TEHRAN -- The second season of archaeological excavation has recently begun in Persepolis to unearth the rest of the sewage system in the Achaemenid city in southern Iran.
Twenty meters of a canal of the sewage system was discovered during the first season of excavation, which was carried out by a team of archaeologists led by Ali Asadi in July 2012.
The second season of excavation is also being conducted by Asadi’s team, the Persian service of CHN reported on Thursday.
The studies will mostly be focused on the waterway, which is surmised to flow from the treasury in southeastern Persepolis, Asadi said.
The team will also excavate the waterways located in the eastern side of the ‘unfinished gate’ in order to determine where the waterways led and what the canals were used for, he added.
He also said that the archaeologists plan to excavate the canal in the southern courtyard of the Tachara in the last part of this season.
In this part, the team expects to obtain more information about this waterway that may have been helpful in diverting rainwater from the platform of the Tachara to prevent flooding, he stated.
This season of excavation is expected to last for two months.
In August 2005, archaeologists discovered 100 shards in the sewage system beneath Persepolis during sediment removal operations.
About two kilometers of the sewer line were discovered during previous excavations. The ducts vary from 60cm in width and 80cm in height to 160cm in width and 80cm in height.
Back in December 2004, archaeologists had found part of one leg of the throne of Darius the Great during their excavations at Persepolis. The team also found a piece of lapis lazuli during their excavations of the sewage line that passes under the treasury of Persepolis. Studies on this artifact over the past year have led archaeologists to surmise that the lazuli gemstone was once part of a leg of the throne of Darius.
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