[192] Sachau, "Albiruni," p. 205; Nöldeke, "Tabari," s. 91, 271. [193] Elul and Tisri fall in September and October. The last year of Cambyses is 522 B.C. According to Herodotus, Cambyses reigned seven years and five months, and the Magian more than seven months; the two make up eight years. The number of the Persian days of the month are repeated in the Babylonian version of the Behistun inscription. Hence the Persians adopted the year of the Assyrians and Babylonians as well as their cuneiform writing, but they had independent names for the months. Unfortunately the names of the months in the Babylonian text are more frequently destroyed than not, so that we can only be certain in giving Kislev (November-December) as corresponding to the Athriadiya of the Persians, Tebet (December-January) to Anamaka, Iyar (May-June) to Taigarshis. Oppert maintains that we can also identify the Babylonian Adar or Veadar (Febr.-March) with the Viyakhna of the Persians; but the text is uncertain in this passage. Finally, we may with tolerable certainty regard Garmapada (_i.e._ the path of heat) as corresponding to July and August, to the Tammuz or Ab of the Babylonians. If Viyakhna is really Adar, the proclamation of the Magian took place in March, 522 B.C., and his coronation in Garmapada (July and August). This according to Darius was followed by the death of Cambyses. The two tablets quoted date from September and October in the first year of Barziya. According to Herodotus, the Magian reigned more than seven months after the death of Cambyses, _i.e._ down to the spring of 521 B.C. According to the inscription of Behistun, Darius slew him on the tenth of Bagayadis (_i.e._ sacrifice to the gods), which would thus be parallel to the Nisan of the Babylonians, _i.e._ to our April. [194] Herod. 4, 166. [195] "Antiqu." 11, 2. [196] Herod. 3, 89. [197] Herod. 5, 25. [198] Herod. 3, 88; 7, 78. CHAPTER XIII. THE RISE OF DARIUS.