Darius I

I. I am Darius, the great king, the king of kings, the king of
Persia, the king of the provinces, the son of Hystaspes,
the grandson of Arsames, the Achaemenian.

II. (Thus) saith Darius, the king : My father is Hystaspes ; the
father of Hystaspes was Arsames; the father of Arsames
was Ariyaramnes; the father of Ariyaramnes; was [Teispes] ;
the father of Teispes was Achaemenes.

III. (Thus) saith Darius, the king : On that account are we called
Achaemenians ; from antiquity are we descended ; from
antiquity hath our race been kings
before (me) ; I am the ninth. In two lines have we
been kings.

V. (Thus) saith Darius, the king : By the grace of Auramazda
am I king ; Auramazda hath granted me the kingdom.

VI. (Thus) saith Darius, the king : These are the provinces
which are subject unto me, and by the grace of Auramazda
became I king of them : Persia, Susiana, Babylonia,
Assyria, Arabia, Egypt, the (Islands) of the Sea, Sparda,
Ionia, [Media], Armenia, Cappadocia, Parthia, Drangiana,
Aria, Chorasmia, Bactria, Sogdiana, Gandara, Scythia,
Sattagydia, Arachosia and Maka ; twenty-three lands
in all.

Darius the Great (Old Persian :Dārayawuš - "He Who Holds Firm the Good"), was the son of Hystaspes and Persian Emperor from 521 to 485 BC. His name in Modern Persian is داریوش (Dâriûsh), and the ancient Greek sources call him Δάρειος (Dareios).

Sources for Darius' biography

The principal sources for the life of Darius are his own inscriptions, especially the great inscription of Behistun, in which he relates how he gained the crown and put down many rebellions. In modern times his veracity has often been doubted, but without any sufficient reason or suggestion of alternatives. The accounts given later by