88 cuneiform inscriptions discovered at Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat

A team of experts restoring the middle section of the ziggurat discovered the cuneiform inscriptions on the northeastern and southeastern walls.

“Only a few of the inscriptions are intact. The inscriptions were discovered when the workers were removing rubble from the bases of the walls,” team director Bijan Heidarizadeh said.

French archaeologist Roman Ghirshman had said nothing about the inscriptions in his studies on the ziggurat, he added.

With 300 papers and 20 books published, Ghirshman (1895–1979) was one of the most prolific and respected experts on ancient Iran. His studies on Chogha Zanbil have been printed in four volumes, which are still the most reliable sources on the ziggurat.

The team also discovered a drainspout in the ziggurat. The discovery disproves the theory posed in Ghirshman’s studies on the distances between the drainspouts of the ziggurat.

Chogha Zanbil was long considered the only surviving ziggurat in Iran, but excavations of Konar Sandal at the Jiroft ancient site in the southern Iranian province of Kerman have revealed that it is another ziggurat.

Chogha Zanbil is a major remnant of the Elamite civilization, which was constructed in the Elamite city of Dur Untash. It is located near Susa, the ancient capital of Elam, and was registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978.

Built about 1250 BC under the direction of the Elamite ruler Untash-Gal during the Middle Elamite period (c. 1500–c. 1000 BC), the complex was dedicated to Inshushinak (Insusinak), the bull-god of Susa. The square base of the ziggurat, 344 feet (105 meters) on each side, was built principally of brick and cement. It now stands 80 feet (24 meters) high, less than half its estimated original height.

MMS/HG

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MNA