Identifying the boundaries of the historical site of Persepolis using remote sensing

Persepolis is one of the well-known world heritage archeological sites dating back to the Achaemenian period (560-330 BC) located on the south-central of Iran. No study among the many has focused on precise recording of the territory of this site. The existence of a guard wall and watchtowers to protect this important centre is still in debate. To deal with this problem, a remote sensing data analysis, photogeology, and field survey are used. Remotely sensed air photos and satellite imagery have been shown to be a valuable tool for the characterization of the archeological landscape and locations of collapsed structure. The result of this study using air photos, ETM+, and TM images is indicative of a wall and watchtowers surrounding Persepolis. This could be subsequently confirmed with geophysical surveying and archaeological excavations. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.