
c.479-431BC.
Xenophon
c.430-355BC
Athens? Anabasis Defeat at the
Persian territory of
Cunaxa.
Hellenika c.411BC
Cyropaedia Treatise on Cyrus
II and customs and
life.
Unknown Unknown The Old Testament Books of Esther
Book of Kings I-II
Book of Chronicals
Book of Nehemiah
Arrian
Historian under
Hadrian.
Rome? Anabasis On Alexanders
campaigns in
Persia
Aristotle c.384-
322BC
Strageira, Chaldice Politics Forms of
government in
lecture notes.
Justin c. 2-3CAD Epitome of
Historiae
Phillippicae
Excerpts.


Nicholas of
Damascus
c.64AD?
Historiai 7 volumes of
historical events
until 7BC
including Persia



Appendix III
Achaemenid Kings:

Achaemenes
Teispes
Cyrus I
Cambyses I
Cyrus II, The Great
Cambyses II
Smerdis, (Gaumata)
Darius I, The Great
Xerxes I
Artaxerxes I
Xerxes II
Darius II
Artaxerxes II
Artaxerxes III
Arses
Darius III
550 - 529 BCE
529 - 522 BCE
522 BCE
522 - 486 BCE
486 - 465 BCE
465 - 425 BCE
425 - 424 BCE
424 - 405 BCE
405 - 359 BCE
359 - 338 BCE
338 - 336 BCE
336 - 330 BCE

Appendix IV From Wieshofer p. 316
Cyrus II = Kurush
Cambyses II= Kambujiya
Gaumata/ Bardiya/Smerdis
Darios I = Darayavaush
Xerxes I = Khshayarshan
Artaxerxes I Artakhshaca
Xerxes II; Secyndianus
Darius II
Artaxerxes II
Artaxerxes III
Arses
Darios III