Ancient  Inhabitants of Modern Qazvin Were Exporting Metal and Clay 6000 Years Ago

News Category:

Prehistory

Located in the Qazvin plateau, the 6000-year-old Cemetery hill had been home to production of metal and clay products which were exported to neighboring and even sometimes faraway areas.

The 30-strong archaeological team of the Archaeological Research Center of the University of Tehran, headed by Dr. Hassan Fazeli Nashali, has studied the hill as the first urban area of Iran, achieving surprising results.

According to Dr. Fazeli Nashali, the excavations have led to signs of the first dwellings in the Qazvin plateau and the identification of the first sources of copper and metal exploitation.

Metal furnaces and clay working in industrial parts of the fourth century B.C. indicate the economical and social improvements of local people in the ancient times, he said.

How the craftsmen have found the raw material necessary for metal and clay works has been the main question coming up in this phase of studies.

Fazeli Nashali further expressed concern for the gradual destruction of the ancient area, considered to have played a key role in the start of urban life by the ancient Iranians, due to agricultural activities there.