1- Introduction Welcome to the 40-hour seminar on Achaemenid Iran! It is my intention to deliver a rather unconventional academic presentation of the topic, mostly implementing a correct and impartial conceptual approach to the earliest stage of Iranian History. Every subject, in and by itself, offers to every researcher the correct means of the pertinent approach to it; due to this fact, the personal background, viewpoints and thoughts or eventually the misperceptions and the preconceived ideas of an explorer should not be allowed to affect his judgment. .......... 2- Iranian Achaemenid historiography A. Achaemenid imperial inscriptions produced on solemn occasions B. Persepolis Administrative Archives C. Imperial Aramaic 3- Problems of historiography continuity 4- Iranian posterior historiography (Iranian historiography of Islamic times) 5- Foreign historiography