Ancient Purple Potsherds Discovered in Eastern Azarbaijan Province

17 May 2005

One hundred pieces of purple potsherds dating to some five thousand years ago were discovered in East Azarbaijan behind the Ay Dughumush Dam.

Ay Dughumush Dam is located in Kola area where remains of the Bronze Age (third millennium BC) and so forth have been identified. The historical hill is twenty meters high and one hectare vast.

According to head of the salvation archaeology team of Kola, Javad Ghandgar, the potsherds are unique in that no similar pieces have been found in any other part of Iran ever before.

The purple color of the pieces is apparently not a result of their soil kind or cooking method, but rather of a special kind of glaze used, explained Ghandgar, adding that some designs made by the creators is also identifiable on the pieces.

The salvage project of Kola area was launched last week, aiming at studying the ancient structures and relics of a large time span which experts believe will be of great help for understanding the culture of the region. The work is believed to take one year.