Return of part of the Achaemenid tablets in 2019 is considered one of the most important returns of Iran’s historical artifacts in the past few years. However, return of the other inscriptions still in the Oriental foundation of Chicago is unclear. Every time the officials are asked about the fate of other tablets in America, they only say a few closed sentences with the approach that “they only gave vague answers like, “There will soon be good news about the return of the tablets.”
Former vice president of the National Cultural Heritage Organization did not return all the Achaemenid tablets in 2018: “Although we repeatedly requested return of the rest of the inscriptions, absurd excuses of Chicago Oriental Foundation has prevented return of all the tablets.”
A part of the Achaemenid inscriptions were once loaned to the University of Chicago for research and study, and it was clearly stated that Iran was loaning the clay tablets to the University of Chicago, which was engaged in excavations in Persepolis (Parseh), for documenting and reading; and the Oriental Foundation of the University was obligated to hand two copies of the documentation to the Iranian government. These inscriptions have been returned to Iran in four stages so far; 1327 solar (179 pieces), 1331 solar (37 thousand small pieces), 1383 solar (300 pieces), and 1398 solar year (1783 pieces), and still nearly 17 thousand intact and broken Achaemenid inscriptions are available at the Eastern Foundation of Chicago. And still, this hypothesis remains unanswered “Why were not all the stone inscriptions returned to Iran in the same year, 1398 (2019)?”
Abdol Majid Arfa-ie, a researcher and an expert in ancient Akkadian and Elamite languages, is one of those who addressed the country’s cultural heritage officials with this question, and asked why in 1398 (2019), when another batch of the inscriptions were returned by the Eastern foundation of Chicago University, No one asked why only 1783 pieces were returned? Why didn’t the Iranian authorities want all the inscriptions returned? Why was the Eastern Foundation told that the Treasury only authorized dispatch of 1783 pieces? Was the permission to dispatch this number of inscriptions issued by the American treasury, or did the officials of the Eastern foundation requests dispatch of this number of inscriptions?
The US Treasury cannot stand against the decision of the Supreme Court of this country, and when the Supreme Court has voted to remove all the tablets and return them to Iran, why is there so much delay on the part of the officials of the Eastern Institute and us? Have the officials of the Eastern Foundation used the US Treasury as an excuse? No one asked these questions, and everyone was happy. They proudly passed over 1783 inscriptions and we, unfortunately, proudly took over the 1783 tablets, while we were supposed to take over all the 17,000 of them. If the eastern foundation brings documentation and photography as an excuse for this delay and are not willing to make the documentation made after Halek’s death in the first place, couldn’t they have done the job in Iran. Maybe we were not firm enough.
Mohammad Hassan Talebian, former deputy of Iran’s cultural heritage, who was one of the first decision makers for return of the Achaemenid tablets in 2018, told ILNA why all the Achaemenid inscriptions were not returned at once and the process that went through so far: At that time, when they were trying to return the Achaemenid inscriptions, and the Chicago Oriental Foundation was also trying to pack the tablets, despite our insistence to return all the tablets, but the foundation suggested that it would be better to return what had already been packed, and send other tablets to Iran a few months later.
He continued: “They had packed 1,783 pieces for return and dispatched the same number; while we had requested to have all the tablets returned. We did protest to the decision of the Oriental Studies Foundation. However, they replied that it is better to send the same number of inscriptions that have been packed and the treasury has allowed its dispatch, and meanwhile they will start to pack the other pieces.”
Talebian also explained why the promises of the Chicago Oriental Foundation to send more tablets were not fulfilled a few months after the return of 1,783 pieces: they had to obtain permission of the US Treasury to dispatch the other tablets, but they delayed it for absurd reasons. This was the view of the whole system that was active in the foundation at that time had the same approach, and despite our numerous letters about sending all the tablets, this has not yet been done. We sent at least six letters to the Oriental Studies Foundation and asked them to return all the tablets. We even said we would send experts and representatives to do the work. The fact that insurance and sanction are cited as reasons for the delay in sending tablets is also an excuse. They did not even announce whether they had taken OPEC or not.
A question was addressed to the former deputy of the national cultural heritage adviser to the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, that considering the fact that most of the clay tablets being kept in the Oriental Foundation of Chicago and promises are given that they will be returned to Iran, are not decoded, and therefore should be read, after return, by cuneiform experts; so are there such experts in Iran, except Abdol Majid Arfa-ie? and he replied: Dr Arfayi has taught some of his students and they can do this work. Of course, we also have other experts who have some expertise in this field and can do this reading. We even have Achaemenid scholars who can read the inscriptions.
