Vandalism at Ancient Site, The PERSEPOLIS

These points are highly significant when it comes to appreciating those left by past visitors to Persepolis, whether they were foreign travelers or local residents. Although usually condemned with hindsight, they are now part of the physical history of the site and represent another phase in the transformation of the monuments from living palaces to evocative ruined memorials of the past, alongside the earlier systematic iconoclastic defacement of exposed human faces, the addition of Sasanian and Buyid drawings and inscriptions (e.g., Simpson, 2007a; Frye, 1966; Razmjou, 2005), or the pecking of gaming boards into conveniently sited slabs (de la Fuÿe, 1928; Curtis and Finkel, 1999). Future study might usefully consider placing these into a typological sequence and social context alongside similar remains at other sites in Iran and elsewhere.