The Achaemenid cemetery of Mersin (Semnan Province, Iran): local identities and imperial connections on the northern Iranian plateau Mehrdad Malekzadeh, Reza Naseri, Elena Fausti, Andrea Cesaretti, Roberto Dan Antiquity, 2026 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.
Some Remarks on the Location of Seleucia-on-the-Hedyphon Davide Salaris, Roberto Dan Iran and the Caucasus, 2026 This study provides some remarks on the localisation of Seleucia-on-the-Hedyphon, a pivotal city in ancient Elymais during the Seleucid and Parthian period (ca. 3rd century B.C. –2nd A.D. ) in Khuzestan (southwestern Iran). Despite its historical importance, Seleucia-on-the-Hedyphon has received limited scholarly attention. Employing a multifaceted approach, combining Remote Sensing analysis and ground visits, this contribution explores archaeological sites, such as Jan-e Shin, Tell Tendy, and the newly identified Tell Tabareh in order to propose a plausible location for this ancient site. While Jan-e Shin exhibits evidence of extensive occupation, Tell Tendy and Tell Tabareh also present archaeological potential. The study emphasizes the need for systematic archaeological exploration and urgent preservation efforts against illegal excavations to safeguard these historical contexts.
Once Again on Bastam as the “Small City of Rusa”: Reassessing the Meaning and Function of URU.TUR in Urartian Epigraphy Annarita Stefania Bonfanti, Roberto Dan Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History, 2026 This article examines the Urartian expression URU.TUR, attested only under Rusa, son of Argišti. Traditionally identified with the fortress of Bastam, the formula is shown here to designate a separate royal estate, m Rusa=i URU.TUR, founded opposite the citadel. The decisive evidence comes from the newly discovered Aq Chay Dam inscription, which describes Rusa’s foundation of a settlement with orchards and vineyards “in front of the fortress”. Philological analysis underscores the difference between dynastic toponyms in - ḫinili , which institutionalize kingship, and the simple genitive of m Rusa=i URU.TUR, which emphasizes personal possession and agency. Comparison with the Neo-Assyrian formula URU MEŠ TUR MEŠ , used from Sennacherib onward for dependent settlements, suggests that Urartian scribes creatively adapted an Assyrian model into a singular monumental toponym. This innovation situates Rusa’s reign in close chronological proximity to Sennacherib, and illustrates how Urartu refunctionalized Mesopotamian scribal traditions to articulate its own royal ideology.
Layers of stone and ash: new perspectives from the Samtskhe-Javakheti archaeological project Roberto Dan, Tornike Chilingarashvili, Priscilla Vitolo, Tamar Chogovadze, Andrea Cesaretti, et al. Antiquity, 2026 Since 2017, the Samtskhe-Javakheti Project has identified about 168 archaeological sites in the highlands of southern Georgia and conducted excavations at Meghreki Fortress and Baraleti Natsargora. These sites reveal complex occupational sequences, fortification strategies and decorative practices, highlighting the region’s role as an interactive cultural frontier between highlands and steppes.
From Sippar to Sznak: The Urartian Bronze Lion of Syunik as Another Element of the Assyrian-Urartian Legacy Roberto Dan, Nzhdeh Yeranyan Studia Antiqua Et Archaeologica, 2025 This study examines the bronze lion from Sznak within the context of Assyrian-Urartian artistic interactions. Through an analysis of its morphology, stylistic elements, and function, the research explores its likely role as a candelabrum support and its ceremonial significance in Urartian elite spaces. A comparison with Assyrian and Urartian lion imagery highlights notable iconographic parallels, particularly with the limestone lion head from Sippar, suggesting Assyrian influence on Urartian visual traditions. Rather than direct imitation, Urartian artisans selectively reinterpreted Assyrian motifs, integrating them into their distinct artistic and ideological framework. This study contributes to the understanding of cross-cultural artistic exchanges in the ancient Near East.
Local Elites on the Edge of the State Some Remarks on the Late Urartian Burial of Geghovit Roberto Dan, Nzhdeh Yeranyan, Andrea Cesaretti Altorientalische Forschungen, 2025 This contribution aims to re-evaluate a specific archaeological context linked to the Urartian state, namely the site of Geghovit in Armenia, which is a rock-cut tomb with a funerary assemblage containing several objects of considerable interest due to their historical and cultural implications. The article presents a new analysis of the materials discovered during the construction of a bridge, with particular emphasis on a notable sword. This sword is identified as an akinakes , a distinctive Scythian weapon belonging to the so-called Early Scythian phase. Furthermore, a new chronological proposal is provided for the entire archaeological context.
Reviving Ara the Handsome Exploring the Protohistoric, Urartian, Orontid, and Medieval Armenian Heritage of Aralesk/ Kalecik in Van, Turkey Roberto Dan Annali Di Ca Foscari Serie Orientale, 2025 This article examines the archaeological site of Aralesk/Kalecik, in the Van plain (eastern Turkey), traditionally linked to Queen Semiramis. Excavated in the 1940s by an American mission, the site poses interpretative challenges. It was likely a fortified outpost controlling the northern access to the Urartian capital and shows signs of occupation during the Orontid/Achaemenid periods. The article also considers nearby evidence from protohistoric and historic phases, stressing the need for further investigation and protection of the site’s endangered remains.
Some Urartian Swords in the Musieri/Mouçi Yéri Burial Ground, Lori Province, Armenia Roberto Dan, Andrea Cesaretti Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia, 2025 This paper proposes a new analysis of some burial contexts excavated at the end of the 19th century CE by Jacques De Morgan in the area of the town of Alaverdi in Armenia. In the graveyard known as Mouçi Yéri or Musieri, over 500 burials attributed to the Iron Age by the excavator were investigated. Unfortunately, very few have been published, and the objects found are often difficult to associate with the few described tombs. Among the few burials which can be reconstructed there are some that are particularly interesting because they contain some long swords directly attributable to the Urartians. The identification of these swords may be seen against the notable variety of different Urartian sword types discovered in archaeological sites in the Southern Caucasus beyond the currently known northern borders of the Urartian state, in particular, in the territory corresponding to Southern Georgia.
Overlooking the River Hrazdan Valley: The fortified site of tghit in the Tsaghkunyats Mountains, Kotayk Region, Armenia Systemizing the Past Papers in Near Eastern and Caucasian Archaeology Dedicated to Pavel S Avetisyan on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday, 2023
The archaeological site of Garni, Armenia. pre-arsacid archaeological evidence and an urartian inscription of Argisti on a Vishap Systemizing the Past Papers in Near Eastern and Caucasian Archaeology Dedicated to Pavel S Avetisyan on the Occasion of His 65th Birthday, 2023
Editorial Pavel Avetisyan, Roberto Dan, Yervand Grekyan Over the Mountains and Far Away Studies in Near Eastern History and Archaeology Presented to Mirjo Salvini on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday, 2019
The elamite tablets from armavir-blur (Armenia): A re-examination Miqayel Badalyan, Gian Pietro Basello, Roberto Dan Over the Mountains and Far Away Studies in Near Eastern History and Archaeology Presented to Mirjo Salvini on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday, 2019
Solak 1. Una fortezza urartea nella valle del Hrazdan, Armenia Artur Petrosyan, Roberto Dan, Priscilla Vitolo Over the Mountains and Far Away Studies in Near Eastern History and Archaeology Presented to Mirjo Salvini on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday, 2019
A new painting fragment from erebuni and an overview of urartian wall paintings Roberto Dan, Yeghis Keheyan, Nelli Hovhannisyan, Artur Petrosyan, Yelena Atoyants, et al. Over the Mountains and Far Away Studies in Near Eastern History and Archaeology Presented to Mirjo Salvini on the Occasion of His 80th Birthday, 2019
Jewellery Production and Metallurgical Connectivity on the Muş Plain: A Protohistoric Bivalve Stone Mould from Saint Karapet Monastery area E Fausti, N Garibian, R Dan Ash-sharq: Bulletin of the Ancient Near East–Archaeological, Historical and … , 2026 2026
Some Remarks on the Location of Seleucia-on-the-Hedyphon D Salaris, R Dan Iran and the Caucasus 30 (1), 7-28 , 2026 2026
Once Again on Bastam as the “Small City of Rusa”: Reassessing the Meaning and Function of URU. TUR in Urartian Epigraphy AS Bonfanti, R Dan Journal of Ancient Near Eastern History , 2026 2026
Layers of stone and ash: new perspectives from the Samtskhe-Javakheti archaeological project R Dan, T Chilingarashvili, P Vitolo, T Chogovadze, A Cesaretti, ... Antiquity, 1-8 , 2026 2026
In the Next Issues R Dan, T Chilingarashvili, P Vitolo, T Chogovadze, A Cesaretti, ... 2026
The Achaemenid cemetery of Mersin (Semnan Province, Iran): local identities and imperial connections on the northern Iranian plateau M Malekzadeh, R Naseri, E Fausti, A Cesaretti, R Dan Antiquity, 1-9 , 2026 2026
The Silver Cup of Karashamb: An Analytical Approach to the Study of its Iconography A Cesaretti, R Dan Ancient Near Eastern Studies 62, 67-99 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
The Hişet Fortress in (V) ostan/Gevaş: An Urartian, Orontid, Arsacid and Mediaeval Site on the Southern Shore of Lake Van R DAN Ancient West & East 24, 23-42 , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
From Sippar to Sznak: The Urartian Bronze Lion of Syunik as Another Element of the Assyrian-Urartian Legacy R Dan, N Yeranyan Studia Antiqua et Archaeologica 31 (2), 235-277 , 2025 2025
At the foot of the Ararat: Dambat/Tambat. A medieval Armenian ‘city’on the foothills of Lesser Ararat mountain, Maku county, Iran B Khanmohammadi, E Bodaqi, O Gasparro, R Dan ARAMAZD: Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies 19, 255-274 , 2025 2025
Controlling the north. The Bandivan fortress, a protohistoric (Kura-Araxes), Urartian, Orontid and medieval site in the Amasia Depression, Shirak Region, Armenia R Dan, A Petrosyan, P Vitolo, A Cesaretti, E Fausti, O Gasparro, ... Archaeological Research in Asia 44, 100657 , 2025 2025
Local Elites on the Edge of the State: Some Remarks on the Late Urartian Burial of Geghovit R Dan, N Yeranyan, A Cesaretti Altorientalische Forschungen 52 (2), 137-161 , 2025 2025
Between Assyria and Urartu A Study of the Political Entity of Mannaea Based on its Archaeology, Onomastic, and Toponomastic R Dan, AV Rossi De Babylone aux routes d’Arabie, portrait d’une orientaliste: Hommage à … , 2025 2025
The Kotayk Survey Project (KSP): Preliminary Report on 2016 Fieldworks Activities G Moradi, R Dan THE KOTAYK SURVEY PROJECT (KSP): PRELIMINARY REPORT ON 2016 FIELDWORKS ACTIVITIE , 2025 2025
Some Urartian Swords in the Musieri/Mouçi Yéri Burial Ground, Lori Province, Armenia R Dan, A Cesaretti Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 31 (1), 58-71 , 2025 2025
From pencil to pixel: assessing Ceramatic 2.0 against manual and laser-aided techniques in archaeological pottery documentation L Alessandri, L Cardarelli, A Cesaretti, R Dan, A Fiorillo, A Sotgia, ... Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, e00435 , 2025 2025
Approaching the Neolithization Processes in North-Western Iran A Cesaretti, R Dan Iran and the Caucasus 29 (2), 99-130 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Grave 12 at Chalow: The Burial of a Young Lady of the “Greater Khorasan Civilization” AA Vahdati, R Biscione, R Dan, MC Trémouille Iran, 1-25 , 2025 2025
Preliminary Report of the First Season of Excavation at the Achaemenid Period (Iron Age IV) Cemetery in Mersin, Semnan Province, Iran M Malekzadeh, R Naseri, S Boroomandara, A Cesaretti, R Dan Iran 63 (1), 57-71 , 2025 2025 Citations: 11
A New Decorated Bronze Belt from Orumiyeh Region, North-Western Iran B Khanmohammadi, AS Bonfanti, R Dan Iran 63 (1), 46-56 , 2025 2025
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Corpus dei Testi Urartei, Vol. I-III, Le iscrizioni su pietra e roccia M Salvini, R Dan, N Parmegiani Documenta Asiana, VIII. Roma , 2008 2008 Citations: 43
Corpus dei testi urartei, vol. IV M Salvini, R Dan, N Parmegiani Roma: CNR , 2012 2012 Citations: 30
From the Armenian Highland to Iran: a study on the relations between the Kingdom of Urartu and the Achaemenid Empire R Dan Scienze e lettere , 2015 2015 Citations: 25
A Study of the Toponyms of the Kingdom of Bia/Urarṭu R Dan Scienze e lettere , 2020 2020 Citations: 23
Dimensional and geographical distribution of the Urartian fortifications in the Republic of Armenia R Biscione, R Dan Aramazd: Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies 6 (2), 104-120 , 2011 2011 Citations: 22
Caucasian, Iranian and Urartian bronze bells M Castelluccia, R Dan Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 20 (1), 67-104 , 2014 2014 Citations: 20
Tra l’Eufrate e l’Arasse. Ricostruzione del paesaggio insediativo del regno di Biainili/Urartu R Dan Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Rome , 2012 2012 Citations: 18
From the Armenian Highland to Iran R Dan A Study on the Relations between the Kingdom of Urartu and the Achaemenid … , 2015 2015 Citations: 17
Foregrounding Daily Data Collection on Archaeological Fieldwork A Petrosyan, H Azizbekyan, B Gasparyan, R Dan, A Bobokhyan, ... Advances in Archaeological Practice 9 (4), 402-414 , 2021 2021 Citations: 16
Corpus dei testi urartei IV M Salvini Iscrizioni su bronzi, argilla e altri supporti , 2012 2012 Citations: 16
The Kotayk Survey Project (KSP): Preliminary Report on 2014 Fieldwork Activity A Petrosyan, R Dan, R La Farina, M Raccidi, M Castelluccia, B Gasparyan, ... Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies 9 (1), 58-68 , 2015 2015 Citations: 14
Ricerche sui siti Urartei della provincia di Van e dintorni R Dan Studi micenei ed egeo-anatolici 52 (1), 49-97 , 2010 2010 Citations: 14
Urartian Bronze Helmets1 M Castelluccia, R Dan Ancient Civilizations from Scythia to Siberia 19 (2), 277-313 , 2013 2013 Citations: 13
Inside the Empire: Some remarks on the Urartian and Achaemenid presence in the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan R Dan Iran and the Caucasus 18 (4), 327-344 , 2014 2014 Citations: 12
Preliminary Report of the First Season of Excavation at the Achaemenid Period (Iron Age IV) Cemetery in Mersin, Semnan Province, Iran M Malekzadeh, R Naseri, S Boroomandara, A Cesaretti, R Dan Iran 63 (1), 57-71 , 2025 2025 Citations: 11
Copper-alloy belts at Hasanlu, Iran: a case study in hybridization and heteroglossia in material culture M Cifarelli, M Castelluccia, R Dan Cambridge Archaeological Journal 28 (4), 539-563 , 2018 2018 Citations: 11
Seeking refuge in mountain fortresses and temporary shelters: approaching militarisation processes in the Van, Sevan and Orumiyeh basins R DAN, A CESARETTI Ancient West & East 20, 1-19 , 2021 2021 Citations: 10
The Kotayk Survey Project. Preliminary Report on 2015 Fieldwork Activities R Dan, A Petrosyan Annali Sezione Orientale 77 (1-2), 294-317 , 2017 2017 Citations: 10
The First Season of the Kotayk Survey Project. Preliminary Report M Castelluccia, R Dan, R La Farina, A Petrosyan, M Raccidi Armenian Journal of Near Eastern Studies 7 (2), 28-35 , 2012 2012 Citations: 10
Arin-berd: una fortezza dell’Età del Ferro nella valle dell’Arasse R Dan, R La Farina Bollettino della Unione Storia ed Arte 6, 227-239 , 2011 2011 Citations: 10
