Scope
Iranian antiquities from prehistory to the Islamic period.
History of the collection
Founded in 1937. Its Achaemenid holdings come substantially from the Persepolis and Susa excavations.
Collection notes
The Persepolis Fortification Archive, excavated in 1933, was loaned to the Oriental Institute in Chicago for study and became the subject of protracted litigation in the United States before tablets began returning to Iran in stages. The loan's history is part of the archive's record.