Oriental Institute

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  • Relief from the Apadana (Hall of One Hundred Columns) photographed by Luigi Pesce, an Italian military officer and photographer who traveled to Iran in 1848, during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, to train Iranian infantry units. 2026-07-20 17:15

    Oldest known photographs reveal how Persepolis has changed over time

    TEHRAN - The oldest known photographs of Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire and now a UNESCO World Heritage site, provide a rare visual record of the monument before modern archaeological excavations reshaped its appearance.

  • Tiny seal from Persepolis holds a clear image of Achaemenid naval power 2026-04-27 20:57

    Tiny seal from Persepolis holds a clear image of Achaemenid naval power

    During the 1936 excavations at Persepolis led by Erich Schmidt of the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute, a small clay seal impression was recovered from the Treasury. Barely 2.5 centimeters across, it bears the crisp image of a warship, a rare and direct glimpse of how the Achaemenid court viewed its own naval strength.