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<< Text Pages >> Burnt City - Ancient Temple in Iran

Submitted by Andy B on Wednesday, 01 December 2010  Page Views: 32486

DigsSite Name: Burnt City Alternative Name: Burned City
Country: Iran Type: Ancient Temple
Nearest Town: Zabol
Latitude: 30.649664N  Longitude: 61.402328E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
no data Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
no data Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
no data
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Ancient Temple in the region of Sistan, Iran. One of the most ancient sites in Iran is The Burnt City, located in the Eastern part of the country, South of Zabol in the region of Sistan. The unexpected appearance & the quick disappearance of the city baffled experts for years.

According to the excavations and researches, the Burned City has come to be known as one of the most important proofs of the independence of the eastern part of Iran from Mesopotamia.

Judging by the artifacts recovered in the area, the inhabitants seem to have been a race of intelligent people who were both farmers & builders of various crafts. So far no military ware has been discovered, suggesting the peaceful nature of the residents. What is really strange about burnt city is the fact that it has no connection to any other old civilisations in the area, as if it completely came from elsewhere.

One of the prominent relics found in the Burned City is a skull that according to the anthropological studies, is the first evidence of brain surgeries in prehistoric Iran. Recent archaeological studies, has led into new discoveries in the architectural style of this city's buildings as well as the finding the biggest pre- historic clothe collection in the Middle East.

Even more recently, Burnt City has been identified as one of the most rare ancient cities in which women were in charge of their family's financial affairs!

Source: Dooroodiran

Note: Burnt City Woman Buried with Prosthetic Eye, Now Reconstructed. See comment.
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"Burnt City" | Login/Create an Account | 23 News and Comments
  
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Anthropologists identify rider at Burnt City by Andy B on Tuesday, 06 November 2012
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Submitted by coldrum on Wednesday, 17 January 2007

Iran: A team of Iranian and British anthropologists working on human remains discovered at the 5200-year-old Burnt City (Iran) have identified a male rider who they believe was a messenger in ancient times.

"Indications of riding are seen on the right leg bone of the man, who died at the age of 40 to 45. The swellings show that he had continuously worked as a professional rider since he was a teenager," the director of the Iranian anthropological team said. There are blade-shaped swellings on the lower part of the leg bone, Farzad Foruzanfar added. "The marks indicate that he had gathered his right leg while riding. Thus the riding was carried out on a big animal like a camel or ox," Foruzanfar explained.

There is evidence that draft animals were used in the Burnt City in ancient times, but gathering a leg while riding is something someone does while riding a camel over long distances. Thus, it is surmised that the man was a courier who traveled regularly.
Pathological studies on the skeletons discovered at the Burnt City cemetery are paving the way for the identification of the professions practiced in ancient times in the city, which was inhabited for about 1200 years. The studies are currently being carried out by experts from the Archaeological Research Center of Iran (ARCI) and a group of anthropologists of the University of Newcastle led by Dr. Kirsi Lorentz.

Source: Mehr news
http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=429066
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Re: Wonders of Iran: The Burnt City by Anonymous on Sunday, 20 February 2011
very interesting.
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Wonders of Iran: The Burnt City by coldrum on Wednesday, 25 August 2010
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Wonders of Iran: The Burnt City (Shahr-e Sukhteh)

One of the largest and richest Bronze Age sites in Iran and the Middle East is located in the southwestern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

Located near the city of Zabol the Burnt City (Shahr-e Sukhteh) spans an area of more than 300,000 hectares. The ancient site has been attracting Iranian and international archeologists for nearly a century.

Founded in 3200 BCE, the city fell into ruins in 2100 BCE after being burnt down three times and not being rebuilt after the last fire.

Four civilizations have lived in the city and its ruins show that it was once composed of residential districts in the northeastern part, an industrial area, and a large cemetery along with memorial buildings.



The city is believed by some to have been the capital of an ancient civilization that flourished on the banks of the Helmand River for more than 1,000 years and had extensive commercial, political, and social relations with other important cities in the region's northeastern and western areas.

The first generation to live in the Burnt City had established relations with the inhabitants of the eastern and northeastern parts of ancient Persia, Central Asia and Quetta which is now the largest city and the provincial capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan Province.

Seals, discovered in the Burnt City, the Mishmahig Island (Bahrain), Kuwait and southern Khvarvaran in modern Iraq, suggest that the second generation continued relations with Central Asia.


An ancient seal unearthed at the Burnt City

The third and fourth generations of Burnt City inhabitants kept relations with northern and eastern regions alive before they were gradually broken off.

British scholar Orwell Stein was the first to spot the Burnt City archeological site in 1915. A team of archeologists from the Italian institute for the Middle East and Oriental studies began excavating the area in the 1960s. The Italian team found more than 200 graves before their project was halted in the late 1970s.

In 1997, Iranian cultural heritage experts resumed excavations at the ancient site after an 18-year hiatus. The Iranian team initially focused on the burial sites and later in 1999 extended their excavations to the residential areas.

Most of the excavated areas date back to 2700-2300 BCE and have yielded hundreds of objects and relics, which are currently being studied by experts at Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Organization (ICHTO).

One of the most significant findings of the Burnt City is a cream-colored clay goblet that was discovered in 1983 by Italian archeologists while excavating a 5,000-year-old tomb.

Five consecutive images drawn around the rare chalice portray a goat moving towards a tree and eating its leaves. The combined images are considered to be the oldest known piece of 'animated' art.

Iranian director Mohsen Ramezani filmed an 11-minute documentary, called The Tree of Life, for which he used the illustrations on the goblet to show the movement of the wild goat toward a tree in five consecutive images. This wild goat image was later adopted as the symbol of ASIFA, the Association of Iranian Animation Films.


A goblet was found at the Burnt City, which is believed to bear the world's earliest animation.

Other excavations at the Burnt City have revealed fishing nets and hooks, which suggest that fishing was one means of livelihood for the inhabitants of the ancient city - this is also evident in the recurrent use of fish patterns on the earthenware found at the site.

In December 2006, archaeologists stumbled upon another piece of utmost significance, an artificial eyeball which subsequent research revealed was the first prosthesis to have been used by man.

The eyeball was found on a 1.82-mete

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Ancient graves found in Iran Burnt City by Andy B on Sunday, 16 May 2010
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More ancient graves have been discovered at Iran's Burnt City as archeologists were conducting the 13th phase of excavation works at the prehistoric site.

The unearthed tombs at the Burnt City site located in southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province date back to about 3,000 BC, Rouhollah Shirazi, an official with Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization told IRNA on Thursday.

Shirazi also added that the archeologists made the discoveries during last winter's excavations around the eastern wing of the city, where its residential buildings, monuments and cemetery were located.

According to the Iranian official who directs the Burnt City excavation works, a number of buried relics were also unearthed along with the graves.

Archeologists have also found a well-preserved building in the residential area, covering around 80 square hectares of the total 151 square hectares of the ancient city.

The 5000-year-old Burnt City is located near the city of Zabol where four civilizations used to live. It was burnt down three times and not rebuilt after the last fire.

The world's oldest animated picture, dice and ***** set, the earliest known caraway seed and an artificial eyeball have been found in the Burnt City.

Source:
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=124259§ionid=351020105
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Burnt City women outlived their men by coldrum on Wednesday, 24 June 2009
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Burnt City women outlived their men

Archeological studies have found that the female inhabitants of Iran's ancient site of Burnt City outlived the male members of their community.

According to head of the Burnt City archeology team Farzad Forouzanfar, men died between the ages of 35 to 45, while women lived well into their 80s.

Forouzanfar said that the area witnessed considerable population drops and that “the number of the female inhabitants of the area was more than the males.”

“The team also found that the remains of nearly 30,000 burials exist in Burnt City,” he added.

Demographical studies also showed that over 6,000 people lived in Burnt City. Previous research had estimated the number to stand at 5,000.

Located near the city of Zabol in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, Burnt City spans more than 300,000 hectares and dates back to 5,200 years ago.

Four civilizations have lived in the city which was burnt down three times and not rebuilt after the last fire.

The world's oldest animated picture, dice and ***** set, the earliest known caraway seed and artificial eyeball have been found at the site.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/98612.htm?sectionid=351020105
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Animal, human statues found in Burnt City by coldrum on Wednesday, 17 June 2009
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Animal, human statues found in Burnt City

Archeologists have unearthed 65 statues of human and animal figures in Burnt City, located in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan.

The discovery, which comes along last winter excavations, included 65 small statues of human and animal figures.

“A small statue of a pregnant woman and a man wearing a necklace outshine the collection,” said Mehdi Mortazavi, head of the archeological team in the Burnt City.

“A statue of a Sistan cow raised a theory suggesting people respected the animal 5,000 years ago,” he added.

The archeologists have also discovered two pottery kilns in the region. One kiln was used to fire the clay tools and the other was used for the small statues.

“Sufficient resources of high quality clay, water resources as well as reeds and animal feces as fuel to fire the kilns are among the reasons the ancient dwellers chose pottery as their main industry and art,” Mortazavi said.

Over 400 prehistoric sites have been excavated in Burnt City and archeologists expect the number to reach 1000.

The 5000-year-old Burnt City is located near the city of Zabol and covers an area of over 300,000 hectares.

Four civilizations have lived in the city which was burnt down three times; it was not rebuilt after the last fire.

The world's oldest animated picture-book, dice and ***** set, the earliest known caraway seed and artificial eyeball all been found in the Burnt City.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=97321§ionid=351020105
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5000 Year Old Skeletons Found in Iran's Burnt City by bat400 on Monday, 30 March 2009
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Submitted by coldrum --

A total of 52 skeletons were discovered by a joint Italian-Iranian archaeological team in the 5200-year-old Burnt City.

Twelve of the skeletons belong to children and a skeleton of a newborn is among the discoveries, anthropologist of the team Farzad Foruzanfar told the Persian service of CHN on Sunday. A large number of the graves excavated during previous seasons belong to children, said Foruzanfar, adding, “Infectious diseases are the main reason for the large number of children.” Three women and four men who died sometime between the ages of 45 and 60 are among the skeletons.

These skeletons determine life expectancy in the Burnt City, Foruzanfar noted.

From Tehran Times.
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Bronze Age Pottery Kiln Identified in the Burnt City by bat400 on Saturday, 28 March 2009
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During the stratigraphical study conducted on Teppeh-Dasht archaeological site located 3 kilometres away from Burnt City (Shahr-e Sukhteh) in Sistan-va-Baluchestan Province, archaeologists have identified a 5000-years-old pottery kiln, reported the Persian Service of CHN on Saturday.

“Current evidences verify that this pottery kiln is the same type as the kiln discovered by Maurizio Tosi at Rud-Biyābān Tappeh II”, said Mehdi Mortazavi, director of Archaeological Survey and Stratigraphical Research team in the Burnt City. Mortazavi believes Teppeh-Dasht was one of the most important satellite areas of Burnt City.

With regard to archaeogeography of the site Mortazvi added “due to the discovery of numerous pottery kilns in the site, it appears that the site was very important industrial centre for Burnt City and had played a major role in production of pottery.” He asserted that the abundance of bole-soil, water and wood as a fuel for making pottery were the main factors behind the formation of pottery workshops in the area.

“Evidences indicate that there was a lake in the area during the Moronze Age,” said Mortazavi.

Some soil samples from the area which can be found within 3 kilometres radius of the site were sent to Esfahan and Sistan-va-Baluchestan Universities for further analyses.

With regard to previous archaeological research in the area Mortazavi said “This site was initially discovered and excavated by Maurizio Tosi. He named the site based on the local and vernacular information.”
The first and immediate findings by the Italian team were surprising and the expedition continued working until 1978, obtaining brilliant results.

For more, see this link.
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Teeth Tell the Tale: “Spare hand” of Burnt City people by bat400 on Saturday, 28 March 2009
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Submitted by coldrum --
The latest anthropological studies on the people of Iran’s 5200-year-old Burnt City determined that they used their teeth as an extra hand. The studies were carried out on 52 skeletons discovered by a joint Italian-Iranian archaeological team at the cemetery of the city during the 12th season of excavation that concluded last week.

“Using teeth to assist in creating artwork was very common among the people of the Burnt City,” anthropologist of the team Farzad Foruzanfar told the Persian service of CHN on Tuesday. The people used their teeth in weaving wicker, nets and textiles, and in creating artwork with ornamental stones, he said, adding, “Teeth were the extra hand of people in these professions.”

Abrasions caused by pulling fibers of the palmetto plant by teeth and seen in both genders, further support the conclusions. Various shapes of abrasions in teeth are visible including surface, bias, grooves, holes, and as a result of friction. Consequently, anthropologists believe that people used their teeth in many ordinary jobs.

“People pulled fibers with their teeth and also moisturized them with saliva for weaving wickerworks, which have previously been discovered in the Burnt City,” Foruzanfar said.

For more, see the Tehran Times.
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Iran's Burnt City yields ancient graves by coldrum on Friday, 30 January 2009
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Iran's Burnt City yields ancient graves

The 12th phase of Burnt City archeological excavations in Iran's southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province has yielded 12 ancient graves.

A brick-walled quadrangular grave was found at the site, which is believed by archeologists to be unique among the discoveries of the past 30 years.

The skeletons have been eroded and no artifacts have been found inside the graves.

“Up to now ten different types of burials have been found in Burnt City, seven of which are extremely rare with only three or four examples of them in the area,” said head of the archeology team, Seyyed Mansour Seyyed Sajjadi.

“These rare burials may have belonged to emigrants, who were buried according to their own rituals,” he added.

Over 400 prehistoric sites have been excavated in Burnt City and archeologists expect the number to reach 1000.

The 5000-year-old Burnt City is located near the city of Zabol and spans an area of over 300,000 hectares.

Four civilizations have lived in the city which was burnt down three times and not rebuilt after the last fire.

The world's oldest animated picture, dice and ***** set, the earliest known caraway seed and artificial eyeball have been found in Burnt City.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=80041§ionid=351020105
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Re: Animated Short Subject. Leaping Goats from 3000 BC Iran. by davidmorgan on Friday, 14 March 2008
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Wonderful!
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Animated Short Subject. Leaping Goats from 3000 BC Iran. by bat400 on Friday, 14 March 2008
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Long considered a modern invention, animation has apparently been lying about its age. A 5,200-year-old bowl found in Iran’s Burnt City in the 1970s features a series of five images that researchers have only recently identified as being sequential, much like those in a zoetrope. Giving the bowl a spin, one would see a goat leaping to snatch leaves from a tree.

The pottery was unearthed from a burial site by Italian archaeologists, who hadn’t noticed the special relationship between the images that adorned the circumference. That discovery was made years later by Iranian archaeologist Dr. Mansur Sadjadi, (later hired to direct the excavation of The Burnt City, located in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchestan.)

While no one questions the early instance of animation, researchers have been at odds over the significance of the artwork. It was originally thought to depict the goat eating from the Assyrian Tree of Life, but archaeologists now assert that it predates the Assyrian civilization by a thousand years.

For more, including the animation sequence, see Animation Magazine.
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Jewellery and makeup in ancient Persia by Andy B on Friday, 22 February 2008
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Archaeological finds in Iran show that women and men applied makeup and arrayed themselves with ornaments approximately 10,000 years ago, a trend which began from religious convictions rather than mere beautification motivations.

Archaeologists have discovered various instruments of make-up and ornamental items in the Burnt City, which date back to the third millennium BCE.

The caves of the Bakhtiari region, where the first hunter-gatherers settled at the end of the ice age, have yielded not only stone tools, daggers and grindstones but also several stones covered with red ocher.
As no cave paintings have been found in this area, researchers believe the people of this era bepainted their faces and bodies with ocher.

Other caves in Kermanshah have also yielded several samples of animal bones with traces of paint. Again, as the cave walls are undecorated, it can be inferred that the residents used these bones as ornaments.

The tombs found in Kerman have all yielded white powder made of lead or silver suggesting the people of this region were the first to use white powder for beautification purposes.


Archaeologists also believe that both women and men used a red powder found inside small saucer-like vessels unearthed in some tombs to redden their cheeks.

The masks and statues unearthed at Haft Tappeh in Khuzestan, show the people of the time blackened and extended their eyebrows, reddened their lips and cheeks and lined their eyes up to the eyebrows.

Archaeological finds dating back to the first millennium BCE, show the diversity and abundance of cosmetics and ornaments in this period, suggesting that this era was the peak of the art of decoration and makeup in Iran.

Ten thousand year old discoveries from a number of caves, especially Mazandaran's Huto and Kamarband caves and Kermanshah's Bisotoun Cave, reveal that women and men adorned themselves with pelts, shells, colorful stones and the teeth and bones of hunted animals.

Metal, bone, shell, stone and glass rings, bracelets, armlets, anklets, hair and dress pins, circlets, chokers, ornamental buttons, various ear and fingernail cleaning tools are among the frequent finds from this era.

Agate, pearls and other semi-precious stones have been discovered in the Burnt City, and the quantity of unearthed necklaces, bracelets and rings show that the inhabitants were fully aware of the value of ornaments and their application.

Archaeological excavations in central Iran at Tappeh Si Arg in Kashan and Tappeh Hessar in Damghan have unveiled the same extent of makeup materials and ornamental ware.

Decorative beads made from pearl, turquoise, copper, silver, gold and unbaked or baked lime from 4,600 BCE to 1,800 BCE are the most frequent finds at these sites.

Rings, necklaces, crowns, earrings, foot ornaments, bracelets and even metal beads adorned with what is thought to be family insignia all testify to the mastery of their artisans.

Tappeh Hessar graves, even those belonging to children, all contain an array of such objects.

Cave dwellers used water as the first mirror. Gradually as man learned to melt and polish metals, he crafted mirrors.
The oldest man-made mirrors discovered, which date back 4500 years, have been found mostly in Ilam, Luristan and Azarbaijan and are ornamented with mythological figures carved into their handles and backs.

In the excavation of the Sassanid tombs of Azarbaijan, two sheets of glass with tar and silver-coated backs were discovered, which archaeologists believe were used like modern mirrors.

These sheets of glass/ancient mirrors like many other Iranian treasures from the past have been housed in the British Museum.
An Achaemenid seal housed in the Louvre depicts a fully made-up aristocratic woman looking at her reflection in a mirror while a maid presents her with

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700 Historic and Prehistoric Sites Identified in Sistan Plain by coldrum on Wednesday, 17 October 2007
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700 Historic and Prehistoric Sites Identified in Sistan Plain

In pursuing their researching activities in Sistan plain, archeology team of Sistan va Baluchistan University has succeeded to identify more than 700 historic and prehistoric sites in this part of Sistan va Baluchistan province.

Since the excavations in Sistan plain have not been wrapped up yet, Rasoul Mousavi Haji, one of the heads of the archeology team in Sistan plain gives the possibility for identifying some more historic sites in the area.

“Although discovery of a large number of prehistoric sites shed light into the importance of this area during very ancient times, we have also succeeded in identifying a number of historical sites dating back to the Parthian (248 BC-224 AD) and Seleucids (312-64 BC) dynastic eras for the first time in this area. A number of historical sites belonging to 12-15 centuries AD have been also identified in the region, which were never seen before,” said Mousavi to CHN.

The archeology team has also succeeded in identifying of historical sites dating back to Achaemenid (550-330 BC) and Sassanian (224-651 AD) dynastic eras in the region.

Regarding of tracing civilization, cultural, and artistic evidence in the region, Mousavi Haji explained: “Identifying of historic evidence which is as old as the Burnt City are among the most prominent achievements during these archeological activities in Sistan plain. These areas enjoyed industrial centers and we have also discovered a large number of decorative semi-precious gems such as lapis and opal.”

These new discoveries bring into light that the industry of using ornamental gems was not limited to the Burnt City and the satellite hills of this prehistoric city also enjoyed similar industrial activity.

Mousavi Haji further explained about discovery of a unique piece of earthenware with the design of a human being in one of prehistoric sites contemporary with the Burnt City which was never seen before in Burnt City and its satellite sites.

According to Mousavi, the recent researches show that the number of prehistoric and historic sites in Sistan plain must have surpassed to what was previously assumed and each 6 kilometers of Sistan plain must have contained one historic site. This is while prior to this it was supposed that each 10 kilometers must have hidden a historic site.

Archeological excavations have been started by a team of archeologist in 22 areas of Sistan plain which have been divided into two phases. According to Mehrafarin, one of the other heads of the team, discovery of more than 700 historic and prehistoric sites was the result of archeological efforts during the first phase of activities.

All achieved information in this researching project is due to be gathered and categorized in the archeological Atlas of Sistan va Baluchistan province.
http://www.chnpress.com/news/?section=2&id=7275
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Italian conference to focus on Iran's Burnt City by coldrum on Tuesday, 22 May 2007
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Iran?s 5200-year-old Burnt City will be one of the main subjects of the 19th International Conference on Southern Asian Archaeology, which will be held at Italy?s Ravenna University in July, MNA reported.

?The conference is held biennially and this year?s conference will allocate a day to the Burnt City,? Mansur Sajjadi, the director of the team of archaeologists working at the Burnt City, told the Persian service of CHN on Friday.

?Since the subject has been discussed in previous conferences, the Burnt City has become the highlight of the event,? he added.

Foreign archaeologists Mich? Casanova, Loredana Costantini-Biasini, Loredana Mugavero, Mateo Delledonne, Lorenzo Constantini, and Kirsi Lorentz along with Iranian experts Sajjadi, Ruhollah Shirazi, Mohammad Zaruri, and Farzad Foruzanfar will be giving lectures on the ancient metropolis during the conference.

Sajjadi will give a lecture on the results of the latest excavations, and Shirazi will talk about the marble stones found during the 1997-2004 excavations.

Sajjadi, Zaruri, Foruzanfar, and Costantini-Biasini will be talking on the subject of the 4800-year-old artificial eye discovered in December 2006.

In addition, Casanova and Mugavero will make speeches about luxury artifacts and pottery works found at the site.

Lorenzo Constantini will lecture on the restoration of the Burnt City?s architecture while Lorentz will talk about how the ancient inhabitants used their teeth as tools for things other than eating.

Textiles, gifts, diet, and other cultural aspects of the ancient site will also be discussed during the conference.

Nine seasons of excavations have been carried out at the Burnt City, which is located 57 kilometers from the city of Zabol in Iran?s Sistan-Baluchestan Province.

Archaeologists have discovered many artifacts including a 10-centimeter ruler with an accuracy of half a millimeter in the ruins of the ancient city.

They have also unearthed an earthenware bowl at the site which experts believe has the world?s oldest ?animated? picture depicted around it.

Covering an area of 150 hectares, the site was one of the world?s largest cities at the dawn of the urban era. It was built circa 3200 BC and destroyed some time around 2100 BC.

The city had four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times. Since it was not rebuilt after the last time it burnt down, it has been named the Burnt City.


http://www.iranmania.com/News/ArticleView/Default.asp?NewsCode=50759&NewsKind=Current%20Affairs
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Burnt City, key to lost civilization by coldrum on Tuesday, 22 May 2007
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Iran's 'Burnt City', a Bronze Age archeological treasure trove, was once one of the world's largest communities at the dawn of urban settlement.

The city, called Shahr-e-Sookhteh, sits on the banks of the Helmand river along the Zahedan-Zabol road in the southeast province of Sistan.

Covering an area of 151 hectares, the city was built around 3200 BC and abandoned over a millennium later in 2100 BC. The city experienced four stages of civilization and was burnt down three times. It took its eventual named because it was never rebuilt after the last fire.
The oldest known *****, dice and caraway seeds and numerous metallurgical finds, such as pieces of slag and crucible, are among the city's excavated artifacts. The unearthed game of ***** is made of 60 pieces from turquoise and agate, and has a rectangular ebony board.

Other objects found at the site include a human skull with signs that suggest brain surgery was conducted on it in this prehistoric city.

The striking find reminds one of “The Story of Sinuhe”, written in hieroglyph during the Egyptian Middle Kingdom around 2000 BC, in which Sinuhe, an Egyptian nobleman and a physician in the court of Amenemhet I, gives an account of open brain surgeries. The unearthed skull in Iran's Burnt City has discredited the belief based on Sinuhe's account that brain surgery originated in Egypt.

More than 600 skeletal remains have also been unearthed so far from the Burnt City's necropolis. The remains had been buried in more than 108 graves with some of the remains grouped together into graves containing three to eight bodies. At least two of the multiple graves were family plots apparently intended for family members who had died within a short period of time of each other.

The deceased residents of the Burnt City were buried in different positions - some were buried prostrate, some in a supine position and some lying on one-side. The most frequent position in burial was to lay the corpse on its side or to position the body into a kind of squat. Scientists believe that the variety in burial methods implies that different cultures coexisted within one society at the Burnt City.


The Golden-eyed Woman

In December 2006, archaeologists discovered the world's earliest artificial eyeball in the city's necropolis, thought to have been worn by a female resident of the Burnt City. The artificial eye is a hemisphere with a diameter of just over 2.5 cm (1 inch). It consists of very light material, probably bitumen paste. The surface of the artificial eye is covered with a thin layer of gilding and is engraved with a circle at its center to represent the iris. The eye includes gold lines patterned like the rays of the sun. A hole has been drilled through the eyeball, through which a golden thread is thought to have held the eyeball in place.

Microscopic research has revealed that the eye socket of the female remains bear clear imprints of the golden thread, suggesting that the woman must have worn the eyeball during her lifetime. With her shining golden eye she must have been a striking figure, perhaps a soothsayer or an oracle. The woman with the artificial eye was 1.82 m tall (6 feet), much taller than the average women of her time. She was aged between 25 and 30 and had dark, exotic skin. Her Africanoid cranial structure suggests her origins were the Arabian Peninsula.

Experts say that her skeleton dates to between 2900 and 2800 BC, when the Burnt City was a bustling, wealthy city and trading post at the crossroads of the East and the West. It is thought that the woman may have arrived at the city on a caravan from Arabia. Archeologists have not yet revealed the cause of the woman's death.


The Ancient Courier

In one of the most recent discoveries from January, a team of Iranian and British anthropologists, working on human remains in the city from the 3rd millennium BC, id

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    Re: Burnt City, key to lost civilization by Anonymous on Thursday, 27 August 2009
    I am a Zorastrian living in India.Did any of the bodies excavated have a thick 1/4 inch rope around their waist.If so they could be Zorastrians.
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Re: Iran Oldest Game by davidmorgan on Saturday, 03 February 2007
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It must be somewhere around here (Shahr-e Sukhteh):
http://www.flashearth.com/?lat=30.649664&lon=61.402328&z=13.6&r=0&src=msl
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Iran Oldest Game by coldrum on Friday, 02 February 2007
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Iran Oldest Game,

The oldest ***** in the world along with 60 pieces has been unearthed beneath the rubbles of the legendary Burnt City in Sistan-Baluchistan province, southeastern Iran.

Iranian archeologists working on the relics of the 5,000-year-old civilization argue this ***** is much older than the one already discovered in Mesopotamia and their evidence is strong enough to claim the board game was first played in the Burnt City and then transferred to other civilizations.

"The ***** reveals intriguing clues to the lifestyle of those people," said Mansour Sajjadi, head of the research team.

"The board is rectangular and made of ebony, which did not grow in Sistan and merchants used to import it from India."
He added the board features an engraved serpent coiling around itself for 20 times, thus producing 20 slots for the game, more affectionately known in Persian as Nard. The engraving, artistically done, indicates artisans in the Burnt City were masters of the craft.

"The 60 pieces were also unearthed inside a terracotta vessel beside the board. They were made of common stones quarried in the city, including agate and turquoise," Sajjadi added.

Experts still wonder why they played the game with 60 pieces and are trying to discern its rules, but it at least shows it is 100-200 years older than the one discovered in Mesopotamia.

iranian.
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4800-year-old artificial eye discovered in Burnt City, Iran by Andy B on Sunday, 17 December 2006
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A team of archaeologists working at the Burnt City recently discovered an artificial eye at the 5200-year-old site in Sistan-Baluchestan Province, southeastern Iran.

“The eye belonged to a large woman who died when she was 25 to 30 year old and was buried in Grave 6705,” team director Mansur Sajjadi said on Sunday.

“Initial studies show traces of an abscess in the upper arch of the eye, and tracks made by the eyelid are visible on the lower part of the artificial eye,” he added.

“It is still not clear what material was used to construct the eye, but it seems that it has been made of natural tar mixed with animal fat.

“The thinnest capillaries on the eyeball have been made with golden wires with a thickness of less than one millimeter. “The pupil of the eye has been placed in the center of the eyeball and some parallel lines forming an almond pattern are seen around the pupil. The eyeball has two holes in its two sides, which were used for fixing the eye to the eye socket.”

More: Tehran Times
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    Burnt City woman's face reconstructed by bat400 on Wednesday, 01 December 2010
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    Rome's National Museum of Oriental Art has displayed the reconstructed face of a female skeleton which was found in Iran's Burnt City wearing an artificial eyeball.

    The reconstructed version of the 5,000-year-old skeleton was unveiled during a ceremony attended by head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization Hamid Baqaei and Iran's ambassador to Italy Seyyed Mohammad-Ali Hosseini.

    The woman, whose face has been reconstructed by a group of Iranian and Italian researchers, is famous for carrying the first prosthesis to have been used by man, ISNA reported.

    This is a great scientific achievement which shows that Persians used innovative medical equipment 5,000 years ago, Baqaei said during the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

    The unique discovery was the result of excavations in the Burnt City in 2006, when archaeologists found an artificial eyeball on a 1.82-meter- tall female skeleton, much taller than ordinary women of her time, and dated back to between 2900 and 2800 BCE.

    The eyeball had a hemispherical form with a diameter of just over 2.5 cm and was made of very light material. The surface was covered with a thin golden layer, engraved with a central circle to represent the iris.

    The eye was held in place with a golden thread, which went through tiny holes drilled on both sides of the eye.

    Microscopic studies showed that the eye socket bore imprints of the golden thread, which suggest that the eyeball had been worn during its owner's lifetime.

    Italian archaeobotanist and researcher with Rome's National Museum of Oriental Art Professor Lorenzo Costantini said that the face of the artificial eyeball's owner has been reconstructed using computer programs and criminology science.

    Spanning more than 300,000 hectares, the site dates back to 5,200 years ago. Four civilizations have lived in the city which was burnt down three times and not rebuilt after the last fire.



    For more, see http://www.presstv.ir.
    Article submitted by coldrum .
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    Ancient Artificial Eyeball found in Burnt City presented in Rome by Andy B on Tuesday, 06 November 2012
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    Submitted by coldrum on Tuesday, 05 June 2007

    As the first lecturer in exhibition of Beauties of Iran, Five Millennia of History which inaugurated on 21st of May in Rome's Oriental Arts Museum, Dr. Mansour Sajadi, head of archeological excavations in Burnt City gave a speech on the latest achievements of the discovered artificial eyeball in Burnt City during which he explained about the details of this unique discovery which according to archeologists is one of the magic of the ancient world.

    "The initial studies on Burnt City's artificial eye have come to an end which has brought into light some important information about this artificial eye. This eye which was found in grave number 6705 of Burnt City's cemetery is a hemisphere object which was placed inside the left eye socket of a 28-32 years old woman. The initial anthropological studies on the skull of the woman revealed that evidence of an abscess was formed under the eyebrow and inside the left eye socket of this woman," Sajadi told CHN.

    According to head of excavation team in Burnt City, considering the specific gravity of this object, it seems that the main material of this artificial eyeball is consisted of natural tar mixed with animal fat.

    Referring to magnificent method practiced for making this artificial eye, Sajadi said: "Even the most delicate eye capillaries were drawn on this eyeball using golden wires with a thickness measuring less than half a millimeter. The pupil of the eye has been devised on the center of the eyeball and there are also some parallel lines around the pupil forming a diamond shape."

    He further explained: "Very small spots of white color can be seen on the white of the eye. It is a high possibility that the whole sclera was covered by this white color and then little by little it was faded away over the time."

    Two holes were also created on the sides of this eyeball to hold it in the eye socket and according to head of the excavation team in burnt City, is seems that the leather bag which has been found inside a straw basket in the grave must have been a kind of eye glass holder which was used for holding the artificial eyeball in some cases for example sleeping times.

    Regarding the other characteristics of this mysterious skeleton, Sajadi said: "Considering that the majority of females lived in Burnt City during ancient times were short, being 180 centimeters in height, this woman is known the tallest woman which has ever been identified in Burnt City."

    Pointing out that the discovered grave belongs to the residential areas of Burnt City dating back to 2900-2800 BC, Sajadi believes that most probably this artificial eye must have been the most ancient one discovered so far.

    In response to the questions regarding the origin of the discovered skeleton and whether it might have belonged to somebody who migrated to the Burnt City from other places for example Saudi Arabia, Sajadi strongly rejected all these misconceptions. "For sure the discovered skeleton belongs to one of the inhabitants of Burnt city. Since its physical characteristics show a difference with the local people of the Burnt City, we can consider the possibility that she was migrated from one of the southern provinces of ancient Persia to this region. However, considering the usage of tar in the artificial eyeball and proficiency of jewelers of Burnt City during ancient times, what we can say for sure is that the eye was made in this city."

    The exhibition of "Beauties of Iran, Five Millennia of History" has been organized by the joint cooperation of Iran's Embassy in Rome and the Italian Ministry of Culture will run to 13 of June in Rome's Oriental Arts Museum.

    On the sideline of the exhibition, a series of lectures was delivered about the position of women in the course of history with the title of women, from myth to reality. A number of Iranians' women traditional dresses and jewels during ancient tim

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Re: Burnt City by Andy B on Monday, 13 November 2006
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hailstones writes: One of the largest structures discovered in Iran, this site was first excavated in 1979. Work resumed in 1996. The building is probably a 5,000 year old temple, although this is yet to be confirmed. The building has been constructed on a mound and covers an area of 150 hectares.

It was one of the world's largest cities at the time it was built in 3,200 BC. There were four stages and it was burnt down three times, but never rebuilt after the last burning down. Textiles of brown, beige and maroon have been found along with a 10 centimetre ruler with an accuracy of half a millimetre and an earthenware bowl that experts believe have the world's oldest animated picture drawn around it. The ethnicity and language of the city's people is unknown. Is this the first evidence of homo sapiens measuring time?


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