Sources (2)

• SourceHerodotus, The Histories

  The earliest surviving Greek history, and the fullest classical account of the Persians — their rise, their customs and religion, and the wars with Greece; indispensable, endlessly informative, and to be read with a critical eye as an outsider's report.

• SourceThe Behistun Inscription (DB)

  Darius I's monumental cliff-relief and trilingual inscription recounting his seizure and defence of the throne against Gaumāta and a wave of rebels; the single most important primary source for the reign, and the key that deciphered cuneiform.