The ‘One Year’ of Darius Re-Examined

Abstract

The chronology of Darius' Behistun inscription (= DB) has been the subject of detailed examination especially since 1938 when A. Poebel established the order of the Old Persian months. One problem which has received particular attention is the apparent lack of agreement between the statement of Darius that he gained 19 victories in one year after he became king, and the fact that the time between the first and the last dated events mentioned by him exceeds one year. Furthermore, the recorded battles number 18 instead of 19. The purpose of this note is to study Darius' claim once more, to investigate the previous attempts at tackling the question, and to offer a new explanation for the discrepancies just noted. We start with the order in which the victories of Darius are recorded, for which the following list may be drawn up:1. Pseudo-Smerdis put to death by Darius in VII, 10 (DB, I, 56).2. Assina, king of Elam, captured and slain, date not given (DB, I, 81–3).3. Nidintu-Bel defeated on the Tigris in IX, 26 (DB, I, 88–9).4. Nidintu-Bel's second defeat in X, 2 (DB, I, 96).5. Martiya rebelled in Elam, but the Elamites seized and slew him while Darius was in Babylonia (DB, II, 8–13).6. Fravartiš's army suffered defeat in X, 27 (DB. II, 26).7. First victory of Dādaršiš over the Armenians in II, 8 (DB, II, 36).8. Second victory of Dādaršiš over the Armenians in II, 18 (DB, II, 41).9. Third victory of Dādaršiš over the Armenians in III, 9 (DB, II, 47).10. Vahumissa overcame the Armenians in X, 15 (DB, II, 56).11. Second defeat of the Armenians by Vahumissa in II, 30 (DB, II, 61–2).12. Darius won a decisive victory over Fravartis in I, 25 (DB, II, 69).13. The Sagartian Čissantaxma captured and slain, date not recorded (DB, II, 78–91).14. Hystaspes won a victory over the Parthians in XII, 18 (DB, II, 98).15. Hystaspes routed the Parthians in Patigrabana in IV. 1 (DB, III, 8).16. Dādaršiš, satrap of Bactria, quelled the revolt of the Margian Frada in IX, 23 (DB, III, 18).17. Vahyazdata's first defeat in II, 12 (DB, III, 39).18. Vahyazdata's second defeat in IV, 5 (DB, III, 46–7).19. Vivana's first victory over the army of Vahyazdata in Arachosia in X, 13 (DB, III, 63).20. Vivana routed the supporters of Vahyazdata in XII, 7 (DB, III, 68).21. Araxa rebelled in Babylonia, but was captured and slain in VIII, 22 (DB, III, 88).