11. Study Questions Copy

Those who were unhappy with Persian rule would have seen the moment of the transition of power as one of weakness and instability, and so would have seen this as the moment to strike. Alternatively, the fact that Darius came to power because of a violent coup may have been felt to have legitimised violent insurrection.

The inscription is clearly a sanitised official version that glosses over the difficulties of regaining control.

This was the god that Darius elevated in importance over other Persian gods. The concepts that were associated with this god-arta: truth, and ‘drauga’-the lie gave Persian kings a god given mission to impose their rule on humanity.