Bisotun bas-relief in Kermanshah, Iran.
Archaeologists have identified new words, while using light scanning technology to reread the text inscribed on the ancient Persian relief of Bisotun.
A team of Iranian-German archaeologists has initiated the new phase of investigation and rereading of the ancient inscription by applying the latest technology for the purpose.
The project, which is observed by Professor Wouter F.M. Henkelman of the German Archaeological Institute, is slated to be done in Takht-e Jamshid and Bisotun, as the new system of scanning allow archaeologists to have high-resolution documentation from structures and excavation surfaces, said Head of Bisotun World Heritage Center Mojtaba Raie.
Bisotun inscription was read about 100 years ago, but some parts were missed as they were covered by sediment, Raie explained.
Professor Henkelman is planning to prepare a complete report on these new achievements and will offer it in the next three months, Raie added.
Bisotun, which means ‘the place of god’ is an ancient relief with a multi-lingual inscription located on Mount Bisotun in Kermanshah Province of Iran, near the city of Kermanshah in western Iran.
The bas-relief, carved 300 feet above the ground exhibits one of the Achaemenid Persian Empire Darius’ ascension to the throne of Persia, his triumph over his enemies. A large inscription, which is approximately 15 meters high by 25 meters wide and 100 meters up a limestone cliff, also supplements this carving.
The inscription includes three versions of the same text with 414 lines in five columns, written in three different cuneiform script languages of Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian.
In 2012, the Bisotun Cultural Heritage Center organized an international effort to reexamine the inscription on the site, which was registered on UNESCO World Heritage list in 2006.