TEHRAN – A portion of a millennia-old stone column has recently been recovered from an antique dealer in Dashtestan county, Bushehr province, southwest Iran.

The object dates from the Achaemenid-era (550-330 BC), said Abdolhamid Haqani, a senior police official in charge of protecting cultural heritage, CHTN reported. 

The police discovered clues to identify the antique dealer following days of thorough inspection and constant efforts under close collaboration with judicial authorities, Haqani explained.

The Achaemenid [Persian] Empire was the largest and most durable empire of its time. The empire stretched from Ethiopia, through Egypt, to Greece, to Anatolia (modern Turkey), Central Asia and to India.

Building activity was extensive during the height of the empire, and of the several Achaemenian capitals, the ruins at Pasargadae and at Persepolis are probably the most outstanding. Achaemenian sculptured reliefs and a great number of smaller art objects present a remarkably unified style for the period. Metalwork, especially in gold, was highly developed, and a variety of carefully executed examples survive.

ABU/MG