The
only Iranian anthropologist working with an archeological
team at Burnt City (Shahr-e Sukhtah) has said that the
team does not want additional funds or facilities but it
does need sufficient time to undertake careful research
and foreign expertise on the project.
Farzad Forouzanfar told Cultural Heritage News agency that
the most important issue facing anthropological studies is
inviting foreign experts in the field.
The process of inviting foreign experts is very
complicated, he said citing that it took one and a half
years to get an anthropologist from the University of
Newcastle in Britain to come and undertake studies in the
Burnt City. The expert came and presented a report after
conducting preliminary studies at the site, he added.
Forouzanfar noted that the ninth round of excavations in
the Burnt City has just begun adding that about 400
skeletons were unearthed and studied in first eight
rounds.
“These skeletons will be kept in special boxes after
undergoing classification. The skeleton section of
’Burnt City’ is a complete and comprehensive
anthropology databank,“ he added.
Commenting on a shortage of scholars in certain
specialized fields, Forouzanfar noted that for example
there are no tooth pathologists in Iran.
Turning to a risk of illegal excavations in Burnt City as
in other archeological sites in Sistan-Baluchestan
province, particularly the cemeteries, Forouzanfar
responded that Burnt City has guards throughout the year
and digging at the site requires special equipment.
