Biography
I am an archaeological researcher specializing in ancient Iran, with a broader focus on the ancient Iranian World during the 1st millennium BCE to the early 1st millennium CE. My fieldwork and study have taken me to the Iranian provinces of Khuzestan and Fars, where I have conducted archaeological surveys and excavations.
After completing my BA in Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology at the University of Rome "La Sapienza”, I moved to Australia in 2012. There, I pursued an MA in Archaeology at the University of Sydney and was awarded a PhD scholarship in Ancient History and Archaeology at Macquarie University, Sydney. Before joining the University of Cambridge, I gained experience in GIS and Remote Sensing in Italy, enhancing my research in archaeology through the integration of spatial analysis technologies.
Research
My research explores the use of spatial analysis and satellite imagery in studying the archaeology of the ancient Near East, with a particular interest in ancient Iran. Recently, I have expanded my interests to include geo-information systems, cartography, geospatial data, remote sensing and data visualization. These technologies represent an important “toolbox” for bridging gaps in traditional archaeological research, enabling deeper insights into ancient landscapes, civilizations, and cultural heritage.
At the University of Cambridge, I am currently an MSCA European Fellow (supported by UKRI, 2024-2026), responsible for the project “PersianTRAIL: Tracking the Roadways Across Iranian Lands: A Geospatial Reconstruction of the Persian Royal Road(s) and the cross-cultural link between East and West during the Achaemenid Era (6th-4th centuries BCE).” In collaboration with Prof. Cameron Petrie, I aim to reconstruct the Persian Royal Road, a monumental infrastructure that connected the Achaemenid Empire from East to West, using GIS and remote sensing analysis.
Key Publications
PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS (selected)
• Salaris, D. & Dan, R. 2024 (in press). “Between Euphrates and Indus: Problems and Perspectives on the Study of Artificial Terraces and Platforms in the Near East and Central Asia.” In Trans-Regional Encounters. Kingdoms and principalities of the Taurus, Zagros, and Caucasus regions between 300 BCE and 200 CE, Proceedings of the International conference held in held in 2022 on January 20-21, Münster. Classica et Orientalia.
• Salaris, D. & Dan, R. 2024. “Exploring the Archaeology and Significance of Masjed-e Soleyman: A Reassessment of the Elymaean Terrace and its Socio- Cultural Context in Southwestern Iran.” ISIMU 26, pp. 173-202. Madrid.
• Salaris, D. & Dan, R. 2023. “The Van Plain during the Urartian Period: A Spatial Analysis of Fortified Settlement Patterns.” Anatolica 48, pp. 13-48. Peeters.
• Salaris, D. 2023. “The Elymaean Temple of Bard-e Neshandeh. A New Interpretation.” In Katrien De Graef and Jan Tavernier (eds.), Susa and Elam 2. Proceedings of the International Congress held at Louvain University‚ July 6-9‚ 2015. Mémoires de la Délégation en Perse 59, pp. 209-255. Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/ 10.1163/9789004541436_008
• Salaris, D. & Dan, R. 2022. “A Study of Protohistoric and Historical settlement patterns in the Qara Żīāʾ-al-Dīn Plain, Iran.” East and West 3 (62).2, pp. 7-41. ISMEO.
• Salaris, D. 2021. “The Equestrian Relief of Hung-e Azhdar: A Historical Memory for the Dynastic Lineages of Elymais.” IRAN 61, pp. 36-58. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/05786967.2020.1846999
• Salaris, D. & Basello, G.P. 2019. “ὀρεινὰ καὶ λῃστρικὰ ἔθνη (Strabo XVI.1.17): Mountain tribes of Elymais and State Powers, from Neo-Elamite kingdom(s) to Alexander the Great.” In Luisa Prandi (ed.), EstOvest: confine e conflitti fra Vicino Oriente e mondo Greco-Romano, Verona 16-18 Ottobre 2017 (Monografie del Centro Ricerche di Documentazione sull’Antichità Classica, 47), Università di Verona, pp. 79-115. «L'ERMA» di Bretschneider.
