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LONDON, (CAIS) -- Archeologists believe that with allocation of enough budgets to excavations in Kola ancient site located behind the Ay Dughumush Dam in East Azarbaijan province and removing the soils from an archaeological hill (Tappeh / Tepe) in this region, some residential areas belonging to the third millennium BCE would appear.

There is an archaeological hill behind the Ay Dughumush Dam in Kola area, which contains some historical artifacts belonging to the third millennium BC up to the First Iron Age. However, this historical site will be submerged by the last phase of inundation of Ay Dughmush Dam. Therefore, archeologists are determined to save the buried cultural materials in this historical site before the Dam floods the entire area.

“We have demanded budget to continue our excavations in this historical site to remove the soils from this hill which expands over a 60 by 80 meter area and is 20 meters in height. Considering the small area which needs to be excavated, the task will not be difficult and we are anticipating that our excavations would result in unearthing ample archeological evidence which would ultimately reveal the culture of the region during the ancient times,” said Javad Ghandgar, archeologist and head of excavation team at Kola Tepe historical site.

Artificial hills are those which have not shaped naturally and have come into existence by human interference, and therefore, they have a much smoother soil.

“We have requested an equivalent of US $30,000, three times more than what we spent in this area last year, for continuation of our excavations in this historical site. This year the excavation team will start its work earlier compared to last year; and three months is needed to complete our excavations in this historical hill,” added Ghandgar.

Kola area is one of the most important historical sites in East Azarbaijan province, located southwest of the city of Mianeh. This historical site dates back to the Bronze Age (third millennium BCE) and Iron Age (first and second millennia BCE) and contains some valuable archeological evidence from these periods.

According to Ghandgar, for one thousand years from the third to the second millennium BCE, the people of this area covered the surface of this hill with adobe and constructed residential settlements on it.

“We made four test-trenches in this hill during the previous excavation in the area which lasted for one month. Three layers of raised platforms appeared during the first season of excavations. Now we are determined to find out whether these raised platforms had a relation with one another and formed a ziggurat architectural style or not. We have also found some walls in this hill which show the existence of architectural constructions in the area,” explained Ghandgar.

According to Ghandgar, a bull statuette, stone blades, earthenware pieces, and two bronze objects are the other discoveries in this historical site.

Construction of Dughmush Dam started since 1996. The first phase of flooding the dam took place in April 2005. Kola area is located at the farthest end from the reservoir of the Dam.

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