Persepolis : Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder

Persepolis: Discovery and Afterlife of a World Wonder presents the first full study of the history of archaeological exploration at Persepolis after its destruction in 330 BC. Based in part on archival evidence, anecdotal information, and unpublished documents, this book describes in detail the history of archaeological exploration, visual documentation, and excavations at one of the most celebrated sites of the ancient world. The book addresses a broad audience of readers ranging from students of the archaeology, history, and art history of ancient, medieval, and modern Iran to scholars in Classical Studies and Ancient Near Eastern Studies. Acknowledgements List of figures and plates Bibliographic abbreviations Foreword by David Stronach Introduction I. Persepolis: A survey of the site, its chronology and function The name The city The constructions on the Terrace The constructions outside the Terrace Problems of chronology The architectural history Function and other related problems II. Persepolis in Flames Textual evidence Archaeological evidence The burning of Persepolis: Facts, interpretations, and speculations Subsequent destructions of Persepolis III. From Parsa to Sad-Sotun: The Afterlife of Persepolis Begins Persepolis in the “dark age” of Fars IV. Takht-e Jamshid: The Transformation of a Historical Site into a Mythical Symbol V. In search of Persepolis: Western travellers’ explorations in Persia Early journeys to the ruins of Chelmenar The travellers of the Enlightenment VI Persepolis and the puzzle of the cuneiform inscriptions The query about the inscriptions at Chelmenar: Chardin and the Royal Society of England Niebuhr’s copies in Europe Grotefend and the decipherment of the Persepolitan scripts VII. The Nineteenth century and the emergence of archaeology The hunt for knowledge and antiquities: British diplomats in quest of sculptures Ker Porter, the romantic traveller Other travellers’ explorations of Persepolis in early Qajar Iran Illustrating Persepolis Photographing Persepolis Curzon and the first modern description of the ruins Weld-Blundell’s exploration VIII. Persepolis at the Dawn of Scientific Archaeology in Iran Early steps in the archaeology of Iran: An overview Persepolis in the early twentieth century Erich Schmidt and the excavations at Persepolis (1935-1939) IX. Forty Years of Research and Restoration at Takht-e Jamshid: 1939-1979 Krefter and the model of Persepolis Italian Restoration work and other surface studies at Persepolis 1964-1978 Tadjvidi and the excavation of the City of Parsa Afterword Bibliography Index Plates