Editing Behistun Inscription (section)

==Later research and activity==
[[File:BehistunInscriptiondetail.jpg|225px|thumb|right|Close-up of the inscription.]]
[[File:Behistun Inscription in Persia ca. 520 BC- UNESCO World Heritage Site.jpg|thumb|right|The Behistun Inscription photographed in 2019
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The site was visited by the American linguist [[A. V. Williams Jackson]] in 1903.<ref>A. V. Williams Jackson, "The Great Behistun Rock and Some Results of a Re-Examination of the Old Persian Inscriptions on It", ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', vol. 24, pp. 77–95, 1903</ref> Later expeditions, in 1904 sponsored by the [[British Museum]] and led by [[Leonard William King]] and [[Reginald Campbell Thompson]] and in 1948 by George G. Cameron of the [[University of Michigan]], obtained photographs, casts and more accurate transcriptions of the texts, including passages that were not copied by Rawlinson.<ref>[https://archive.org/download/sculpturesinscri00brituoft/sculpturesinscri00brituoft.pdf] W. King and R. C. Thompson, The sculptures and inscription of Darius the Great on the Rock of Behistûn in Persia: a new collation of the Persian, Susian and Babylonian texts, Longmans, 1907</ref><ref>George G. Cameron, The Old Persian Text of the Bisitun Inscription, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 47–54, 1951</ref><ref>George G. Cameron, The Elamite Version of the Bisitun Inscriptions, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 59–68, 1960</ref><ref>W. C. Benedict and Elizabeth von Voigtlander, Darius' Bisitun Inscription, Babylonian Version, Lines 1–29, Journal of Cuneiform Studies, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1–10, 1956</ref>
It also became apparent that rainwater had dissolved some areas of the limestone in which the text was inscribed, while leaving new deposits of limestone over other areas, covering the text.

In 1938, the inscription became of interest to the Nazi German think tank [[Ahnenerbe]], although research plans were cancelled due to the onset of World War II.

The monument later suffered some damage from [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] soldiers using it for target practice in [[World War II]], and during the [[Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://atlantisonline.smfforfree2.com/index.php?topic=2799.5;wap2 | title=BEHISTUN Inscription - Persia | access-date=2011-07-20 | archive-date=2012-02-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203155912/http://atlantisonline.smfforfree2.com/index.php?topic=2799.5;wap2 | url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1999, Iranian archeologists began the documentation and assessment of damages to the site incurred during the 20th century. Malieh Mehdiabadi, who was [[project manager]] for the effort, described a [[Photogrammetry|photogrammetric]] process by which two-dimensional photos were taken of the inscriptions using two cameras and later transmuted into 3-D images.<ref name="chnpress1">{{cite web|url=http://www.chnpress.com/news/?section=2&id=2589 |title=Documentation of Behistun Inscription Nearly Complete |publisher=Chnpress.com |access-date=2010-04-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110918093441/http://www.chnpress.com/news/?section=2&id=2589 |archive-date=2011-09-18 }}</ref>

In recent years, Iranian archaeologists have been undertaking conservation works.  The site became a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.payvand.com/news/06/jul/1130.html |title=Iran's Bisotoon Historical Site Registered in World Heritage List |publisher=Payvand.com |date=2006-07-13 |access-date=2010-04-23 |archive-date=2018-12-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215122846/http://www.payvand.com/news/06/jul/1130.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2012, the Bisotun Cultural Heritage Center organized an international effort to re-examine the inscription.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tehrantimes.com/arts-and-culture/98233-intl-experts-to-reread-bisotun-inscriptions |title=Intl. Experts to reread Bisotun inscriptions - Tehran Times |access-date=2012-04-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120529044243/http://www.tehrantimes.com/arts-and-culture/98233-intl-experts-to-reread-bisotun-inscriptions |archive-date=2012-05-29 }} Intl. experts to reread Bisotun inscriptions, Tehran Times, May 27, 2012{{dead link|date=October 2016}}</ref>
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