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Iranian
and French archaeologists have discovered an adult
male skeleton and a clay pot in a one-hectare
graveyard in the historical site of Bolaghi Gorge,
in Fars Province.
International experts are now busy working in the
Gorge located 4 kilometers from the Pasargadae
World Heritage Site to save the historical remains
there before the newly constructed Dam of Sivand
is flooded by the end of the year.
Excavation in three tombs of a vast graveyard
identified by Iranian and French experts led to
the discovery of a skeleton belonging to a male
adult and a piece of crockery. The skeleton which
has been buried in a fetus position is the first
nearly intact one unearthed in the site.
The Iranian head of the joint team of Iranian and
French archaeologists, Mohammad Taghi Atayi,
explains that considering the pottery features,
the skeleton most probably dates back to the
Sassanid time. “At the time of the Sassanids,
Zoroastrianism was the main religion of the area
and since the tradition did not see the burial of
the dead, identification of the discovered tombs
and complementary studies are of utmost
importance,” adds Atayi.
The team has so far found 40-60 tombs in the
one-hectare cemetery, and right now, the French
are studying the remains of the discovered
skeleton to understand more about the cause of
death, his probable diseases, and the physical
characteristics of the residents of the area.
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