(MNA) -- Studies by foreign archaeologists and experts on seals recently discovered in the Jiroft area prove that Jiroft was an international trade center 5000 years ago.

The head of the excavation team in the region, Yusef Majidzadeh, said on Wednesday that several ancient seals in various shapes were discovered during the most recent excavation at the site.

“The twenty-five discovered seals show that the regional people made use of seals in their business. They used to put products inside jars, covered the tops with mud, and then sealed them up,” said Majidzadeh.

“Each jar was sealed with a different shape so that if a caravan was attacked on the road by bandits, the owners could easily find out which items were missing. “The ancient seals are of great significance from the aesthetic point of view as well. They were made with high techniques and bearing images of human heroes and animals such as snakes, eagles, and lions.”

Jiroft came into the spotlight nearly three years ago when reports of extensive illegal excavations and plundering of the priceless historical artifacts of the area by local people surfaced.

Since 2002, two excavation seasons have been carried out at the Jiroft site, leading to the discovery of a ziggurat made of more than four million mud bricks dating back to about 2300 B.C.

Jiroft, located in Kerman Province, is one of the richest historical areas in the world, with ruins and artifacts dating back to the third millennium B.C. and with over 100 historical sites located along the approximately 400 kilometers of the Halil Rud riverbank.

Many Iranian and foreign experts see the findings in Jiroft as signs of a civilization as great as Sumer and ancient Mesopotamia. They believe that Jiroft is the ancient city of Aratta which was described as a great civilization in an Iraqi clay inscription.

In related news, archaeologists from Iran, Italy, Britain, France, and the United States will be participating in the Jiroft International Seminar, which is to open on January 30, 2005 in Jiroft.