Free Republic

TEHRAN (MNA) -- During the latest season of excavations of the northern gate of Takht-e Suleiman, an ancient Zoroastrian fire temple located in northwestern Iran, the stamps of two seals were discovered which indicate that objects entered Takht-e Suleiman from other regions with special tags attached to them which seem to be advertisements. They signify that an early form of advertising was being practiced during the Sassanid era (224-642 C.E.), Yusef Moradi, the head of the excavation team, said on Friday. “The team began its excavations in early August and found the stamps of two seals at the upper levels...

Secrets of an ancient Persian armada sunk off the coast of Greece 2500 years ago are being dredged up by modern archaeologists. A team from Greece, Canada and the United States has just completed a second expedition to retrieve artefacts from 300 ships of the Persian King Darius that were wrecked in a storm off the Mt Athos Peninsula, northern Greece, in 492BC or 493BC. Aucklanders will be among the first to hear the results today when three of the expedition leaders present their findings in a free public lecture at Auckland University. In two trips so far, last October...

The mausoleum of Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Empire, would be buttressed and renovated following its recent inscription on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List. The mausoleum is part of the Pasargadae historical site, added as Iran’s sixth entry on the list during the 28th Session of the World heritage Committee in China. It is one of the outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and an exceptional testimony of Persian Civilization. Dating back to 2,500 years ago, the burial chamber is surrounded by royal gardens and has been a sacred place ever since,...