Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Zoroastrian burial inscription near the historic city of Estakhr in southern Iran. The inscription dates to the late Sasanian period and appears to be linked to Zoroastrian funeral traditions. Researchers found the inscription inside a carved frame north of Estakhr, in the Marvdasht plain of Fars province. It uses Pahlavi script, a writing system widely used during the Sasanian Empire, which ruled Iran from the third to the seventh century.

Archaeologist Abolhassan Atabaki said the inscription likely belonged to a Zoroastrian burial site. Iranian news outlet Jamaran reported his findings in September.

Zoroastrian beliefs shaped ancient burial practices

Atabaki explained that burial traditions changed as Zoroastrianism spread through ancient Persia. Many communities moved away from burying their dead in the ground. Instead, they used elevated locations and mountainous areas. These changes reflected religious beliefs about death and the afterlife.

Birds of prey and other scavengers removed the flesh from the bodies. The remaining bones were then collected and placed in designated locations among rocks and cliffs, Atabaki said. Similar burial traditions have been documented elsewhere in the ancient Iranian world. Archaeologists recently discovered a Zoroastrian fire altar and decorated ossuary in Uzbekistan.

Marvdasht holds dozens of Sasanian inscriptions

History expert Najmeh Ebrahimi said burial practices varied across Sasanian society. A person’s wealth and social standing often influenced the type of burial. These methods included rock-cut graves, stone mounds, burial towers, jar burials, and stone containers used to hold human remains. Some communities also used smaller funerary structures known as “dakhmaks,” a term found in Sasanian inscriptions.

According to Ebrahimi, the plain contains the largest known concentration of Sasanian inscriptions and funerary texts from that period. The latest discovery adds to the evidence of Zoroastrian burial traditions in ancient Iran. Further study could help researchers better understand funeral practices during the final centuries of the Sasanian Empire.