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Tiny Sasanian Bird Carving Discovered Beside a Pahlavi Inscription in Iran
A tiny Sasanian bird carving discovered beside a Pahlavi inscription in southern Iran may offer a rare glimpse into religious ideas during the empire’s final centuries. The carving was documented in the Marvdasht plain of Fars Province, close to a Pahlavi inscription associated with the salvation and fate of the soul. At only 3 by…
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9,000-Year-Old Reed Mat from Iran Reveals How Neolithic Homes Were Floored
A 9,000-year-old reed mat from Ali Kosh in western Iran preserves direct evidence of how one of the region’s earliest village communities prepared the floors of its mudbrick homes. The fragment, now held by the National Museum of Iran, measures only 13.5 by 22 centimeters. Its surface retains a regular woven pattern, while traces beneath…
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Newly Found Needle-Carved Portrait of a Sasanian King Emerges in Istakhr’s Cliffs
A finely incised, needle-carved image believed to represent a Sasanian king has been identified on the cliffs overlooking the ancient city of Istakhr in southern Iran, according to archaeologist Abolhassan Atabaki. The carving, faint yet deliberate, depicts a crowned ruler accompanied by a crescent moon, a star, and a crenellated diadem — motifs strongly associated…
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Massive Acheulean Site in Southern Iran Redraws Early Human Migration Map
Hormozgan’s 400-hectare Paleolithic hub proves region was a long-term homeland, not just a transit route, for Homo erectus-era populations. A sprawling Lower Paleolithic settlement uncovered in Hormozgan province is reshaping scholarly views on the timing and nature of human dispersal across the Iranian Plateau. Spanning an area three times the size of ancient Persepolis, the…
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World’s Smallest Ancient Inscription Discovered in Iran
A 1,600-Year-Old Sassanid Text No Bigger Than a Matchbox In the rocky hills of Marvdasht, Fars province, archaeologists have uncovered what is believed to be the smallest ancient inscription ever recorded. Measuring just 4 by 7 centimeters—roughly the size of a matchbox—the text was carved with a tool only half a millimeter thick. The discovery…