Prehistory

Province of: Mazandarân

30 historical sites including the cultural relics from the Para Palaeolithic age in the eastern Mazandaran province have been discovered.

Announcing this, Mahforouzi, an Archaeologist, said that during the current season of excavation works, conducted in an area stretching from the Behshahr Plains to Galougah City in the Golestan border, 30 historical sites including historical hills, castles, historical monuments, tomb towers, and settlements of the migratory shepherds have been discovered and excavated.

He further added that the Archaeologists who have been working in the vicinity of one of the caves discovered the cultural relics of the Para Palaeolithic age. During the excavation works, conducted in the valleys between the Gamishan Cave in Neka town to Huto Cave and the beltway of Behshahr, the relics from the Palaeolithic age have been discovered and researchers are now conducting a professional study on them.

The Archaeologist went on to say: “The studies regarding the Stone Age in this site led us to discover the stone crafts dated back to a period between the Palaeolithic Age and Iron Age. Flint resources have been found in this site with an area of 40 kms. The accessibility of this fuel resource in this spot meant that it had been widely used.”

Mahforouzi added: “This season of excavation works also indicates that the settlement of the migratory shepherds was mostly on the spots barely used by the farmers.”

This latter area has been turned into a salt-marsh due to the advancement of the Caspian Sea and that is why it has barely been used as an agricultural land. This spot has been used by a group of shepherds annually.

The third season of the Archaeological excavation works, headed by Mahforouzi and other researchers of the Palaeolithic team of the National Iranian Museum, in eastern Mazandaran, an area between Behshahr Plains and Golestan border, has been finished after a 23-day work.