Darius died in October 486 BC, likely of natural causes, after planning a second invasion of Greece. His son, Xerxes I, succeeded him.
Details
Primary person: Darius
*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 BC, 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 BC, after those dated to Bardiya (March–September 522 BC).
- 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 BC.
- 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 BC.
- 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.