The Parsa Community Foundation Grant to the Persepolis Fortification Archive Project

The Persian Mirror reports on the Parsa Community Foundation grant to the Persepolis Fortification Archive Project.

For over 80 years, the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute has been a pioneer and innovator in exploring the world's earliest civilizations in the ancient Near East. In 1933, the Institute discovered thousands of clay tablets and fragments during their archeological excavations of historic sites in Iran. These ancient artifacts are on long-term loan from the government of Iran and were left in the Institute's care for purposes of translation, study and publication. They make up the Persepolis Fortification Archive (PFA) and constitute a rich source for the research of the history, languages, art and society of the 2,500 year-old Achaemenid Persian Empire. The artificats are in danger of being seized and put up for public auction to compensate plaintiffs in a private lawsuit against the government of Iran. The institute is operating under emergency conditions to prevent interruption of the preservation of these tablets and PARSA CF's continuing support will fund conservators in prompt delivery of digital photography, translation and editing. The University of Chicago is a second-time PARSA CF grantee and a model conservation effort.

This is the second time the Parsa Community Foundation has made a grant to the Persepolis Fortification Archive Project.