Prehistory News The latest (Nov 2005) archaeological excavations in the 7000-year-old site of Gohar Tepe led to the discovery of an unknown instrument beside a skeleton, which seems to be musical instrument and as believed by some well-known musicians of Mazandaran province is similar to a clarinet.
If the claim is proved, this 3000-year-old instrument will be the oldest musical instrument which has been discovered in the shores of the Caspian Sea so far, changing the history of music of the region and taking it back another 1000 years.
“The instrument is built of deer horn and a bronze sheet is fixed with 7 pins to its end. Some holes can be seen on the instrument. Two well known musicians of Mazandaran province believe that this instrument is something like a clarinet, which can be acceptable with regard to the holes on the instrument,” says Ali Mahforouzi, head of the archaeological excavation team of Gohar Tepe.
No anthropological studies have been undertaken on the skeleton yet, but considering the large size of the bones and the existence of a dagger alongside it, archaeologists are guessing that it should belong to a man. A bracelet, necklace, a bronze strap and a bronze sheet have also been found next to the skeleton.
Source: CHN News
Also: 3000-yr-old warrior fighting at Gohar-Tappeh
A team of archaeologists working at the 3000-year-old site of Gohar-Tappeh in Iran's northern province of Mazandaran have recently unearthed a skeleton of a warrior buried in an attacking pose with a dagger in his hands.
"He is holding a 26-centimeter dagger and appears to be making a forward thrust. The evidence shows that he was originally buried in this pose", the director of the team, Ali Mahforuzi, said.
This is the first burial in this style ever discovered in Iran. The archaeologists have not yet been able to determine why the man was buried in such a position.
"Beside the skeleton, a number of dishes have also been found which seem to have been presented to the warrior. One of the dishes has some holes in it containing the remains of coal. Archaeologists had discovered such dishes before, but they could not determine their practical application; but the traces of coal indicate that the dish has been used for burning agalloch or other types of incense. The skeleton was also wearing a beautiful coiled shell necklace", Mahforuzi explained.
Covering an area of 40 hectares, Gohar-Tappeh is located near the town of Behshahr. Ruins and other artifacts unearthed in the region indicate that the site dates back to the Iron Age, but further study is required to determine its specific period during the Iron Age.
Archaeologists believe that the large extent of the site implies that the region had been very developed in trade and competed with neighboring areas.
On September 27, Mahforuzi announced that his team had discovered a number of bull statuettes, although most were broken into pieces. Afterwards they unearthed a skeleton of a child and a bronze pendant with a bull-horn motif at Gohar-Tappeh.
The team has recently discovered an unidentified artifact in a grave beside a skeleton, which some prominent musicians of Mazandaran believe looks like a clarinet. If the archaeologists can prove that the artifact is a musical instrument, the 3000-year-old relic would be the oldest musical instrument ever discovered in the region.
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