|
 A grave accidentally discovered in the ancient city of
Siraf has puzzled archaeologists. Due to its strange
burial. None of the archaeologists seeing it have been
able to determine its exact date.
Based on the evidence, unlike other remains of the area,
the grave belongs neither to the Parthian or the
Sassanid dynastic eras, nor to the Islamic period.
Visiting historical city of Siraf was one of the programs
of Siraf international conference which was attended by
almost 200 Iranian and foreign experts and archaeologists.
It was during the visit that the unusual burial was
discovered accidentally.
“At first we supposed the discovery to be an irrigation
channel, but with close study of the pictures taken,
archaeologists identified it as a grave. Most of the
discovered evidence in Siraf dates back to Parthian,
Sassanid, and Islamic periods, but the discovered grave
has none of the characteristics of the burials of those
times,” said Omid Esfandiari, member of Tehran’s
Iranology Association.
“The discovered bones in the grave belong to the spine
of a corpse,” added Esfandiari, explaining about the
dating of the burial, “the corpse was not buried towards
the Mecca, which is common since Islamic invasion of Iran.
On the other hand, during the Sassanid era there were
catacombs, not graves. During the Parthian period, corpses
were either buried in jars or in north-east direction and
not much stones were used for the burial. However, the
discovered grave is in north-south direction which is
unusual for the site.”
According to Esfaniari, there is no sign on the grave
stone. More excavations are needed to provide more
information on the grave, resulting in the identification
of some unknown mysteries of this ancient port.
Esfandiari believes the discovery could not have been an
irrigation channel. “Regarding that Siraf weather was
not rainy, we cannot say that it was an irrigation
channel; moreover, due to the hot weather of the area,
water would have vaporized right away. Maybe it was a
place where the corpse was washed before burial,” noted
the expert.
Siraf international conference started on 14th of November
and finished yesterday 16th of November, during which
numerous aspects of Siraf history, culture, trade, etc.
were covered.
|
