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Abstract Among archaeological items on-display and stored at the site museum of the Persepolis World Heritage Site (WHS), some decorative objects made of a blue paste are of great interest. A multianalytical study was required to identify the technology of their production. Nine blue objects were analysed by different methods including inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). It turns out that the objects are manufactured from the Egyptian blue. The comparative chemical studies added that the Persepolitan objects are partially different from those of other older civilizations of the west. This ancient artificial material has been in extensive use within ancient civilizations both as painting pigment and as paste to produce decorative objects. The very presence of the Egyptian blue objects in Persepolis heralds the influence of the Egyptian as well as the other Near Eastern civilizations on the art of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

Abstract Heritage institutions, as one of the main aspects of culture, play an important role in economic prospect of culture by promoting tourism industry. Turning to the interpretation of culture in economic terms, the goal of this paper is to adopt a practical evaluation tool in order to assess the efficiency of heritage institutions. This study evaluates the technical efficiency of a regional system of museums in Tehran, the capital of Iran, using Data Envelopment Analysis approach. The findings may prove useful for management of these institutions in economic point of view, as well as for those responsible for public resource allocation policies in the area of cultural heritage.

Abstract Although luster potteries are frequently excavated at archeological sites in Iran, a thorough scientific study of their provenance has not yet been performed. In this work, 43 pieces of Iranian luster pottery (bowl, dish and tile) excavated from Rayy, Kashan, Maragheh, Alamoot, Takht-i-Sulayman and Jiroft were analyzed in order to investigate their origin. The luster shards which belong to Seljuks and Il-Khanids dynasties (12th–13th centuries) were analyzed using proton induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique. To classify the fragments according to their location and origin, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) were applied to the chemical compositions of the body of the shards. We were able to classify the samples into three distinct groups using PIXE.

Abstract As part of research in progress on the study and design of an ontology knowledge model, this paper focuses on development of a shape-grammar schema for extracting attributes of spatial organization of a subset of cultural heritage relics, namely, caravanserais, from a selected corpus with a common architectural language of design. First, shape-grammar rules for classification of caravanserais of the selected corpus are developed and are represented in drawing by using Auto CAD tool. Shape rules as a natural-language equivalent are then devised by describing design functions and clarifying the topology of shapes. Based on these shape rules in given text, the hierarchy of a shape-grammar schema in the Protege knowledge representation tool is designed, and each shape rule is defined as an interconnecting individual (or instance) in OWL language. This schema will enable us to extract computer-based semantics of shape-grammar rules. To illustrate this innovative approach, a selected corpus was classified by using the shape-grammar schema with the support of knowledge extraction tools.

Abstract The dynamic social development in Iran over the last decades provided the acknowledgement of the archaeological heritage on the one hand, and a confrontation to the current managing system of archaeology on the other. This situation makes it necessary for archaeologists to formulate and implement a systematic regulation in the sphere of protection and management of the archaeological heritage. The fact is that, as the international conventions warn, the archaeological heritage is constantly under threat of destruction, and while in Iran the problem is not new, the destruction is on the increase. The constructions under the developmental projects and at the same time the increase of population are accompanied by the expansion of the new settled areas threaten large areas of archaeological sites. The deep economic crises of the country as well as a pauperization of majority of society, and a low degree of respect for the law, lead to an increase in looting and considerable damage to the archaeological heritage. The goals of this paper are (1) to identify problems that hinder the effectiveness of the Iranian national protection acts, and to suggest some way in which these problems could be remedied, (2) to promote further academic discussions of problems and solutions within archaeology and related fields, and (3) to encourage official authorities and other interest groups to press for changes needed in the Iranian national protection policies, to make it better serve the public interest.