BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Archaeology’s Unexpected Enemy

The battle to save Persepolis from a tiny threat

When thinking about threats to archaeological sites, some of the first things that come to mind are looters, war, or maybe earthquakes. What doesn’t come to mind is lichen. But that is exactly what poses an existential threat to the archaeological site of Persepolis, the ancient capital of the Persian Empire (c. 550–330 BCE).

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Saving Persepolis

A plant-like organism, lichens grow on various surfaces, including stone, and slowly break them down over time. Unfortunately, at sites across Iran, including Persepolis, lichen growth is rampant. “If we do nothing, these organisms could reduce these relics to dust within 50 to 100 years,” said Shahram Rahbar, a conservator at the site, in an interview with Phys.org. Today, conservationists at Persepolis are working tirelessly to keep the lichens at bay, but without adequate funding, it could be a losing battle.

Located in southern Iran, Persepolis was constructed by Darius the Great, one of the Persian kings mentioned in the Book of Ezra who helped the exiled Judeans return to Judah. The city was destroyed only a few hundred years later, after being conquered by the forces of Alexander the Great. Today, Persepolis, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, is one of the most magnificent archaeological sites in the world. The expansive site boasts a monumental palace complex, colossal sculptures, tombs, inscriptions, and more.

Unfortunately, the marks of the runaway lichens can already be seen across the site and are especially prominent on shallow stone carvings, where the lichens can quickly flatten a surface, erasing history. Although this is far from a modern issue, gradual changes in the region’s climate have increased the lichen threat in recent years.

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Another site in danger of destruction is the Bihistun Inscription in western Iran, a monumental victory inscription of Darius I. The trilingual inscription was instrumental for Sir Henry Rawlinson and other early orientalists in cracking the code of cuneiform writing, as the Rosetta Stone did for ancient Egyptian. The inscription is written in Elamite, Akkadian, and Persian. As it is a massive carved relief on a cliff face, the Behistun Inscription is under particular threat of destruction from lichens.

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This article was first published in Bible History Daily on September 20, 2024.

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Related reading in Bible History Daily

Persepolis: What it Once Was, and What it is Now

Ancient Sewer Systems Excavated at Persepolis

Trilingual Inscription Surfaces Near Darius the Great’s Tomb

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Why Darius Built Persepolis

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