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.CAIS NEWS© ARCHAEOLOGICAL & CULTURAL NEWS OF THE IRANIAN WORLD |
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1st-Millennium BCE Mass Grave Found in Gilan
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14 May 2007 |
/Gilan%201000BCE%20Gardan%20Tul%20Laat%20Fortress%20mass%20grave1.JPG) Gilan's 1000BCE Garden Tul Laat Fortress mass grave Pictures courtesy of ISNA (Click to enlarge) |
/Gilan%201000BCE%20Gardan%20Tul%20Laat%20Fortress%20mass%20grave2.JPG) |
LONDON, (CAIS) -- Archaeologists have come across a unique mass grave during excavations in the historical site of Gardan Tool Lat Fort located in Rahimabad, Gilan province.
Head of the excavation team Shahram Raminfar told Persian service of ISNA that
studies to determine the precincts of the fort began on April 9 and for this
purpose several excavations were undertaken. However in the sixth round, a mass
grave belonging to a prominent family was found, he noted.
He further said that the grave is hexagonal and covered with a large boulder.
The walls are made of
stones--a unique feature which makes it distinct form the other graves found so
far in the province, he said, putting its antiquity at 2,500 to 2,800 years.
The grave dates back to the first millennium BC, he said noting that it
contained four completely decomposed skeletons and 16 artifacts. This indicated
that they believed in life after death, said Raminfar.
Some admiralty-metal items such as an axe were also found in the grave, he said,
noting the bodies buried in the grave were laid to rest in different directions,
indicating that they were buried in different periods.
The base of the grave is covered with small stones as well as a layer of coal
and ashes so as to make it moisture proof.
Although nine rounds of excavations have so far been undertaken to determine the
precinct of the fort, further explorations are still needed since the antiquity
of the fort has not yet been determined.
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Extracted From/Source*: Iran Daily
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note
the above-news is NOT a "copy & paste" version from
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All these measures have been taken in order to ensure that the published news provided by CAIS is coherent, transparent, accurate and suitable for academics and cultural enthusiasts who visit the CAIS website.
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"History is the Light on the Path to Future" |
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Encyclopaedia Iranica
The British Institute of Persian Studies "Persepolis Reconstructed"
The British Museum
The Royal Asiatic Society
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