Following the Islamic revolution of 1979 archaeological excavations and Achaemenid studies ceased in Iran. Almost all foreign archaeologists and scholars of ancient Iranian history, as well as many Iranians, who were known as historical nationalist and supported Achaemenid studies, left the country. The politicization of the ancient history of Iran halted studies of the ancient history of Iran, in particular Achaemenid history which had been encouraged and supported during the Pahlavi dynasty; in contrast, after the Islamic revolution of 1979 it was ignored by officials who saw this dynasty as a symbol of ignorance and despotism. However, in spite of the lack of support for Achaemenid studies by Iranian officials during the last three decades, western scholars in general and European scholars in particular continued to study Achaemenid history in their institutions without hiatus, using new methodologies through various disciplines; philology, archaeology, Assyriology, Egyptology, Classical history, and Semitics studies etc. During this time many conferences and meetings have been organized, numerous ancient texts have been translated and studied, many new archaeological excavations and researches have been carried out within the territory of the Achaemenid Empire, from Central Asia to Egypt, and from the Indus valley to the Aegean Sea. A huge number of titles (books and articles) related to Achaemenid history have appeared during the last thirty years in the west, keeping Achaemenid studies very much alive. This paper, attempts to review and introduce some major academic activities and works undertaken during the last three decades (1979-2011) in western countries. And, it will explain why regardless of the politicization and ignorance of Achaemenid history by officials inside the country, attempts by senior scholars and a new generation of scholars of Ancient Near East from different disciplines utilising new approaches in studies of Achaemenid history, means the field has developed and will continue to develop in the future.

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