TEHRAN – Iranian archaeologists conducting the 25th season of excavations at the UNESCO-listed ancient site of Hegmataneh in western Iran have uncovered an Achaemenid-era column base, remnants of medieval Islamic water management systems, and architectural remains dating to the Qajar and early Pahlavi periods, the excavation director said.
Yaghoub Mohammadifar, head of the excavation project and a professor of archaeology at Bu-Ali Sina University, said the discoveries were made during the first two weeks of fieldwork at the World Heritage site.
The excavation campaign is being carried out alongside geophysical surveys and mapping operations aimed at identifying buried structures and expanding archaeological data from the site, ISNA quoted Mohammadifar as saying on Thursday.
He said new trenches had been opened in different parts of the site to verify the results of geophysical studies and improve understanding of Hegmataneh’s architectural settlement pattern.
Some of the trenches were excavated along a surveyed axis near an area where evidence of architectural structures had previously been identified. Additional trenches were opened in the southeastern section of the site to assess geoelectrical survey data and determine the nature of recorded subsurface anomalies.
Mohammadifar said the trenches were laid out according to the excavation grid and standard dimensions, with their locations selected on the basis of geophysical survey results and the potential presence of buried architectural remains.
He said detailed documentation of archaeological layers and finds was being carried out through surveying and spatial data recording as excavations progressed. Preliminary results indicate significant potential for identifying additional architectural remains and improving understanding of the spatial organization of the ancient city.
As part of the research program, geoelectrical and ground-penetrating radar surveys were conducted in sections of the site to obtain information about subsurface layers and buried structures without extensive excavation.
Initial results from the surveys revealed anomalies that may be associated with walls, architectural spaces and other cultural features, Mohammadifar said.
Surveying operations were conducted using Total Station equipment and GPS technology to record trench locations, prepare base maps, document archaeological remains and create a spatial database for the site.
According to Mohammadifar, integrating geophysical data with excavation results will enable more targeted planning for future test pits and trenches and support the scientific management and conservation of the Hegmataneh World Heritage site.
He said the findings could contribute to a better understanding of the spatial organization of ancient Hegmataneh, the distribution of historical architecture and the reconstruction of the site’s historical landscape.
Excavation and supplementary investigations are continuing, and researchers expect additional discoveries that could provide further information about the history, physical structure and development of the ancient city.
Hegmataneh, known in classical sources as Ecbatana, was continuously inhabited for nearly 3,000 years. It provides evidence of the Median civilization of the seventh and sixth centuries BCE and later served as a summer capital for Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian rulers.
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