The Achaemenid cemetery of Mersin (Semnan Province, Iran): local identities and imperial connections on the northern Iranian plateau
Abstract
Rescue excavations at Mersin (Semnan, Iran) reveal a tightly patterned Achaemenid-period cemetery. Thirty-four graves, excavated between 2014 and 2024, combine local mortuary traditions with imperial-era objects, demonstrating how provincial communities selectively adopted imperial markers to negotiate identity and refining narratives for the empire’s north-eastern interior.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies
Eurasian Exchange Networks
Ancient Near East History
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Antiquity
- Volume
- 100
- Issue
- 411
- Publication date
- 9 March 2026
- Language
- EN