The reign of Darius

• Darius (King of Persia)

• Start — no reference given. The year Darius's reign began is 8 years after Cyrus' reign ended (3432 + 8 [the time of the reign of Cambyses]) = 3440
• End — no reference given. The year Darius's reign ended is the his reign began (3440) + the length of his reign (36) = 3476

START:*EXTRA-BIBLICAL SOURCES: - The Behistun Inscription, a monumental rock relief and trilingual cuneiform inscription, commissioned by Darius I, details his rise to power. It describes how Darius, a Persian noble, overthrew Gaumata (a Magian usurper claiming to be Bardiya, son of Cyrus) in 522 BCE, thus becoming king. - The Babylonian Contract Tablets, economic and administrative tablets from Babylon record transactions dated by regnal years of Persian kings. Tablets dated to “Year 1 of Darius” begin in late 522 BCE, after those dated to Bardiya (March–September 522 BCE). - The Canon of Ptolemy, a chronological list of kings used for astronomical calculations, lists Darius I as succeeding Cambyses II and Bardiya, with his reign beginning in 522/521 BCE. - In his Histories (Book 3.61–88), Herodotus narrates Darius’ rise to power, describing how he and six Persian nobles conspired to overthrow the usurper “Smerdis” (Gaumata, posing as Bardiya) in 522 BCE. - In his Persica, Ctesias offers an alternative account of Persian history, preserved in fragments by later authors like Photius. He mentions Darius’ rise after Cambyses but includes less reliable details. [Shulman date p143] [Ussher date p125] END:*EXTRA-BIBLICAL SOURCES: - The Behistun Inscription, a monumental rock relief and trilingual cuneiform inscription, commissioned by Darius I, details his rise to power. It describes how Darius, a Persian noble, overthrew Gaumata (a Magian usurper claiming to be Bardiya, son of Cyrus) in 522 BCE, thus becoming king. - The Babylonian Contract Tablets, economic and administrative tablets from Babylon record transactions dated by regnal years of Persian kings. Tablets dated to “Year 1 of Darius” begin in late 522 BCE, after those dated to Bardiya (March–September 522 BCE). - The Canon of Ptolemy, a chronological list of kings used for astronomical calculations, lists Darius I as succeeding Cambyses II and Bardiya, with his reign beginning in 522/521 BCE. - In his Histories (Book 3.61–88), Herodotus narrates Darius’ rise to power, describing how he and six Persian nobles conspired to overthrow the usurper “Smerdis” (Gaumata, posing as Bardiya) in 522 BCE. - In his Persica, Ctesias offers an alternative account of Persian history, preserved in fragments by later authors like Photius. He mentions Darius’ rise after Cambyses but includes less reliable details.

Years are anno hominis — counted from Creation as year 1 — which is the frame the source computes in. The arithmetic behind each boundary is given above rather than assumed.