Minero‐chemical and provenance analysis of Achaemenian lapis lazuli cylinders from Persepolis

Abstract

Five archaeological plain cylinders made of lapis lazuli found in excavations at the Persepolis World Heritage Site (c.550–330 BCE) were analysed using wavelength‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectroscopy, X‐ray powder diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy techniques with the goal of characterizing the chemical–mineralogical composition and identifying the possible provenance of raw materials. Results show that these objects are made of identical resources or mines. A comparison with available data from archaeological sites and ancient quarry sites shows that these finds may have been produced from lapis lazuli from east of the Iranian Plateau (Badakhshan in Afghanistan), as they resemble several ancient objects of Iran. The results of this study suggest that Persian artists also used the ancient East‐to‐West trade route for supplying raw material to produce decorative objects made of lapis lazuli.