Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which god did Darius I name in his royal inscriptions?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Relief of three Achaemenid warriors, known as the Ten Thousand Immortals, depicted in profile on glazed bricks with patterned robes and bows, from the Palace of Artaxerxes at Susa.
Achaemenid Empire Frieze of Archers from the palace of Darius I at Susa, c. 510 bce; some believe the warriors are among the Ten Thousand Immortals.

In his royal inscriptions, Darius I primarily named Ahura Mazda (also referred to as Auramazda) as the supreme god.12

Darius proclaimed him to be the "great god" who created the earth, the heavens, humanity, and happiness, and who established Darius as king. In these texts, Darius often credited his authority and the maintenance of political order to Ahura Mazda, positioning his own rule as an imitation of the divine model set by the Creator. While Darius sometimes referenced "the other gods who exist," Ahura Mazda remained the central figure of his devotion throughout his inscriptions.21