Iran - Shiraz

Expedition title
Franco-Iranian Shiraz Expedition.

Research topic
Land use and movement in the Achaemenid Empire.

Brief overview

The purpose of the Franco-Iranian “Shiraz” expedition, established in 1999, is to study two major Persian-Achaemenid sites in Fars - Pasargadae and Persepolis - which have become known for their spectacular architecture. Beyond the royal residences, the aim of the programme is to determine whether there was an actual city established at each site that would have served as an administrative and economic centre for the empire and for Fars - the birthplace of the dynasty. This programme was made possible through the desire of the Iranian heritage authorities for Pasargadae to follow in the footsteps of Persepolis and be designated a UNESCO heritage site, as part of which they were keen to arrange for the sites and their surroundings to be protected and enhanced.

Glossary

tepe: a Persian word, which, in archaeological terminology, refers to an artificial hill formed by the ruins of an adobe-brick settlement (same meaning as the Arab word “tell”).

gradiometer: the Caesium gradiometer is one of the pieces of equipment used in archaeology for magnetic survey. It uses receivers to measure local variations in the geomagnetic field linked to the magnetic properties of the soil (essentially the iron oxide content) and of archaeological structures.
By means of tests carried out on a regular survey grid, it is possible to identify and map structures that are buried in the ground in a non-destructive way.