New Explorations in the 3500-year-old Cemetery Set to Start

News Category:

Prehistory

Province of:

Qom

The historical Saram hill cemetery in the central Qom province is set to undergo studies for the second time. The second season of explorations, expected to kick off soon, is designed to locate the dimensions of the cemetery in a more exact manner, in order to find out about burial traditions practiced by local people in the second millennium B.C.

The Saram hill is a natural mound formed by sedimentary sand some 6 meters high. It was dug for the first time in 1997 after stopping development activities going on nearby.

The cemetery believed to be some 3500 years old, was inscribed on the national heritage list in 1999. As part of an archaeological explorations plan, the first season of studies was conducted in 2001.

The explorations revealed a large number of graves with mud brick structure, dug in congested blocks. Around the corpses were discovered many pottery, bronze and iron objects which indicate people at that time believed in the afterworld.

The second explorations season is scheduled to continue for two months.