In Egypt he had learnt much; among other things, the art of managing the exchequer of his kingdom wisely; for this reason he held the Egyptians in high esteem, and granted them many privileges, amongst others a canal to connect the Nile with the Red Sea, which was greatly to the advantage of their commerce.
[Traces of this canal can be found as early as the days of Setos I;
his son Rameses II. caused the works to be continued. Under Necho
they were recommenced, and possibly finished by Darius. In the time
of the Ptolemies, at all events, the canal was already completed.
Herod. II. 158. Diod. I. 33. The French, in undertaking to
reconstruct the Suez canal, have had much to encounter from the
unfriendly commercial policy of the English and their influence over
the internal affairs of Egypt, but the unwearied energy and great
talent of Monsr. de Lesseps and the patriotism of the French nation
have at last succeeded in bringing their great work to a successful
close. Whether it will pay is another question. See G. Ebers, Der
Kanal von Suez. Nordische Revue, October 1864. The maritime canal
connecting the Mediterranean with the Red Sea has also been
completed since 1869. We were among those, who attended the
brilliant inauguration ceremonies, and now willingly recall many of
the doubts expressed in our work ‘Durch Gosen zum Sinai’. The
number of ships passing through the canal is constantly increasing.]
During the whole of his reign, Darius endeavored to make amends for the severity with which Cambyses had treated the Egyptians; even in the later years of his life he delighted to study the treasures of their wisdom, and no one was allowed to attack either their religion or customs, as long as he lived. The old high-priest Neithotep enjoyed the king’s favor to the last, and Darius often made use of his wise old master’s astrological knowledge.
The goodness and clemency of their new ruler was fully acknowledged by the Egyptians; they called him a deity, as they had called their own kings, and yet, in the last years of his reign, their desire for independence led them to forget gratitude and to try to shake off his gentle yoke, which was only oppressive because it had originally been forced on them.
[The name of Darius occurs very often on the monuments as Ntariusch.
It is most frequently found in the inscriptions on the temple in the
Oasis el-Khargah, recently photographed by G. Rohlfs. The Egypto-
Persian memorial fragments, bearing inscriptions in the hieroglyphic
and cuneiform characters are very interesting. Darius’ name in
Egyptian was generally “Ra, the beloved of Ammon.” On a porcelain
vessel in Florence, and in some papyri in Paris and Florence he is
called by the divine titles of honor given to the Pharaohs.]
Their generous ruler and protector did not live to see the end of this struggle.
[The first rebellion in Egypt, which broke out under Aryandes, the
satrap appointed by Cambyses, was put down by Darius in person. He
visited Egypt, and promised 100 talents (L22,500.) to any one who
would find a new Apis. Polyaen. VII. ii. 7. No second outbreak
took place until 486 B.C. about 4 years before the death of Darius.
Herod. VI i. Xerxes conquered the rebels two years after his
accession, and appointed his brother Achaemenes satrap of Egypt.]
It was reserved for Xerxes, the successor and son of Darius and Atossa, to bring back the inhabitants of the Nile valley to a forced and therefore insecure obedience.
Darius left a worthy monument of his greatness in the glorious palace which he built on Mount Rachmed, the ruins of which are the wonder and admiration of travellers to this day. Six thousand Egyptian workmen, who had been sent to Asia by Cambyses, took part in the work and also assisted in building a tomb for Darius and his successors, the rocky and almost inaccessible chambers of which have defied the ravages of time, and are now the resort of innumerable wild pigeons.
He caused the history of his deeds to be cut, (in the cuneiform character and in the Persian, Median and Assyrian languages), on the polished side of the rock of Bisitun or Behistan, not far from the spot where he saved Atossa’s life. The Persian part of this inscription can still be deciphered with certainty, and contains an account of the events related in the last few chapters, very nearly agreeing with our own and that of Herodotus. The following sentences occur amongst others: “Thus saith Darius the King: That which I have done, was done by the grace of Auramazda in every way. I fought nineteen battles after the rebellion of the kings. By the mercy of Auramazda I conquered them. I took nine kings captive. One was a Median, Gaumata by name. He lied and said: ‘I am Bardiya (Bartja), the son of Cyrus.’ He caused Persia to rebel.”