An Achaemenid era stone column was recently discovered at the historical site of Hegmataneh (Ecbatana) in Hamedan, the director of the Hegmataneh Research Center announced on Monday.

Habibollah Rashid Beigi said that the stone column was discovered during the pre-construction stage of a shopping center.

“The stone column, which is called a torus, has a diameter of 118 centimeters and a height of 15 centimeters,” he stated, adding that the column is being renovated by the research center and will be put on display at the Hegmataneh Museum.

According to Herodotus, Ecbatana became the capital of the Medes in the late 8th century BC, although some historians believe the city was founded in the first millennium BC. During the Achaemenid era, it was the summer capital of the Persian Empire and the site of an important treasury, which was later looted by Alexander. Ecbatana was the satrapal seat of the province of Media from Achaemenid to Sassanian times.

Experts believe that the black granite column is probably from the Palace of Artaxerxes II, a monument built during the Achaemenid dynasty and mentioned in a Hegmataneh inscription kept at the National Museum of Iran.

However, no trace of the palace had ever been discovered before, Beigi added.

The Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO) has announced that it will allocate funds to purchase the land where the ruins of Ecbatana are located.