. Persia past and present; a book of travel and research, with more than two hundred illustrations and a map . iption the king glorifies Aura-mazda, gives thanks to him for his blessings, and prays that heand the other divinities may ever protect the land. The sameidea is repeated in the Babylonian version, which is largely aparaphrase, and partly also in the Elamitic section, which adds,however, some interesting information, not found elsewhere, tothe effect that Darius was the first to fortify the place, whichwas not previously a stronghold.^ The adjoining inscriptionon a block to the right
. Persia past and present; a book of travel and research, with more than two hundred illustrations and a map . iption the king glorifies Aura-mazda, gives thanks to him for his blessings, and prays that heand the other divinities may ever protect the land. The sameidea is repeated in the Babylonian version, which is largely aparaphrase, and partly also in the Elamitic section, which adds,however, some interesting information, not found elsewhere, tothe effect that Darius was the first to fortify the place, whichwas not previously a stronghold.^ The adjoining inscriptionon a block to the right is written only in old Persian and 1 For some results from compara- see Weissbach and Bang, pp. 5, 34,tively recent diggings in the mound and Spiegel, pp. 46-50; and compareand some excavations among the ruins, Weissbach, Die Achamenideninschrif-see Blundell, op. cit. pp. 537-559. ten Zweiter Art, p. 76; Bezold, Die 2 For a photograph of this inscrip- Achaemen. Inschr. p. 39. Consult like-tion, see Stolze and Andreas, Per- wise, Justi, Chundr. iran. Philol. , 2. pi. 95 j and for translations, TOMBS OF THE LATER ACH^MENIANS 319 enumerates the conquests of Darius, concluding with the prayerthat Peace may come from Aura. ^ As I stood at the foot ofthe rampart to collate the tablets high above and make noteswhich I hope later to publish, the suns rays were so scorchingand the flies so pestiferous that I could understand the kingsneed for a ehowri and an umbrella in ancient days! The remaining point of historic interest connected withPersepolis is the series of three tombs hewn in the rocky hillof Kuh-i Rahmat behind the platform. They are the sepulchresof three later kings of the Acheemenian line and resemble thefour elder tombs at Naksh-i Rustam, which have been alreadydescribed; but owing to the nature of the hillside where theyare cut they differ from the latter in minor details, especiallyin being less high from the ground and therefore easy of first of
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