Essay On Darius And Herodotus

The translated texts of the inscriptions concerning the reign of Darius, King of Persia, from Behistun and Naqs gives insight into how Darius perceived his own claim to the throne and his actions throughout his reign. In contrast, excerpts from book three of Herodotus’s Histories provides an outside and reflective view of the reign of Darius. Although there are several similar aspects in their narratives, Darius and Herodotus present differing views on Darius’s claim to the throne and what the king accomplished throughout his reign.
Darius supports his claim to the throne by tracking his lineage all the way back to Achaemenes, his family's namesake. He then goes on the say that he is the ninth of the line of Achaemenes to be king, although …show more content…
He was, therefore, able to write from the outside looking in. This in part, contributed to the differences in narrative between Darius and Herodotus. Darius was the ruler of an empire and therefore had a very high view of himself. From being of a long royal lineage to being put in place by Ahuramazda, Darius’s claim to the throne, according to him, was undeniable. Herodotus, on the other hand, has an earthly description for who Darius was and how he came to power. Since Herodotus was no longer part of the Persian empire, there was less of a desire or need to prop up the ruler as someone divinely …show more content…
Darius saw his reign as something very grand. For him, he had a claim to the throne because he is in the line of great rulers and the god Ahuramazda made them rulers. Herodotus made Darius sound much more human. He never mentioned Darius’s lineage for the support of Ahuramazda as the reason for his reign. Rather, Herodotus explained how he came to power through very human and earthly events. Each person’s background and motives led them to portray dissimilar viewpoints of who Darius, King of Persia, really