DNa inscription

A photograph of the DNa inscription at Naqsh-e Rustam.

Achaemenid Empire at its greatest extent, circa 500 BCE.^[1][2][3]

The nationalities mentioned in the DNa inscription are also depicted on the upper register of the tomb of Darius I, as on all the dynastic tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam and Persepolis.^[4][5]

The DNa inscription of Achaemenid Emperor Darius I (abbreviation for "Darius Naqsh-e Rustam inscription a") is a famous inscription from c.490 BCE which appears in the top left corner of the facade of the tomb of Darius I in Naqsh-e Rustam.

Content[]

The inscription mentions the conquests of Darius the Great and his various achievements during his life. Its exact date is not known, but it can be assumed to be from the last decade of his reign.^[6]

Like several other inscriptions by Darius, the territories controlled by the Achaemenid Empire are clearly listed.^[7]

The nationalities mentioned in the DNa inscription are otherwise vividly illustrated through the large sculptural relief on the upper registers of all the tombs, including that of Darius I, at Naqsh-e Rustam.^[4][5] One of the best preserved is that of Xerxes I.

Script[]

The inscription is written in the Old Persian cuneiform, a nearly alphabetical, simple form of the ancient cuneiform scripts (36 phonetic characters and 8 logograms), which was specially designed and used by the early Achaemenid rulers from the 6th century BCE.^[8]