Tuesday, May 12, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
Iranian and Imperial Sources
Iranian, Achaemenid, and Zoroastrian source texts for Saka, Scythian, and steppe-imperial history.
✦ ─── ⟐ ─── ✦
Texts
Darius -- The Behistun InscriptionThe Old Persian Behistun inscription of Darius in the public-domain King and Thompson English translation, including the list of imperial provinces, the rhetoric of the Lie, the royal publication command, and the Saka/Skunkha campaign.Darius — Skunkha the SakaThe Behistun inscription records Darius' campaign against the pointed-cap Saka and the capture of Skunkha.Darius — The Saka in the Royal InscriptionsDarius names the Saka among the lands held by the Achaemenid empire, including the haoma-drinking Saka, the pointed-cap Saka, and the Saka beyond the sea.The Gathas — Truth, Lie, and the One GodSelected Gathic passages on Ahura Mazda, Truth, the Lie, creation, and good dominion for the Iranian background of the Scythian shelf.The Haoma-Drinking SakaOld Persian royal inscriptions preserve the name of the haoma-drinking Saka, joined here with an Avestan ritual witness to haoma offerings.The Mithra Yasht — Oath and SovereigntySelected passages from the Mithra Yasht on covenant, oath-breaking, royal battle, and the scale of obligation between persons and nations.The Zamyad Yasht — Royal GlorySelected passages from the Zamyad Yasht on the Kingly Glory, Yima's loss of glory, and the glory that cannot be seized by force.Xerxes — The Daiva InscriptionXerxes' Daiva Inscription names the Dahae and Saka in the imperial list and gives the royal Achaemenid denunciation of daiva worship.