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<< News >> Identifying Iron Age Sites in the Vicinity of Sialk Tepe

Submitted by coldrum on Monday, 11 June 2007  Page Views: 3041

Iron Age and Later PrehistoryCountry: Iran Type: Ancient Village or Settlement

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In an attempt to revisit different cultural periods existed in Iran’s central plateau during late Iron Age, archeologists have succeeded in identifying a number of historic sites dating back to 3000 years ago which would push archeological researches which have something to do with the Iron Age in Sialk hill into a new stage.

Announcing this news, Mehrdad Malekzadeh, archeologist and head of the team for revising studies of cultural periods of Iran’s Central Plateau during late Iron Age, told CHN: “One of the identified historical sites is a cemetery belonging to the Iron Age near city of Natanz which is known as Milajard hill. Evidence shows that the historical relics which have been unearthed in the cemetery somehow resembles those which have been found in A cemetery of Sialk. Anyway, we are determined to start field researches in this cemetery which we hope to lead us to some considerable results.”

Regarding the characteristics of this newly discovered historic site, Malekzadeh added: “The area which is called Gholam hill, was identified accidentally 5 kilometers from Sialk Tepe during the operations for widening a local road which connects Kashan to Niasar. Initial studies in this historic hill indicate existence of a stone architectural style similar to that which was already observed in Shamshirgah historic site in Qom.”

Head of excavation team in Sialk Tepe further explained that the rare phenomenon about this historic site is that while they have faced with a mono-periodic site, evidence of clay relics similar those of 6th cultural period of Sialk and its B cemetery can be seen in the area.

“A large number of engraved bricks resembles to those of Sialk 6 which the main part of Sialk big architectural remain was decorated with have been found in the area. Such similar bricks have been also found in Qoli Darvish historic site in Qom,” added Malekzadeh.

Malekzadeh further expressed hope that with conducting archeological excavations in Gholam Tepe, a new season will be launched in archeological studies about late Iron Age.

Pointing that a large number of engraved bricks have been discovered so far in Sialk Tepe, Qoli Darvish, Shamshirgah, and Gholam Tepe historical sites, Malekzadeh said: “After finishing our researches, we are determined to find out the original design of these stones to publish them in a book with the title of Iron Age Engraved Bricks.”

Sialk historical site is consisted of two northern and southern ancient hills, 600 meters apart from each other, situated southwest of Kashan, Iranian Isfahan province. Sialk has also two cemeteries which dates back to 3500 and 300 years ago. Based on archeological investigations carried out by both the French and Iranian teams, 6 cultural periods were differentiated in ancient hills of Sialk.

Sialk is claimed to be the most ancient ziggurat of the world dating back to the 5th millennium BC. Although what has remained from this 6000-year-old ziggurat is not in a favorable condition.

chnpress.
Contributor Bio for coldrum: Based in Milkyway, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Avebury.

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"Identifying Iron Age Sites in the Vicinity of Sialk Tepe" | Login/Create an Account | 4 News and Comments
  
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Rare burial ritual identified in Iran's Sialk by coldrum on Wednesday, 17 June 2009
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Rare burial ritual identified in Iran's Sialk

Archeologists have discovered a mysterious burial ritual performed 9,000 years ago in Iran's Sialk Mound located in the center of the country.

Iranian and Polish archeologists' investigations have revealed a specific burial ritual in Sialk Mound.

“In this 9,000-year-old practice, four bodies were burned at a heat of 400 to 700 degrees. The ash and remains of the bodies were then buried in a jar,” said Hassan Fazeli, the director of Iran's Archeology Research Center.

“Traces of red petals were found in the jar. Archeologists believe red flowers signified life and eternity in ancient Persia,” he added.

“A burial ritual encompassing burning has never been observed in Iran,” he claimed. “It makes the rare discovery of great importance.”

Another body was found next to the foundation of a wall.

Archeologists from Iran, Germany, Britain, Italy and France have been studying the northern mound of Sialk since last week.

The Sialk Mound, located in the city of Kashan, is believed to be the origin of human technology, industry and religious thought in Iran.


http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=94340§ionid=351020105
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Iranian Archaeologists Return to 7500-Year-Old Sialk Site by coldrum on Wednesday, 17 June 2009
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Iranian Archaeologists Return to 7500-Year-Old Sialk Site

A team of Iranian archaeologists began the second season of excavation at the northern mound of the 7500-year-old Sialk site near the central city of Kashan last week.


The mound is the ruins of a village, which is considered to be Iran’s most ancient rural structure.



“This part is the very village, which we believe is Iran’s and even the world’s most ancient village. Thus we are carrying out our studies in the line with last year’s research on the ancient strata,” team director Mohammad-Hassan Fazeli Nashli told the Persian service of CHN on Tuesday.



He is also the director the Archaeological Research Centre of Iran.



A 170-centimeter wall comprising 13 courses of mud bricks was discovered during the first season of the new excavations, carried out by a joint Iranian and British archaeological team in 2008. It is one of the earliest examples of ancient Iranian architecture.



The second season of excavations will run for a month at the site.



Prior to the new seasons of studies, the Sialk Tappeh had been excavated by Iranian archaeologist Sadeq Malek Shahmirzad, whose studies were published in a five-volume book.



The cultural strata in the northern mound of Sialk are about 14 meters thick. A number of stone, pottery and copper artefacts as well as seashells have been found there during previous research digs.



Some graves have also been discovered in an ancient house unearthed from the mound during the previous excavation.



Located in the suburbs of the city of Kashan, Sialk Tappeh was excavated for the first time by French archaeologist Roman Ghirshman and his team in 1933 and then again in 1934 and 1937.



Sialk Tappeh, believed to be the world’s oldest ziggurat, consists of two mounds known as northern and southern Sialk, which are located about 600 meters apart. The artefacts unearthed in the northern mound are more ancient than those of the southern one.



As early as 3200 BCE, inhabitants of Sialk used a type of script known as proto-Elamite, whose signs combined pictograms and numerals. Sialk was eventually abandoned at the end of the Iron Age, before the advent of the first Iranian dynasty, the Medes.



Recent studies by Iranian archaeologists indicate that the first houses were built at the Sialk site about 7500 years ago.

http://www.cais-soas.com/News/2009/April2009/15-04-iranian.htm
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Oxford dates Iran's Kelar Mound by coldrum on Tuesday, 20 May 2008
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Oxford dates Iran's Kelar Mound

Oxford scientists have determined the exact date of Iran's northern site of Kelar Mound by studying ancient coal and bone samples.

Although many archeologists believed that the area was not older than the Iron Age, Carbon 14 studies have dated the mound to more than 6,000 years ago.

Former Archeological excavations had yielded numerous caves, havens and ancient sites, which showed the historical evolution of human life in the area.

There are still five more meters to reach the site's oldest stratums, and future stratigraphical projects will possibly date the mound back to an older time.

Located in Iran's northern Mazandaran province, the Kelar Mound is one of the country's most important sites, with the potential to reveal many archeological facts about the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.

http://www.presstv.ir/Detail.aspx?id=44471§ionid=351020105
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Discovery of a Small 8000-Year-Old Village in Mazandaran by coldrum on Wednesday, 17 October 2007
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Discovery of a Small 8000-Year-Old Village in Mazandaran

Sounding works in order to delimit the area of Chough Tepe in Mazandaran province, has resulted in identifying architectural layers. Based on historical evidence, archeologists give the possibility that they have succeeded to trace a small village dating back to 8000 years ago.

“Archeological researches based on systematic approaches have been started in the region since three years ago by Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Mazandaran province in conjunction with Iran’s National Museum. The researches led into identifying stone tools belonging to almost the 6th millennium BC which indicate the settlement of human beings in the region during Neolithic epoch,” said Ali Mahforouzi, head of excavation team in Chough Tepe.

Evidence shows that the discovered stone tools must have belonged to the period prior to appearance of agricultural activities in the plain, when human beings feed themselves mainly through hunting and grow wild plants.

Regarding the other achievements in the region Mahforouzi explained: “We faced with some rough and low-qualified earthenwares during our next round of researches which must have belonged to the advent of clay industry when clay wheels were not still invented.”

Head of excavation team further said that sounding works on the hill continued in an attempt to clarify the limits of the area which resulted in unearthing the remains of a clay wall, 2 meters in height and 70 centimeters in width, which revealed long-term settlements in the area during ancient times.

Discovering of this clay wall and architectural evidence as well as discovery of a number of stone and clay instruments, gave archeologists the idea that most probably they have succeeded in tracing the evidence of a small village inhabited by a few number of families some 8000 years ago.

Identified clays in this hill resemble those Neolithic clays previously discovered in Gohar Tepe historic site in Mazandaran and in Damgan in Semnan province.

Although archeologists give the possibility that the identified village in Chough Tepe must have dated back prior to agricultural period, more archeological researches are required to bring the subject into light.
http://www.chnpress.com/news/?section=2&id=7338
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