Joint Irano-Italian Archaeological Mission at Persepolis

Since 2008 the activity of the Joint Irano-Italian Archaeological Mission has been shifted to Persepolis, in the Frame of the multidisciplinary project "From Palace to Town", which focusses also on documentation and conservation, The archaeological activity carried out in 2008 has regarded the exploration of the area of the urban settlement near the Achaemenid terrace, till now known only through sources and surface surveys. Six trial trenches were excavated, which brought to light important evidence of a large settlement, with abundant pottery and other materials. The work extends from the Achaemenid through the Islamic periods. The great interest of this activity, the first recent excavations at the UNESCO site of Persepolis, has been testified by the large support of the Iranian authorities.