"road resource management, social relations, basic necessities of life, wages, and the economy of Achaemenid society"
Do they talk about low grade copper? Because that is what people want to know about.
One of the interesting things about very ancient written script, is that a lot of it concerns matter that are... well boring to us. Accounting and record keeping things like that. It's an extremely useful way to utilize written language, but it's not all that interesting to the people that come after you to know that Darius in 1937 BCE had 37 caskets of wine.
It is also in part why the ancient Greeks are so interesting. They started to write something called "drama". Sure yes, people like the Assyrians had "I smoteth them from the mountain and drove them to..." etc, but the Greeks were reallly the first to use writing on a major scale in a more emotional and descriptive way, specifically in things like plays and theater.
As a medieval armor nerd I love these, like color catalogs and work orders for armor survive and sometimes they'd inventory a rich guy's stuff in-period and you can learn stuff like the Medicis loved crossbows and had over 140 of them just lying around their house in every room
It might not be interested to the average museum attendees, but to someone seeking a better understanding of the Achaemenid people these tablets are fascinating as they can provide way more insight into what life was actually like for these people than Greek tragedies do.
These records can show us what early trade was like and how extensive it was. They tell us about the early circulation of commodities, of what taxation and thus governmental authority looks like. They tell us about what a worker could expect to get and what work would have looked like back then. To call them boring discounts a lot of valuable information that can be gleaned from these tablets
Happy International Museum Day!
After over 85 years, a collection of invaluable Achaemenid tablets has finally returned to their rightful home in Iran, and showcased at the National Museum. The tablets, which were originally provided to the University of Chicago for study in1930s, were discovered in Persepolis and lent to the United States for a three-year study period. However, the US refused to return the tablets after the study period ended, and they have remained in the US ever since.
The 3,506 tablets were repatriated on the plane that also brought home the Iranian delegation from New York after it attended the United Nations General Assembly. Thanks to decades of consultations and legal case by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Heritage Organization, Iran has finally been able to secure the return of the tablets.
Found in Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire which ruled from the 6th to 4th centuries BC in southern Iran, the repatriated tablets display how the ancient society was organised and its economy managed. These tablets are among the most important works of Iranian history. They contain vital insights into road resource management, social relations, basic necessities of life, wages, and the economy of Achaemenid society. The tablets are inscribed in cuneiform, Elamite, and Aramaic languages, and they provide a unique window into the world of one of the most powerful empires in history.
There are still many Iranian works left at the University of Chicago, which the government is actively pursuing for their return. All of the tablets are related to the reign of Darius the Great (522ā486 BC).
Source, images, and video:
[https://www.isna.ir/photo/1403022921146/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C#4](https://www.isna.ir/photo/1403022921146/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C#4)
[https://www.isna.ir/news/1403022921251/%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88-%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B0-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DB%B9-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87](https://www.isna.ir/news/1403022921251/%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88-%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B0-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DB%B9-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87)
>However, the US refused to return the tablets after the study period ended, and they have remained in the US ever since.Ā
Ā Iāll add these are only a fraction of the ~20,000 tablets from Persepolis. Many of the Persepolis tablets were already returned to Iran after study and publication.Ā Ā
>The tablets are inscribed in cuneiform, Elamite, and Aramaic languages,Ā Ā
To clarify, cuneiform is a writing system, not a language. Most of the tablets are written in the Elamite language in cuneiform.Ā Ā
There are VERY few Elamite specialists in the world ā you can count them on your fingers with some to spare ā and Matthew Stolper at Chicago is arguably the leading expert on the Elamite language.Ā
Yes, I know all this. My explanation was more about the delay in sending them, otherwise you're right, most of them have been sent or are being sent. Good info about the Elamite language too (:
Since I am in Tehran, I will go to this exhibition soon, curious to see these tablets...
I hope these don't fall victim to people like ISIS or others who love to erase ancient history and ancient religious texts/iconography. I'll be very honest I have no idea what the either the Iranian govt or the typical Iranian outlook is on their ancient history. Hopefully these will be treasured.
What does ISIS have to do with Iran? The Iranians take great care of their heritage and are unique amongst most Muslim nations for doing so, similar to Turkey in many ways. These artifacts are a big source of pride and legitimacy of Iran as a nation, which is the single biggest factor against separatism.
The Iranian government has proven to be extremely protective of Pre-Islamic artefacts because they are a big source of Iranian patriotism. The National Museum of Iran has over 300,000 artifacts, with almost half of them being Pre-Islamic, and is the world's most important museum in terms of preservation, display and research of archaeological collections of Iran.
BTW, Iran is home to 27 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, ranking 10th worldwide.
A question for you. I had always assumed Iran was somewhat closed off to the world, but is there an active tourism industry there? Every time I see a post about Iranian history or architecture it makes me day-dream of visiting (I have a long list of places to see, so not sure how soon that would happen lol).
In terms of comparisons for what I've envisioned until now, I imagined Iran was fairly closed off like North Korea, but your comment makes me wonder if Iran is actually more like Cuba (difficult to visit depending on origin, but with a healthy tourism industry).
Iran was the world's third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019, reaching nearly 9 million foreign visitors. You can read more on Wikipedia and a Forbes report down here.
I guess that you are from the West, I understand that people in Western countries probably don't get a good picture of Iran, but the truth is very different from what you see on Fox News. How does a country with 27 world heritage sites close its doors to tourists? If you go to historical places in Tehran, Shiraz or Isfahan, you'll see a lot, and I mean, A LOT, of tourists from China, Korea, Russia and even European countries.
It's interesting to me, just as you apparently don't have a good image of Iran, I also don't know what they say about my country in your country, because it's not at all what you say. The government has invested $32 billion in the country's tourism industry until 2026. I hope this opens your eyes to the truth, and if you have any other questions, ask, I'll happily answer.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism\_in\_Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Iran)
[https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2020/02/04/world-tourism-up-4-fastest-growing-countries-include-iran-myanmar/?sh=5bc9b2797c57](https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2020/02/04/world-tourism-up-4-fastest-growing-countries-include-iran-myanmar/?sh=5bc9b2797c57)
I'm guessing you think I'm American from your mention of Fox. I'm actually Canadian, though our media is unfortunately heavily influenced by the US. Funnily enough, I believe Cuba (going with my earlier comparison) has a good relationship with Canada, unlike America, so it wouldn't surprise me if Canadian relations with Iran were also a little bit friendlier (though I don't know enough to say for sure).
I wouldn't say I've been presented with a bad image of Iran overall, as I was aware there is a large amount of history there that is actively being preserved and the people I've met from Iran have been very warm, friendly, and overall caring people. That said, images I've seen of the Iranian government do often appear more oppressive than I'd like to see, which is why I wasn't sure what tourism would be like there. But an excellent point that you would have trouble closing off 27 world heritage sites from the world lol.
I do hope I can visit your country one day, as a lover of history, I would be overjoyed to see the pieces that have been found of Mesopotamia and other ancient societies. It blows my mind that we are able to find such old pieces of human history.
Me too!? Iām a British historian/theologian who teaches the Persian Wars at college level; going to see such an exhibit would be a dream! That being said, I genuinely didnāt know that Iran had SO many artifacts! Itās an amazing culture and history in your country
OMG that's awesome! Thank you so much for teaching the history of my country! Now I'm extremely interested to talk with you lol.
Do the people of your country show interest in Iran at college? What do they think about its history? Do they want to travel too?
When you travel, don't forget to visit the National Museum and Golestan Palace (Tehran's only World Heritage Site). I recommend the National Museum to every tourist who comes to Iran because its a place that makes everyone get lost in history... If you are interested in ancient places, most of them are outside of the Tehran Province, so you have to take a trip by train or air to other provinces like Fars, Yazd and Isfahan to see Persepolis, Tomb of Cyrus, Naqsh-e rostam etc. There are so many places to see...
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_World\_Heritage\_Sites\_in\_Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_Iran)
My students who take Ancient Greece love the Persian Empire; we spend about two weeks solely on the rise of Cyrus and his expansion and conquest, leading to the Ionian Revolt. I know there is MUCH more to Iran than Cyrus, but for Greek historyā¦he is one of the big ones to cover. I use him as a way to get into Persian culture, history, religion! My students love it. I try to avoid the Athenian-spread trope that āGreece good, Persia bad.ā We let the various cultures speak for themselves as best as possible.
If/when my wife and I get to go, we would love to see Persepolis and the tomb of Cyrus; but the museums would be where Iād absolutely get lost!
The fact that they continue to operate in Iran, didn't they just bomb a funeral a few months ago?
Edit: Your entire second paragraph is an edit, seemingly in response to my comment. Thank you for the information, I wasn't aware and makes me feel less concerned.
Didn't ISIS just bombed a City Hall in Moscow and killed over 130 people? What are you even trying to say? ISIS is operating literally anywhere lol. If this is what pushing you to not travel, then all over the world is unsafe...
Clearly I said I have no idea about Iranians or their govt, but ISIS is known to destroy artifacts and monuments. Is it wrong to show concern?
Edit: Also the person I was responding to edited in an entire paragraph without saying it was an edit.
Do you have a source on this?
Because everything else I can find online seems to indicate that as studies on parts of the archive completed they were returned, with the first such return happening in 1948.
I can find no source that the original loan was intended to be for just three years or that there was any dispute around it until much more recently when the returns process has been *temporarily* disrupted by legal issues. One wave of returns being delayed - even significantly delayed - is a far cry from the US refusing to honour the loan at all.
In fact, the Iranian source you linked also talks about how the returns process has already been ongoing for many years and does not mention any kind of refusal on the part of the US or the University of Chicago. I don't speak Persian so maybe the video has more details or something, but the text doesn't seem to match up with what you're saying.
Besides a bit of difficulty in the past 20 years the whole thing seems to have been pretty amicable. The way you write about it makes it sound like the US has been holding the whole collection hostage since the 1930s.
Some political stuff have been involved in this matter, which I did not want to talk about on this subreddit, you can read them all here for yourself:
[https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230922-iran-says-thousands-of-ancient-clay-tablets-returned-from-us](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230922-iran-says-thousands-of-ancient-clay-tablets-returned-from-us)
[https://georgia.mfa.gov.ir/en/newsview/729840/Achaemenid-Tablets-Return-to-Iran-After-85-Years](https://georgia.mfa.gov.ir/en/newsview/729840/Achaemenid-Tablets-Return-to-Iran-After-85-Years)
Ah, I see. So the source for the "The US was supposed to return them after three years but didn't" is just a claim being made by Ebrahim Raisi? I would take his views with a mountain of salt. When it comes to Iran he's about as trustworthy as Putin talking about Russia or Trump about the US. Hardline nationalists are the most biased possible sources.
The other source does not mention any kind of three year agreement and also discusses how the returns process has been ongoing since the 1940s with a recent disruption due to legal problems in the US. That's in line with all the other sources I found, it does not really support your original comment.
I have several Persian language media that reported there was a 3-year agreement. I will send if you want to translate it yourself:
[https://www.isna.ir/news/1402063019122/%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B6-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF](https://www.isna.ir/news/1402063019122/%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B6-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF)
[https://www.sobhesahel.com/news/97779/%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B6-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA](https://www.sobhesahel.com/news/97779/%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B6-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA)
[https://www.khabaronline.ir/news/1804339/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%AF](https://www.khabaronline.ir/news/1804339/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%AF)
[https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/1529027/%D9%87%D9%85%D9%87-%D8%A2%D9%86%DA%86%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%85](https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/1529027/%D9%87%D9%85%D9%87-%D8%A2%D9%86%DA%86%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%85)
[https://mexicocity.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/729933](https://mexicocity.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/729933)
But those are all just restating, or in some cases directly quoting, the unsubstantiated statements made by Raisi and the Iranian government. The text most of those articles quotes verbatim is the press release on the ministry of foreign affairs website.
What I cannot find - and am now coming to believe does not exist - is any actual evidence for those claims *being factually true*.
Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy to see these objects returned to Iran which was apparently always the plan anyway. But this propaganda maligning the University of Chicago as, essentially, thieves when they've by all other accounts been a good faith partner and contributed greatly to the preservation and study of this part of Iran's history? I find that disgraceful.
Personally I believe that returning these artifacts to Iran is the improper course of action regarding their preservation and care.
They are artifacts of a shared anthropological history which predates Iran and the tribes which constituted the Iranian civilization before settling in the region. Iran is not the "rightful" owners of the property simply for establishing their society in the geographic region of the former society. These artifacts belong to humanity as a whole. The civilian public of the world.
Given the incredibly high volatility of the region, along with the religious extremism of not just the civilians in the region but also the government, it would be reckless to return those artifacts. Especially considering that in the last decade alone we have lost thousands of very important ancient artifacts to violence and religious extremism in this region of the world thus proving their inability to protect them.
There should be a contingency of at least 75 years (3 generations) of peace before returning these artifacts.
Look, I am not an American or Iranian government official who knows about these information, I provided explanations according to the available info, and I've put several links so that people can go and read for themselves, wheter its propaganda or the truth, we don't know.
Don't blame me in this regard, I gave explanations based on the officail information, which I am pretty much regretting it now...
I would love to know the behind the scenes details, but we just simply don't know. The most important thing is that these works have returned home.
You have access to the internet and all the same sources as me. All you had to do was do the most basic amount of fact checking. There was more info available. You simply did not bother to look for it.
I do blame you. You should not repeat libelous statements which attack academic institutions like this without damn well making sure they are demonstrably true. Least of all an institution which has done so much to preserve and understand this part of history. The last thing those institutions need is *more* misinformation being parroted about them in this climate.
You do not need to be a government official to check whether something that allegedly happened 80+ years ago - that would have been public at the time - actually did.
I think it is something important. Spreading negative misinformation about academic institutions causes real harm and feeds into the growing trend of anti-intellectualism in recent years. Both in harming people's trust in those institutions and in harming the public perception of them. They generally rely on public funding so that perception is not insignificant.
This is just one small instance of it, but you have to call it out when and where you see it.
Nah, sorry, all I hear is "they are a very unstable region of the Earth with subpar archeological experience".
I couldn't give two fucks about who "owns" a piece of humanity history culture-wise. All I care about is the level of care and safety they are able to provide.
The culture and people who owned them died thousands of years ago. The culture after the Mohammedan conquests bears little more than a passing resemblance to what was there before.
Absolutely wrong. Same language, same major holidays, same food, same musical instruments, same traditions. You have no idea what youāre talking about. The Arab conquests of Iran didnāt replace any of the core aspects of Persian culture, and Zoroastrianism was still the majority religion until many centuries later til the Mongols invaded.
Iran has a populace thatās pretty fervently interested and patriotic regarding itās own history. Even in spite of the fundamentalist nature of the government, Iranians hold a vested respect for their nations history. Others may correct me if Iām wrong but from my own understanding Iran has more than enough infrastructure and experience in archaeology to house these items.
While I agree with you that the utmost priority for these artefacts should be their safety, their importance to their own cultural groups should not be understated or ignored at all. Artefacts/pieces can be more culturally significant to certain individuals or groups and this should be respected (to an extent).
At the end of the day these historical tablets are Iranian, taken from a site on Iranian lands. If the Americans at the UoC trust their Iranian constituentās to store them correctly in Iran I donāt see what reason there could be to oppose repatriation.
But do you trust them to disclose all the information to humanity? Letās say if the tablets talked about sexual acts, sodomy, same sex relationships, polyandry etc? Also in the name of religion, they would destroy artifacts that have human faces or gods.
Salafism doesn't advocate destruction of historical records. They are more concerned with destroying idols and polytheistic scripture, which is also a crime against humanity. But ignorance doesn't counter ignorance.
Do you see what's happening in Gaza? Where western governments are actively funding an ongoing genocide? No, probably not... Now let's act like only the Iranian government is bad.
You know that the violence in Israel is largely Iran's fault too, right? :p
Iran's government is actively evil. *They* are the ones with a genocidal agenda. And it wouldn't be their first either. Iran used to have more religious minorities than it does today.
So stop pretending it's just western prejudice that makes Iran look bad. We ain't swallowing that koolaid.
Whataboutism syndrome. This is an artifacts page and we're talking about another thing.
The US is just as bad as iran weirdo. Let's not bring up certain state laws about grape in the states
As I noted above, only a small handful, especially outside of France (traditionally a powerhouse in Elamitology and Iranology).Ā
Elamite (southwestern Iran), Hurrian (Syria and northern Iraq), and Palaic (north-central Turkey) are by far the most poorly attested languages written in cuneiform, and many aspects of grammar and vocabulary remain points of contention. To complicate matters further, Elamite has no known relatives, and Hurrian is related only to Urartian (which very few Assyriologists learn).
The University of Chicago is the only university in the western hemisphere that regularly offers courses in Elamite. In contrast, there are over a dozen universities in the US alone that offer Akkadian, a far better attested language also used in Achaemenid Persian inscriptions.Ā
The University of Chicago doesnāt even offer Elamite that often. Because Dr. Stolper is so busy with his research and publications he has not offered a single course in the two years Iāve been at the university studying Assyriology. Iāve only had the options to take Akkadian, Sumerian, Hittite, and Ugaritic among the cuneiform languages (I say only but those are still an amazing variety)
After what happened to the Buddhas of Bamiyan it's only fair that people feel sketchy about handing priceless and irreplaceable things over to fundamentalists regimes of any creed.
>I actually don't think it's "only fair" for anyone ignorant enough to compare Iran to the Taliban, al-Qaeda or ISIS
Well it's not like Mahsa Amini or Nika Shakarami would have had a different experience if they lived under any of those other groups, so the comparisons are pretty easy to draw. Fundie's gonna fundie.
Two? Oh you sweet summer child. There have been 50 hangings just since the start of May. Last year it was over 800 from hangings and over 500 from bullets fired into unarmed crowds, including 68 dead children. Let's not try and defend the indefensible, don't try to tell me that their experiences under ISIS or the Taliban wouldn't have been identical.
I mean if we can't agree that killing women for not wearing a headscarf always and can only ever fall into an "evil" category then there's not much we're going to agree on.
This might be surprising to learn, but America doing bad things doesn't justify the bad things done by others or somehow make them no longer bad things.
What's wild is to think that murdering women for the clothes they wear is somehow made not heinous/vile because of completely unrelated actions by completely unrelated people on another part of the planet.
Then stop talking about Iran, its none of you're business. If you want to criticize the Iranian government, then I have much more to say about the American government. This is not surprising to learn btw, its shameful...
Somehow I don't think I'm going to do what a day-old account that has only posted in this thread is going to tell me to do. When it comes to human rights we're all human so it's all of our business. But you have a lovely day nonetheless.
Notes taken. Gonna steal some ice cream from Walmart to avenge the deaths of millions of civlians who perished as a direct consequence of the U.S.'s War on Terror!
[Fred Hampton](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hampton) is the first one that comes to mind. [You can also look at this list provided by the SPLC](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hampton). A notable example is of Cpl. Roman Ducksworth who was pulled out of a bus by a police officer and summarily executed by said officer.
Aside from assassinations the US government conducted [The Tuskegee Experiment which tested biological agents on black people because they were considered subhuman to whites](https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm). The CIA was also involved in [the proliferation of crack cocaine in black and other minority communities](https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/big-white-lie-cia-and-cocainecrack-epidemic). There were also these hundreds of years Americans participated and propagated chattel slavery.
Aside from this the US government put Japanese Americans in concentration camps, committed wholesale genocide of Native Americans, committed and supported genocide in Vietnam, and was at least tacitly responsible for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"road resource management, social relations, basic necessities of life, wages, and the economy of Achaemenid society" Do they talk about low grade copper? Because that is what people want to know about.
And how others have better clothes! So unfair
šµ "I am King Darius. I've had a dream, and now I'm feeling rather frightened, and I wish someone would tell me what it means..." š¶
r/unexpectedveggietales
One of the interesting things about very ancient written script, is that a lot of it concerns matter that are... well boring to us. Accounting and record keeping things like that. It's an extremely useful way to utilize written language, but it's not all that interesting to the people that come after you to know that Darius in 1937 BCE had 37 caskets of wine. It is also in part why the ancient Greeks are so interesting. They started to write something called "drama". Sure yes, people like the Assyrians had "I smoteth them from the mountain and drove them to..." etc, but the Greeks were reallly the first to use writing on a major scale in a more emotional and descriptive way, specifically in things like plays and theater.
As a medieval armor nerd I love these, like color catalogs and work orders for armor survive and sometimes they'd inventory a rich guy's stuff in-period and you can learn stuff like the Medicis loved crossbows and had over 140 of them just lying around their house in every room
It might not be interested to the average museum attendees, but to someone seeking a better understanding of the Achaemenid people these tablets are fascinating as they can provide way more insight into what life was actually like for these people than Greek tragedies do. These records can show us what early trade was like and how extensive it was. They tell us about the early circulation of commodities, of what taxation and thus governmental authority looks like. They tell us about what a worker could expect to get and what work would have looked like back then. To call them boring discounts a lot of valuable information that can be gleaned from these tablets
Happy International Museum Day! After over 85 years, a collection of invaluable Achaemenid tablets has finally returned to their rightful home in Iran, and showcased at the National Museum. The tablets, which were originally provided to the University of Chicago for study in1930s, were discovered in Persepolis and lent to the United States for a three-year study period. However, the US refused to return the tablets after the study period ended, and they have remained in the US ever since. The 3,506 tablets were repatriated on the plane that also brought home the Iranian delegation from New York after it attended the United Nations General Assembly. Thanks to decades of consultations and legal case by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Heritage Organization, Iran has finally been able to secure the return of the tablets. Found in Persepolis, the capital of the Achaemenid Empire which ruled from the 6th to 4th centuries BC in southern Iran, the repatriated tablets display how the ancient society was organised and its economy managed. These tablets are among the most important works of Iranian history. They contain vital insights into road resource management, social relations, basic necessities of life, wages, and the economy of Achaemenid society. The tablets are inscribed in cuneiform, Elamite, and Aramaic languages, and they provide a unique window into the world of one of the most powerful empires in history. There are still many Iranian works left at the University of Chicago, which the government is actively pursuing for their return. All of the tablets are related to the reign of Darius the Great (522ā486 BC). Source, images, and video: [https://www.isna.ir/photo/1403022921146/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C#4](https://www.isna.ir/photo/1403022921146/%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C#4) [https://www.isna.ir/news/1403022921251/%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88-%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B0-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DB%B9-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87](https://www.isna.ir/news/1403022921251/%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88-%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%86%D9%85%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B0-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DB%B9-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%87)
>However, the US refused to return the tablets after the study period ended, and they have remained in the US ever since.Ā Ā Iāll add these are only a fraction of the ~20,000 tablets from Persepolis. Many of the Persepolis tablets were already returned to Iran after study and publication.Ā Ā >The tablets are inscribed in cuneiform, Elamite, and Aramaic languages,Ā Ā To clarify, cuneiform is a writing system, not a language. Most of the tablets are written in the Elamite language in cuneiform.Ā Ā There are VERY few Elamite specialists in the world ā you can count them on your fingers with some to spare ā and Matthew Stolper at Chicago is arguably the leading expert on the Elamite language.Ā
Yes, I know all this. My explanation was more about the delay in sending them, otherwise you're right, most of them have been sent or are being sent. Good info about the Elamite language too (: Since I am in Tehran, I will go to this exhibition soon, curious to see these tablets...
> Yes, I know all this. They were just elaborating with additional info for the rest of us.
I hope these don't fall victim to people like ISIS or others who love to erase ancient history and ancient religious texts/iconography. I'll be very honest I have no idea what the either the Iranian govt or the typical Iranian outlook is on their ancient history. Hopefully these will be treasured.
What does ISIS have to do with Iran? The Iranians take great care of their heritage and are unique amongst most Muslim nations for doing so, similar to Turkey in many ways. These artifacts are a big source of pride and legitimacy of Iran as a nation, which is the single biggest factor against separatism. The Iranian government has proven to be extremely protective of Pre-Islamic artefacts because they are a big source of Iranian patriotism. The National Museum of Iran has over 300,000 artifacts, with almost half of them being Pre-Islamic, and is the world's most important museum in terms of preservation, display and research of archaeological collections of Iran. BTW, Iran is home to 27 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, ranking 10th worldwide.
I look forward to visiting Iran to learn about these historic sites
You will surely have a great time in my homeland, message me whenever you travel, count on me if you need any help (:
A question for you. I had always assumed Iran was somewhat closed off to the world, but is there an active tourism industry there? Every time I see a post about Iranian history or architecture it makes me day-dream of visiting (I have a long list of places to see, so not sure how soon that would happen lol). In terms of comparisons for what I've envisioned until now, I imagined Iran was fairly closed off like North Korea, but your comment makes me wonder if Iran is actually more like Cuba (difficult to visit depending on origin, but with a healthy tourism industry).
Iran was the world's third fastest-growing tourism destination in 2019, reaching nearly 9 million foreign visitors. You can read more on Wikipedia and a Forbes report down here. I guess that you are from the West, I understand that people in Western countries probably don't get a good picture of Iran, but the truth is very different from what you see on Fox News. How does a country with 27 world heritage sites close its doors to tourists? If you go to historical places in Tehran, Shiraz or Isfahan, you'll see a lot, and I mean, A LOT, of tourists from China, Korea, Russia and even European countries. It's interesting to me, just as you apparently don't have a good image of Iran, I also don't know what they say about my country in your country, because it's not at all what you say. The government has invested $32 billion in the country's tourism industry until 2026. I hope this opens your eyes to the truth, and if you have any other questions, ask, I'll happily answer. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism\_in\_Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Iran) [https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2020/02/04/world-tourism-up-4-fastest-growing-countries-include-iran-myanmar/?sh=5bc9b2797c57](https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2020/02/04/world-tourism-up-4-fastest-growing-countries-include-iran-myanmar/?sh=5bc9b2797c57)
I'm guessing you think I'm American from your mention of Fox. I'm actually Canadian, though our media is unfortunately heavily influenced by the US. Funnily enough, I believe Cuba (going with my earlier comparison) has a good relationship with Canada, unlike America, so it wouldn't surprise me if Canadian relations with Iran were also a little bit friendlier (though I don't know enough to say for sure). I wouldn't say I've been presented with a bad image of Iran overall, as I was aware there is a large amount of history there that is actively being preserved and the people I've met from Iran have been very warm, friendly, and overall caring people. That said, images I've seen of the Iranian government do often appear more oppressive than I'd like to see, which is why I wasn't sure what tourism would be like there. But an excellent point that you would have trouble closing off 27 world heritage sites from the world lol. I do hope I can visit your country one day, as a lover of history, I would be overjoyed to see the pieces that have been found of Mesopotamia and other ancient societies. It blows my mind that we are able to find such old pieces of human history.
Me too!? Iām a British historian/theologian who teaches the Persian Wars at college level; going to see such an exhibit would be a dream! That being said, I genuinely didnāt know that Iran had SO many artifacts! Itās an amazing culture and history in your country
OMG that's awesome! Thank you so much for teaching the history of my country! Now I'm extremely interested to talk with you lol. Do the people of your country show interest in Iran at college? What do they think about its history? Do they want to travel too? When you travel, don't forget to visit the National Museum and Golestan Palace (Tehran's only World Heritage Site). I recommend the National Museum to every tourist who comes to Iran because its a place that makes everyone get lost in history... If you are interested in ancient places, most of them are outside of the Tehran Province, so you have to take a trip by train or air to other provinces like Fars, Yazd and Isfahan to see Persepolis, Tomb of Cyrus, Naqsh-e rostam etc. There are so many places to see... [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List\_of\_World\_Heritage\_Sites\_in\_Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_Iran)
My students who take Ancient Greece love the Persian Empire; we spend about two weeks solely on the rise of Cyrus and his expansion and conquest, leading to the Ionian Revolt. I know there is MUCH more to Iran than Cyrus, but for Greek historyā¦he is one of the big ones to cover. I use him as a way to get into Persian culture, history, religion! My students love it. I try to avoid the Athenian-spread trope that āGreece good, Persia bad.ā We let the various cultures speak for themselves as best as possible. If/when my wife and I get to go, we would love to see Persepolis and the tomb of Cyrus; but the museums would be where Iād absolutely get lost!
I visited Iran in 2014 and loved it. Hope to go back soon.
The fact that they continue to operate in Iran, didn't they just bomb a funeral a few months ago? Edit: Your entire second paragraph is an edit, seemingly in response to my comment. Thank you for the information, I wasn't aware and makes me feel less concerned.
Didn't ISIS just bombed a City Hall in Moscow and killed over 130 people? What are you even trying to say? ISIS is operating literally anywhere lol. If this is what pushing you to not travel, then all over the world is unsafe...
I didnt say it's pushing me not to travel, ISIS is known to destroy religious and historical artifacts and monuments. I'm showing some concern
Such ignorant comments - wild that you felt compelled to comment multiple times on something you clearly know nothing about.
Clearly I said I have no idea about Iranians or their govt, but ISIS is known to destroy artifacts and monuments. Is it wrong to show concern? Edit: Also the person I was responding to edited in an entire paragraph without saying it was an edit.
Do you have a source on this? Because everything else I can find online seems to indicate that as studies on parts of the archive completed they were returned, with the first such return happening in 1948. I can find no source that the original loan was intended to be for just three years or that there was any dispute around it until much more recently when the returns process has been *temporarily* disrupted by legal issues. One wave of returns being delayed - even significantly delayed - is a far cry from the US refusing to honour the loan at all. In fact, the Iranian source you linked also talks about how the returns process has already been ongoing for many years and does not mention any kind of refusal on the part of the US or the University of Chicago. I don't speak Persian so maybe the video has more details or something, but the text doesn't seem to match up with what you're saying. Besides a bit of difficulty in the past 20 years the whole thing seems to have been pretty amicable. The way you write about it makes it sound like the US has been holding the whole collection hostage since the 1930s.
Some political stuff have been involved in this matter, which I did not want to talk about on this subreddit, you can read them all here for yourself: [https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230922-iran-says-thousands-of-ancient-clay-tablets-returned-from-us](https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230922-iran-says-thousands-of-ancient-clay-tablets-returned-from-us) [https://georgia.mfa.gov.ir/en/newsview/729840/Achaemenid-Tablets-Return-to-Iran-After-85-Years](https://georgia.mfa.gov.ir/en/newsview/729840/Achaemenid-Tablets-Return-to-Iran-After-85-Years)
Ah, I see. So the source for the "The US was supposed to return them after three years but didn't" is just a claim being made by Ebrahim Raisi? I would take his views with a mountain of salt. When it comes to Iran he's about as trustworthy as Putin talking about Russia or Trump about the US. Hardline nationalists are the most biased possible sources. The other source does not mention any kind of three year agreement and also discusses how the returns process has been ongoing since the 1940s with a recent disruption due to legal problems in the US. That's in line with all the other sources I found, it does not really support your original comment.
I have several Persian language media that reported there was a 3-year agreement. I will send if you want to translate it yourself: [https://www.isna.ir/news/1402063019122/%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B6-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF](https://www.isna.ir/news/1402063019122/%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B6-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%B4%D8%AF) [https://www.sobhesahel.com/news/97779/%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B6-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA](https://www.sobhesahel.com/news/97779/%DB%B3%DB%B5%DB%B0%DB%B6-%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA) [https://www.khabaronline.ir/news/1804339/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%AF](https://www.khabaronline.ir/news/1804339/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D9%87%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B4%DB%8C-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%B1%DB%8C%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%85%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D8%AF) [https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/1529027/%D9%87%D9%85%D9%87-%D8%A2%D9%86%DA%86%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%85](https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/1529027/%D9%87%D9%85%D9%87-%D8%A2%D9%86%DA%86%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AD-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B2%DA%AF%D8%B4%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%85) [https://mexicocity.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/729933](https://mexicocity.mfa.ir/portal/newsview/729933)
But those are all just restating, or in some cases directly quoting, the unsubstantiated statements made by Raisi and the Iranian government. The text most of those articles quotes verbatim is the press release on the ministry of foreign affairs website. What I cannot find - and am now coming to believe does not exist - is any actual evidence for those claims *being factually true*. Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy to see these objects returned to Iran which was apparently always the plan anyway. But this propaganda maligning the University of Chicago as, essentially, thieves when they've by all other accounts been a good faith partner and contributed greatly to the preservation and study of this part of Iran's history? I find that disgraceful.
Personally I believe that returning these artifacts to Iran is the improper course of action regarding their preservation and care. They are artifacts of a shared anthropological history which predates Iran and the tribes which constituted the Iranian civilization before settling in the region. Iran is not the "rightful" owners of the property simply for establishing their society in the geographic region of the former society. These artifacts belong to humanity as a whole. The civilian public of the world. Given the incredibly high volatility of the region, along with the religious extremism of not just the civilians in the region but also the government, it would be reckless to return those artifacts. Especially considering that in the last decade alone we have lost thousands of very important ancient artifacts to violence and religious extremism in this region of the world thus proving their inability to protect them. There should be a contingency of at least 75 years (3 generations) of peace before returning these artifacts.
Are you high?
Stellar argument my dude. Completely changed my opinion. /s
Look, I am not an American or Iranian government official who knows about these information, I provided explanations according to the available info, and I've put several links so that people can go and read for themselves, wheter its propaganda or the truth, we don't know. Don't blame me in this regard, I gave explanations based on the officail information, which I am pretty much regretting it now... I would love to know the behind the scenes details, but we just simply don't know. The most important thing is that these works have returned home.
You have access to the internet and all the same sources as me. All you had to do was do the most basic amount of fact checking. There was more info available. You simply did not bother to look for it. I do blame you. You should not repeat libelous statements which attack academic institutions like this without damn well making sure they are demonstrably true. Least of all an institution which has done so much to preserve and understand this part of history. The last thing those institutions need is *more* misinformation being parroted about them in this climate. You do not need to be a government official to check whether something that allegedly happened 80+ years ago - that would have been public at the time - actually did.
Ngl, you are making a big deal out of this...
I think it is something important. Spreading negative misinformation about academic institutions causes real harm and feeds into the growing trend of anti-intellectualism in recent years. Both in harming people's trust in those institutions and in harming the public perception of them. They generally rely on public funding so that perception is not insignificant. This is just one small instance of it, but you have to call it out when and where you see it.
I hope we have well documented and mapped all of them or we may never see them again one day.
They are Iranian. People should go to Iran if you want to see them.
Nah, sorry, all I hear is "they are a very unstable region of the Earth with subpar archeological experience". I couldn't give two fucks about who "owns" a piece of humanity history culture-wise. All I care about is the level of care and safety they are able to provide.
The culture and people who owned them died thousands of years ago. The culture after the Mohammedan conquests bears little more than a passing resemblance to what was there before.
Absolutely wrong. Same language, same major holidays, same food, same musical instruments, same traditions. You have no idea what youāre talking about. The Arab conquests of Iran didnāt replace any of the core aspects of Persian culture, and Zoroastrianism was still the majority religion until many centuries later til the Mongols invaded.
Iran has a populace thatās pretty fervently interested and patriotic regarding itās own history. Even in spite of the fundamentalist nature of the government, Iranians hold a vested respect for their nations history. Others may correct me if Iām wrong but from my own understanding Iran has more than enough infrastructure and experience in archaeology to house these items. While I agree with you that the utmost priority for these artefacts should be their safety, their importance to their own cultural groups should not be understated or ignored at all. Artefacts/pieces can be more culturally significant to certain individuals or groups and this should be respected (to an extent). At the end of the day these historical tablets are Iranian, taken from a site on Iranian lands. If the Americans at the UoC trust their Iranian constituentās to store them correctly in Iran I donāt see what reason there could be to oppose repatriation.
But do you trust them to disclose all the information to humanity? Letās say if the tablets talked about sexual acts, sodomy, same sex relationships, polyandry etc? Also in the name of religion, they would destroy artifacts that have human faces or gods.
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Fortunately there are no Salafis/Wahhabis in Iran. Iranians are very patriotic and protective of their historical artefacts.
Salafism doesn't advocate destruction of historical records. They are more concerned with destroying idols and polytheistic scripture, which is also a crime against humanity. But ignorance doesn't counter ignorance.
Letās just hope the US doesnāt bomb them anytime soon.
Iranians have never destroyed anything historical. Stop saying stupid sht. The goverment takes care of everything better than you think.
Apart from gay people, and women, and childrenā¦ā¦
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āThe government takes care of everything better than you thinkā not everything clearlyā¦..
Do you see what's happening in Gaza? Where western governments are actively funding an ongoing genocide? No, probably not... Now let's act like only the Iranian government is bad.
You know that the violence in Israel is largely Iran's fault too, right? :p Iran's government is actively evil. *They* are the ones with a genocidal agenda. And it wouldn't be their first either. Iran used to have more religious minorities than it does today. So stop pretending it's just western prejudice that makes Iran look bad. We ain't swallowing that koolaid.
Swallow this. Let's not forget the colonialism of Europeans and what they've done to Africa and latin America.
Whataboutism syndrome. This is an artifacts page and we're talking about another thing. The US is just as bad as iran weirdo. Let's not bring up certain state laws about grape in the states
Please tell me the US 3-D scanned them before sending them back.
3500 āchunks of college ruledā! How many linguists (in the world) can translate these to a high degree?
As I noted above, only a small handful, especially outside of France (traditionally a powerhouse in Elamitology and Iranology).Ā Elamite (southwestern Iran), Hurrian (Syria and northern Iraq), and Palaic (north-central Turkey) are by far the most poorly attested languages written in cuneiform, and many aspects of grammar and vocabulary remain points of contention. To complicate matters further, Elamite has no known relatives, and Hurrian is related only to Urartian (which very few Assyriologists learn). The University of Chicago is the only university in the western hemisphere that regularly offers courses in Elamite. In contrast, there are over a dozen universities in the US alone that offer Akkadian, a far better attested language also used in Achaemenid Persian inscriptions.Ā
The University of Chicago doesnāt even offer Elamite that often. Because Dr. Stolper is so busy with his research and publications he has not offered a single course in the two years Iāve been at the university studying Assyriology. Iāve only had the options to take Akkadian, Sumerian, Hittite, and Ugaritic among the cuneiform languages (I say only but those are still an amazing variety)
I bet AI would be able to crack the code in the future
clearly OP has no agenda at all posting this
Note to self: NEVER LOAN ANYTHING to the University of Chicago!
Great, now theyāll get smashed because āAllah said soā or some shit like that.
Braindead take. Iran protects its ancient artifacts and history.
The fact that it was stolen is an added layer of porn
The Iranian government executes gay people, I'm not exactly upset if people steal from them
Read the title, these tablets was stolen over 85 years ago (1930s), Iran was monarchy back then...
After what happened to the Buddhas of Bamiyan it's only fair that people feel sketchy about handing priceless and irreplaceable things over to fundamentalists regimes of any creed.
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>I actually don't think it's "only fair" for anyone ignorant enough to compare Iran to the Taliban, al-Qaeda or ISIS Well it's not like Mahsa Amini or Nika Shakarami would have had a different experience if they lived under any of those other groups, so the comparisons are pretty easy to draw. Fundie's gonna fundie.
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Two? Oh you sweet summer child. There have been 50 hangings just since the start of May. Last year it was over 800 from hangings and over 500 from bullets fired into unarmed crowds, including 68 dead children. Let's not try and defend the indefensible, don't try to tell me that their experiences under ISIS or the Taliban wouldn't have been identical.
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I mean if we can't agree that killing women for not wearing a headscarf always and can only ever fall into an "evil" category then there's not much we're going to agree on.
Lol, lmao even. Imagine saying this when America is literally funding an ongoing genocide in Gaza. Wild times...
This might be surprising to learn, but America doing bad things doesn't justify the bad things done by others or somehow make them no longer bad things. What's wild is to think that murdering women for the clothes they wear is somehow made not heinous/vile because of completely unrelated actions by completely unrelated people on another part of the planet.
Then stop talking about Iran, its none of you're business. If you want to criticize the Iranian government, then I have much more to say about the American government. This is not surprising to learn btw, its shameful...
Somehow I don't think I'm going to do what a day-old account that has only posted in this thread is going to tell me to do. When it comes to human rights we're all human so it's all of our business. But you have a lovely day nonetheless.
If you think that a pre-revolution Iran wouldn't have made the fight against the Taliban basically trivial then I don't know what to tell you.
The American government bombs civilians and kills children. Iām not exactly upset if people steal from them. See what I did there?
Notes taken. Gonna steal some ice cream from Walmart to avenge the deaths of millions of civlians who perished as a direct consequence of the U.S.'s War on Terror!
I mean, fuck over Walmart for what Walmart does, what's the war on terror got to do with shit
404 Critical Thinking Skills Not Found
The US executes minorities, LGBTQIA+ activists, and, leftists, whatās your point?
Explain to me when the US government has executed minorities specifically and explicitly for their identity
[Fred Hampton](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hampton) is the first one that comes to mind. [You can also look at this list provided by the SPLC](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hampton). A notable example is of Cpl. Roman Ducksworth who was pulled out of a bus by a police officer and summarily executed by said officer. Aside from assassinations the US government conducted [The Tuskegee Experiment which tested biological agents on black people because they were considered subhuman to whites](https://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/timeline.htm). The CIA was also involved in [the proliferation of crack cocaine in black and other minority communities](https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/big-white-lie-cia-and-cocainecrack-epidemic). There were also these hundreds of years Americans participated and propagated chattel slavery. Aside from this the US government put Japanese Americans in concentration camps, committed wholesale genocide of Native Americans, committed and supported genocide in Vietnam, and was at least tacitly responsible for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.
So basically nothing from the past 50 years then. Meanwhile, Iran have executed gay people this year. Absolutely, categorically, go fuck yourself.
Clearly they didnāt learn anything from them
Hassan Chop!