Iranian Mediarchaeology: Cyrus the Great vs. the Global Stage

Summary

Waves of Iranian emigration after 1979 have left many forcibly exiled people seeking refuge in the historical and archaeological evidence of Cyrus' Persian Empire, redefining their national identity and regaining a more reliable, even reputable, position than that of asylum seekers and refugees in world opinion.

The present article is an attempt to make an assessment of this process through investigating its prominent manifestations in Iranian media products 'out of site' as material culture. Focus points include why Iranians choose historical archaeology – given a lack of access to material evidence and actual sites – as a provider for documented proof of their 'Persian', non-Islamic identity; how they use media products as loci for both introducing this idea and extending it through interactions with different categories of audience; and finally, what are the main consequences of such nationalistic quests, especially when clashes with a universal phenomenon like globalization.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Us and Them: Immigration and Identity   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2013

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 136