Alexander Nagel | Taking Care of Color in Persepolis

Presented by Alexander Nagel, Research Associate, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.
How can we reconstruct the once brightly painted facades of the monuments and palaces of Persepolis in Iran? This lecture will introduce results of recent fieldwork and materials analysis conducted on the UNESCO world heritage site of Persepolis, as well as in archives and museums in Iran and around the world, and will demonstrate how and why we should investigate the work of painters and craftsmen in the ancient Persian world.
The Oriental Institute Lecture Series, organized by the University of Chicago, brings notable scholars from around the world to present on new breakthroughs, unique perspectives, and innovative research applications related to the Ancient Middle East.
Our lectures are free and available to the public thanks to the generous support of our members. To become a member, please visit: bit.ly/2AWGgF7

[@vs6264]

What a beautiful presentation. Thank you so much, Dr. Payne, and your dedicated crew, especially in Iran.

[@JamAusten]

Thank you Mr. Nagel.

[@sherylcrowe3255]

Fantastic 👏 Thank you

[@ian_b]

Fascinating talk. I'd love to see/hear more about this fascinating subject.

[@lahiji1342]

Thanks to Oriental Institute for the research and showing us the high level lectures.

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

Terrific lecture, thank you. I think the ancient colors look beautiful, they’re just unexpected at first. When I visited Teotihuacan as a child in the 60s, I found a lot of very colorful, nearly intact painted areas in shady spots where the sun rarely reached. Of course, the antiquities there are not nearly as old as those in Persia, and their abandonment forced by the conquistadors, is a lot more recent. I would love to see the ancient cities of Persia, but I wouldn’t feel safe there, as an American woman, certainly not with ISIS operations being condoned, or at least winked at, by the government.

[@mamoshkhan]

Thank you DR Nagel.

[@tsuxi11]

From a Professor from Brazil, thank you for this great lecture.

[@ISAC_UChicago]

+tsuxi11 We are glad you enjoyed it!

[@tsuxi11]

I teach Ancient History at State University of Pernambuco for future History teachers. Usually, they come from poor backgrounds, and it is hard for them to visualize the ancient world. Channels like yours are a great tool in my job. So thank you and Bravo!

[@pedrorl42]

Muito legal saber que estão mostrando materiais do 'The Oriental Institute' para os alunos. Conteúdo de ponta! Imagino como deve ser difícil ensinar e se tornar arqueólogo do Oriente Próximo aqui no Brasil, e isto acaba me desanimando...

[@seamusoluasigh9296]

Wonderful lecture, most illuminating! I loved the gentle humour too.

[@charlesmugleston6144]

BEAUTY begets beauty - a Universal First Principle. "Our deepest self-knowledge unfolds as we are embraced by Beauty" John O'Donohue Thank you for this. Charles Mugleston Omar Khayyam Theatre Company

[@notakimothoi7136]

Thank you

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

I had no idea they used such aggressive cleaning techniques of antiquities in the past. I thought the standard was just gentle dry-brushing to remove loose soil. Nitric acid washes? It’s amazing if any pigments survived that kind of treatment. Ah, well, it’s always easy to blame early scientists when we think we “know better now”. Still, it’s a shame, once lost, missing aspects are gone forever.

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

We have to forget the idea of the “purity” of pure white marble statues and buildings in antiquity. That’s not how they looked in antiquity, they were very colorful, it’s just an accident of time and weathering. I’m not sure about repainting, in today’s world of virtual everything, “repainting” 3D images should be enough. Archaeological artifacts should only be minimally, and reversibly, restored in my opinion, any such dramatic enhancements should be virtual.

[@HunkyDork]

your presentation is way to long.

[@MrFloppyHare]

36 minutes - summarizing a scientific topic that's really complex - is "way too long" for you??

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

It’s way too short.