٠٠:٠٤:٢٨No Access Israel Media/Persian Language TV Stations Outside Iran/Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian /Iran International TV
The National Museum of Iran unveiled dozens of ancient clay tablets on Saturday that were returned to the country from the United States last year.
Footage shows visitors at the museum in Tehran gathering around glass display cases to catch a glimpse of the ancient artefacts, which date back to the Achaemenid Empire that ruled between the 6th to 4th centuries BC.
The tablets are inscribed with hieroglyphics, which experts say provide an insight into the most important issues faced by the Achaemenid people 2,500 years ago.
"These hieroglyphics belong to the year 509 (BC), which is the period of Darius the Great. They contain valuable information about some of the livelihoods of the Achaemenid society," said Jebrael Nokandeh, Director General Of Iran National Museum
The museum chief added that the tablets were returned as part of a project shared with the University of Chicago, which “as a non-Iranian institution that admitted it had borrowed these hieroglyphs and had no claim for them."
The ancient artefacts were placed on public display after an official ceremony marking International Museum Day and the beginning of Iran’s National Cultural Heritage Week.
A total of 3,506 clay tablets have reportedly been returned to Iran from the United States, 162 of which were on display on Saturday.
"Honestly, I can't describe the excitement we had during the moment the boxes were opened, which were returned after 80 years,” said Shaghayegh Mohamad Nejad, a member of the museum’s hieroglyphs decoding team.
“It's a unique feeling, and when you work on them [heiroglyps] and touch them, it's an exceptional feeling,” she added.
The tablets were originally discovered by a German archaeologist in the 1930s and later moved to the University of Chicago where they were studied by experts. As many as 10,000 Iranian clay tablets are reportedly still kept in the United States.
'An exceptional feeling' - Iran unveils dozens of ancient clay tablets returned from University of Chicago
The National Museum of Iran unveiled dozens of ancient clay tablets on Saturday that were returned to the country from the United States last year.
Footage shows visitors at the museum in Tehran gathering around glass display cases to catch a glimpse of the ancient artefacts, which date back to the Achaemenid Empire that ruled between the 6th to 4th centuries BC.
The tablets are inscribed with hieroglyphics, which experts say provide an insight into the most important issues faced by the Achaemenid people 2,500 years ago.
"These hieroglyphics belong to the year 509 (BC), which is the period of Darius the Great. They contain valuable information about some of the livelihoods of the Achaemenid society," said Jebrael Nokandeh, Director General Of Iran National Museum
The museum chief added that the tablets were returned as part of a project shared with the University of Chicago, which “as a non-Iranian institution that admitted it had borrowed these hieroglyphs and had no claim for them."
The ancient artefacts were placed on public display after an official ceremony marking International Museum Day and the beginning of Iran’s National Cultural Heritage Week.
A total of 3,506 clay tablets have reportedly been returned to Iran from the United States, 162 of which were on display on Saturday.
"Honestly, I can't describe the excitement we had during the moment the boxes were opened, which were returned after 80 years,” said Shaghayegh Mohamad Nejad, a member of the museum’s hieroglyphs decoding team.
“It's a unique feeling, and when you work on them [heiroglyps] and touch them, it's an exceptional feeling,” she added.
The tablets were originally discovered by a German archaeologist in the 1930s and later moved to the University of Chicago where they were studied by experts. As many as 10,000 Iranian clay tablets are reportedly still kept in the United States.
No Access Israel Media/Persian Language TV Stations Outside Iran/Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian /Iran International TV
The National Museum of Iran unveiled dozens of ancient clay tablets on Saturday that were returned to the country from the United States last year.
Footage shows visitors at the museum in Tehran gathering around glass display cases to catch a glimpse of the ancient artefacts, which date back to the Achaemenid Empire that ruled between the 6th to 4th centuries BC.
The tablets are inscribed with hieroglyphics, which experts say provide an insight into the most important issues faced by the Achaemenid people 2,500 years ago.
"These hieroglyphics belong to the year 509 (BC), which is the period of Darius the Great. They contain valuable information about some of the livelihoods of the Achaemenid society," said Jebrael Nokandeh, Director General Of Iran National Museum
The museum chief added that the tablets were returned as part of a project shared with the University of Chicago, which “as a non-Iranian institution that admitted it had borrowed these hieroglyphs and had no claim for them."
The ancient artefacts were placed on public display after an official ceremony marking International Museum Day and the beginning of Iran’s National Cultural Heritage Week.
A total of 3,506 clay tablets have reportedly been returned to Iran from the United States, 162 of which were on display on Saturday.
"Honestly, I can't describe the excitement we had during the moment the boxes were opened, which were returned after 80 years,” said Shaghayegh Mohamad Nejad, a member of the museum’s hieroglyphs decoding team.
“It's a unique feeling, and when you work on them [heiroglyps] and touch them, it's an exceptional feeling,” she added.
The tablets were originally discovered by a German archaeologist in the 1930s and later moved to the University of Chicago where they were studied by experts. As many as 10,000 Iranian clay tablets are reportedly still kept in the United States.