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How did the Bisotun inscription describe Darius I’s claim to the throne?

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Darius the Great — Darius I This chromolithograph of a frieze at Susa depicts attendants serving Darius I.

In the Bisotun inscription, Darius I defended his seizure of the throne by asserting that the individual he killed, Bardiya, was actually a magus named Gaumata.1

According to this official account, the real Bardiya had been secretly murdered by his brother, Cambyses II, prior to the latter's own death. Darius claimed that Gaumata had impersonated the deceased prince to usurp the throne. By eliminating this alleged impostor, Darius argued that he was not a usurper himself, but was instead restoring the kingship to the rightful Achaemenid house.12

While this narrative served to legitimize his rule, some modern scholars suggest that the story of Gaumata may have been an invention designed to justify his actions, as Darius belonged to a collateral branch of the royal family and was not the direct heir to the throne.1