In a monumental step toward preserving Iran’s cultural heritage, President Massoud Pezeshkian returned from New York with over 1,100 ancient clay tablets from the Achaemenid era. These artifacts, dating back more than 2,500 years, were successfully retrieved after extensive negotiations between Iranian officials and the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS) at the University of Chicago.
Historical Significance of the Tablets
The clay tablets, inscribed in Elamite, Aramaic, and cuneiform scripts, offer a rare glimpse into the administrative, economic, and social life of the Achaemenid Empire, one of the most powerful empires in history. Spanning regions from the Balkans and Egypt to India and Central Asia, the empire thrived under the reign of Darius I, famously known as Darius the Great.
These tablets provide valuable insights into:
- Wage systems and economic structures of ancient Persia
- Management of natural resources and infrastructure like roads
- Daily life essentials and societal organization
A Long-Awaited Return
The tablets had been on loan to the US for research purposes but were not returned as originally agreed. In 2006, a US federal court controversially ruled to auction the collection, though this decision was later overturned in an appeals court. After 85 years, the artifacts have finally made their way back to Iran, symbolizing a significant victory in the country’s effort to reclaim its historical treasures.
President Pezeshkian, attending the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, ensured the return of these priceless relics, calling them a “souvenir for the Iranian nation.” The tablets will be publicly displayed in two weeks, allowing Iranians and history enthusiasts worldwide to reconnect with this vital chapter of Persian history.
