Behistun

[ bey-hi-stoon ]

/ ˌbeɪ hɪˈstun /

noun

a ruined town in W Iran: site of a cliff that bears on its face a cuneiform inscription in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian that provided a key for the decipherment of cuneiform in other languages.

Also Bisitun, Bisutun.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for behistun

The decipherment of the third of the three languages found at Persepolis and Behistun followed quickly on the success with Susian.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8|Various
The inscription of Behistun merely mentions the execution of the third Nebuchadnezzar.
The History of Antiquity|Max Duncker
The only historical sculpture which is at present known, is the inscription of Darius at Behistun.
The History of Antiquity|Max Duncker
Western Asia is monumentally eloquent of her name, and even the Behistun inscriptions of Darius have been placed to her credit.
Myths & Legends of Babylonia & Assyria|Lewis Spence

Morris, who had Rawlinson's copy of the second transcription of the Behistun text to work upon, deciphered nearly all of it.
Myths & Legends of Babylonia & Assyria|Lewis Spence

British Dictionary definitions for behistun

Behistun

Bisitun or Bisutun

/ (ˌbeɪhɪˈstuːn) /

noun

a village in W Iran by the ancient road from Ecbatana to Babylon. On a nearby cliff is an inscription by Darius in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian describing his enthronement

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012