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[[File: AhuraMazda-Relief.jpg|300px|thumbnail|right|Relief of the Persian-Zoroastrian God Ahura Mazda]]
It is important to understand the origins of Achaemenid Persian royal ideology because in the ancient Near East political ideology was intricately intertwined with religion. The king was appointed by the gods to carry out their wills and usually was considered the high priest of any particular dynasty’s primary god or goddess so therefore any understanding of what gods Darius I worshipped can only be understood within the realm of religion.
The Achaemenid Persians followed a religion that can best be described as an early form of Zoroastrianism, or proto-Zoroastrianism. <ref> Clark, Peter. <i> Zoroastrianism: An Introduction to an Ancient Faith.</i> Brighton, United Kingdom: Sussex Academic Press, 2001), pg. 56</ref> Zoroastrianism was a dualistic religion where many different gods were acknowledged, both good and evil, but the chief god, Ahuramazda, was the primary object of veneration. Besides being the source of all earthly good and purity, Ahuramazda was also associated with the sun and fire. Following in the dualistic aspects of Zoroastrianism, it was the duty of the Achaemenid kings to promote the truth or <i>asha</i> over the lie or <i>drugh</i>, which was the result of the evil god Angramianu’s influence in the world. <ref> Malandra, William W. <i>An Introduction to Ancient Iranian Religion: Readings from the Avesta and Ancient Achaemenid Inscriptions.</i> (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1983), pg. 13</ref> Although Cyrus and the early Achaemenid kings worshipped Ahuramazda as their primary god, primary sources from the period show that they were willing to accept other gods.
