The Robert and Deborah Aliber Persian Gallery displays approximately 1,000 objects dating from the archaic Susiana Period (ca. 6800 BC) to the Islamic Period (ca. 1000 AD). The artifacts show how cultures developed in the area over time and illustrate the involvement of Oriental Institute archaeologists in recovering the history of ancient Iran. Much of the gallery is devoted to the Oriental Institute’s excavations at Persepolis, one of the great dynastic centers of the Achaemenid Persian empire. The city thrived from approximately 520 until 330 BC, when Alexander the Great and his troops captured and pillaged the site. Highlights of the gallery include painted pottery from Chogha Mish (ca. 5000 BC) and Tall-i-Bakun (ca. 4000 BC); sculpture from Persepolis, including a colossal head of a bull; a collection of Persian gold jewelry; and coins and pottery from the early Islamic Period.
The Persian Gallery will be closed from January 4–18, 2022. We apologize for any inconveninence this may cause.
