TEHRAN – Iranian archaeologists have discovered some huge building stones that bear signatures thought to be engraved by prehistoric masons, ILNA reported.

The engraved autographs date back to the time of Cyrus the Great, the founder of Achaemenid Empire, which at its greatest extent stretched from the Balkans to the Indus Valley, spanning 5.5 million square kilometers, according to archaeologist Afshin Yazdani.

The huge stones were found in an Achaemenid-era mine in Sivand some 32 km from Pasargadae. Apparently, the stones were left there, since Cyrus the Great passed away so that his constructing plan never finished, the archaeologist explained.

Yazdani assumes that the new discovery will help historians, anthropologists and sociologists among others to better understand the mechanism and system through which the labor force was employed some 2500 years ago.

Pasargadae is situated on a plain northeast of Persepolis. According to tradition, Cyrus the Great chose the site because it lay near the scene of his victory over Astyages the Mede (550).

In 2004 the ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

AFM/MG