Fragments of Decorated Earthenware Found in Central Iran

30 April 2005

Archaeologists working at a historical area in Qom Province recently discovered 5000 fragments of decorated earthenware as well as over 30 historical sites, the head of the team announced on Friday.

Mehrdad Malekzadeh said that the new discoveries were made in an area covering 25 square kilometers located between the Shamshirgah historical site and the Sarm graveyard.

Most of the sites date back to the time from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic eras, he added, saying, “Tepe Haji and Shalmut A and B are some of the sites discovered. Shalmut A has a graveyard five times larger than the Sarm graveyard.”

About 3700 of the shards were discovered near the Sarm graveyard and the rest were found at the Shamshirgah and Shalmut sites, he stated.

Archaeological studies at Shalmut B indicate that the site may be as old as Sialk in Kashan, but additional studies need to be carried out.

Sarm has yielded one of the largest caches of artifacts of all Iran’s Stone Age sites. It has so far been excavated thee times. Excavations will also begin soon at Shamshirgah, where experts believe they will discover a political monument.