The following study documents the fieldwork experience of an epigraphist searching for Sasanian-period inscriptions in the mountains of Iran. It highlights the difficulty of finding the rock-cut texts – even those that have been published many times – in the vastness of the Iranian landscape, and the fundamental importance of local guides. Locating a few lines of writing engraved on a stone in a valley is virtually impossible without the help of local inhabitants and in particular shepherds, well-accustomed to roaming the mountains with their flocks. Key inscriptions and sites offer an opportunity to reflect on the history of research that led to the decipherment of these rock texts, and the different techniques that were used – and those that are currently best suited – to document them, allowing a comparison of past and present experiences of working in the field. The millennia-long life of Middle Persian inscriptions does not end with their print publication: only fieldwork provides a glimpse into its ongoing and numerous twists and turns.