Archaeological Heritage of Rayy: A Review of Archaeological Investigations in Rayy in the Early Decades of the 20th Century and the Fate of their Finds and Documents

Document Type : Research/Original/Reqular Article

Author

Depatment of Archaeology, Faculty of Letter and Humanities,, Shahid Beheshti University Tehran. Iran

Abstract

From the last decades of the 19th century until the end of Erich F. Schmidt excavations in Rayy in 1937, numerous commercial and few scientific archaeology missions worked at Rayy. Schmidt’s excavation in the prehistoric mound of Cheshmeh Ali brought an international fame for Rayy among archaeologists interested in Iranian prehistory. Nevertheless, Rayy was already renowned among antiquarians and Islamic archaeologists as well as commercial excavators for its beautiful Islamic ware unearthed from the ruins of once-glorious Early and Medieval Islamic city of Rayy in clandestine diggings. Schmidt’s excavations was a turning point in the archaeology of Rayy due to its scientific approach and conformance to the new Antiquities Act, which obliged excavators to divide objects and submit reports to the Iranian government. Today, archaeological heritage of Rayy, including fine prehistoric pottery from Cheshmeh Ali, beautiful Islamic wares and fascinating Sasanian-Islamic stucco are displayed in museums around the world. Excavation reports and documents from such missions are kept in various archives as well, many of which still unpublished. Investigating the archaeological history of Rayy shows that before ratification of the Antiquities Act in 1930, excavated objects were either traded in antique markets by diggers or shipped out of Iran by archaeological missions and found their way to European collections and museums; no report or object was necessarily handed over to the Iranian government. The present study extensively reviews archaeological activities that were conducted in Rayy in the early decades of the 20th century and puts it in the contexts of the historical development of archaeological organization in Iran, that was gradually evolving by the establishment of Antiquities Department and ratification of the Antiquities Act. Additionally, distribution of archaeological material and documents from Rayy in different archives is comprehensively presented to pave way for further research on the archaeology of Rayy and its history

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References

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Journal for the History of Science
Volume 23, Issue 1 - Serial Number 38
September 2025
Pages 131-170

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