Khosrow II (r. 590–628 CE) was the last great Sasanian king who took the throne with the help of the Romans and broke with dynastic religious preferences as he became married to a Christian empress. It was under his rule that the Sasanian Empire reached its greatest expansion. From the standpoint of iconographic studies, Khosrow II is among the most influential Persian kings. Although he was literally occupied by rebels and wars within the borders of the Sasanian territories and beyond, Khosrow managed to create a powerful image of himself that emphasized the legitimacy of his monarchy. Indeed, Khosrow Parviz (the Victorious) drew upon royal iconography as a propaganda tool on a wide range of materials such as rock and stucco reliefs, coins, seals, and metal plates. His image (created both visually and verbally) not only revived the traditional iconography of the Persian kings but also evolved it in a way that transcended his time and was passed on to the early Islamic Caliphates after him. Khosrow II imitated and manipulated the traditional royal iconography of his predecessors in order to display his legitimacy, piety, and valor.

Although critics in the late twentieth century refuted the tendency of early Western scholars to regard Achaemenid architecture as merely eclectic and thus lacking in originality, these old assumptions still influence the study of Achaemenid material culture. Mahdi Motamedmanesh draws upon interdisciplinary approaches to illuminate the material context that enabled the Achaemenids to forge new architectural vocabularies in his essay Achaemenid Building Technology: The Key to a New Reading of Royal Achaemenid Architecture. Based on analysis of the building techniques of Achaemenid hypostyle architecture in dialogue with construction history and the history of the Achaemenid Empire, the essay argues that Achaemenid builders gradually developed an advanced understanding of structural behavior. This approach offers an opportunity to reexamine earlier arguments about the unprecedented forms and geometric innovations that distinguished Achaemenid palace layouts and details. By proposing a general theoretical framework for Achaemenid architectural innovation, this article seeks to encourage further cross-disciplinary investigations of Achaemenid building technology.

Preserving the authenticity of historical monuments is an inseparable part of restoration activities that has always been asserted by the international principles of historical preservation. However, the local condition of historical sites may influence such a primitive intention of restorers. While historical documents are appropriate sources which can provide restorers with the real condition of ancient structures in the course of time, investigation through these precious materials is a time-consuming process and the reliability of these old evidences is, itself, a challenging issue. The Italian Institute for Middle and Far East (IsMEO) missioned long-term restoration activities in Persepolis between 1964 and the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Generally, this institute is praised for this series of projects. In this paper, the author questions the historical authenticity of restoration activities missioned by this institute in a structure so-called The Gate of All Nations. Indeed, the restoration of this structure was influenced by the 2500 th anniversary of the Persian Empire, which was held in Persepolis in 1971. By tracing the context of historical evidences and presenting a method for obtaining the authenticity of these documents, this paper demonstrates a new perspective towards the arrangement of a stone-made capital, which ornaments the uppermost part of a re-erected ancient column.

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