Archaeological Evidence of Darius I, King of Persia
Darius 1, king of Persia, is mentioned in the Bible books of Ezra and Haggai. There is also external historical and archaeological evidence of his activities, which supports the Bible record.
BIBLE RECORD OF DARIUS I
“Work on the Temple of God in Jerusalem then ceased, and was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius King of Persia”—Ezra 4:24 NJB. “The second year of Darius’s reign was 520 B. C.”—NLT footnote
“In the second year of Darius the king, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of Yahweh by the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest”—Haggai 1:1 LSB. “A number of dates in Haggai can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This event occurred on August 29, 520 B.C.”—NLT footnote on Haggai 1:1
“They came and did work on the house of Yahweh of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month in the second year of Darius the king”—Haggai 1:15 LSB. “This event occurred on September 21, 520 B. C.”—NLT footnote
“In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo”—Zechariah 1:1 LSB. “A number of dates in Zechariah can be cross-checked with dates in serviving Persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This month of the ancient Hebrew calendar occurred within the months of October and November 520 B.C”—NLT footnote on Zechariah 1:1
“The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius”—Ezra 6:15 NIV. “A number of events in Ezra can be cross-checked with dates in surviving Persian records and related accurately to our modern calendar. This day was April 21, 515 B.C.”—NLT footnote on Ezra 6:15
The Jews who had returned from the Babylonian captivity began rebuilding the temple in 536 BCE. Construction was halted, however, because of opposition from local adversaries of Judah. Sixteen years later, on September 21, 520 BCE, work resumed with the encouragement of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 4:24; 5:1-2; Hagai 1:4-15). The Jews were again challenged, this time by Tattenai, governor of the Persian province of Trans-Euphrates (Ezra 5:3-5). He is described as a local governor under the satrap of Babylon and Trans-Euphrates. Tattenai expressed concern about the rebuilding to the Persian king Darius I. However, after locating a copy of a decree made by Cyrus, Darius ordered Tattenai to fully support the reconstruction and even to provide government funding (Ezra 6:1—12). The temple was completed on March 12, 515 BCE.
HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORD OF DARIUS I
Darius I (“the Great”) ruled the Persian Empire from 521 to 486 BCE. He was an accomplished military commander, monumental builder and shrewd administrator who is known both from classical sources and from surviving records contemporary to his rule.
The most famous document from Darius’s reign is the Behistun Inscription, emblazoned high on a cliff face in western Iran. This declaration describes Darius’s rise to power in three languages and has provided the key for deciphering the Akkadian language of Mesopotamia. The palace of Darius I has been excavated at the royal center of Persepolis in southern Iran; his tomb, carved into a rock face, is located 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the city.
CONCLUSION
We can contrast this well documented archaeological evidence of Darius I, king of Persia with all the people, places, and events mentioned in the Book of Mormon, none of which have any historical or archaeological evidence supporting their existence. (with the exception of the existence of Jesus Christ)
ONE SOURCE: NIV Archaeological Study Bible
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