The Behistun Inscription (also spelled Bisotun, Bisitun or Bisutun; Persian: بیستون, Old Persian: Bagastana, meaning "the place of god") is a multilingual Achaemenid royal inscription and large rock relief, produced during the reign of Darius I the Great (r. 522–486 BC). It is carved on a cliff at Mount Behistun in the Kermanshah Province of modern Iran. The inscription was important to the decipherment of cuneiform, because it is the longest known cuneiform text recorded in multiple languages, being written in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian (a variety of Akkadian). It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Written in the form of a speech by Darius, the inscription begins with a brief autobiography, including Darius' claimed ancestry and lineage. The inscription describes a lengthy sequence of events during the upheaval following the death of Darius' predecessor, Cambyses II. It states that a series of rebellions were orchestrated in various cities throughout the empire, by several impostors who falsely proclaimed themselves king. Darius claims he fought and won nineteen...