This photograph shows the excavations directed by Jacques de Morgan in Susa. The fieldwork is organised into trenches 180 metres long by 5 metres wide. The term “industrial excavations” refers to the large area excavated and the number of workers involved.

The site was excavated vertically in 5-metre increments. By digging vertically, Morgan revealed the stratigraphic sequences but the trenches did not provide an overview of individual stratigraphic layers.