The Institutions.

S, 83-93. Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Dr. Wolfram Kleiss, langjährigem Leiter der Außenstelle Teheran des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts. - Any attempt to discuss the institutions of the Achaemenids must be provisional, for the lack of sources prohibits a clear and complete picture of the Achaemenid state and society. Furthermore, the material which is at hand must be used with extreme caution, for in such a vast empire as that of the Achaemenids the variations from land to land or satrapy to satrapy make any overall survey virtually impossible. Yet one may suggest that at least three areas contributed to the structure of the Achaemenid state and society; the heritage of the ancient Near East, the heritage of the Indoeuropean background of the Iranians, and finally the creative genius of the great kings and their subjects in innovations in government and organization. For example, much of the symbolism of royalty, as reflected in the protocol of titles, was borrowed by the Achaemenid rulers from ancient Near Eastern practices. The social organisation of the royal family, and its place in society, as reflected in one Old Persian inscription of Darius as well as elsewhere, on the other hand, was a continuation of time-honored Indoeuropean practice. Finally, the striking of darics, the famous gold coins of Darius was surely a measure conceived by the great king himself. Thus in the three ways mentioned above, the institutions of the Achaemenid Empire were formed or enacted.