An important discovery by UT Department of Archaeology

With the efforts of archeology researchers of the University of Tehran, the skeletons of three thousand-year-old children were discovered in Qaratepe, Segzabad..

According to the public relations report of the University of Tehran, in the excavation of the Department of Archeology of the University of Tehran in Qara Tepe Segzabad, which was conducted under the supervision of Dr. Mostafa Deh Pahlavan, a collection of animal and human burials was discovered.

Dr. Deh Pahlavan, head of the Qara Tepe excavation team, said about this discovery by the archaeologists of the University of Tehran: This complex with an area of ​​5 square meters and a height of 120 cm, weighing about 10 tons, includes the remains of 9 children, a baby and a fetus, the remains of two adult horses, two goats and a sheep.. Due to the lack of favorable conditions in the Qara Tepe cemetery, this discovered collection was transferred to Segzabad Municipality as a museum piece for display and preservation in compliance with conservation and restoration standards.

The head of the Institute of Archeology of  University of  Tehran  stated that the found work has three parts and added: The first part contains the burial remains of a child along with the remains of an immature goat. Burial ornaments such as bronze bracelets, a ring and the remains of a necklace consisting of stone, bronze and ivory beads along with clay dishes next to this child can testify to his special social status. Due to the immature nature of this child, it is not possible to determine the gender. Based on criteria such as the growth of teeth and the length of long bones, this child is less than 6 years old. The faunal remains of this section include a skull and a number of vertebral bones and motor organs of an immature goat.

In describing the second part, he said: In this part, the burial remains of two adult horses of different breeds can be seen. First, the remains of an adult horse lying on its left side without a skull. Another smaller adult horse (probably of the Caspian breed) was buried in a huddled form on its right side. Its skull is above the surface of the body in a semi-raised form. This horse has a necklace with bronze beads and a part of the iron bridle of this horse can be seen in the mouth area.
 

In his explanation about the third part of this collection, Dr. Deh Pahlavan stated: This part contains human and animal remains that are in a very chaotic state. Based on the number of visible skulls, a total of 8 people were buried in this section. Next to a gray clay cave, the remains of a human fetus can be seen. Above this cave, there are human remains of a young child, who was probably 2-3 years old due to the full growth of milk teeth and their lack of wear. On top of the ribs and vertebrae of this youngster, there is another skull, which probably belongs to another child, but because the teeth are not visible, it is not possible to estimate the age.

Also, the scattered and separate remains of at least two newborn babies (38 weeks and 40 weeks of gestation) can be seen scattered. At a depth of 30 cm from the burial of a 2 to 3-year-old child, the remains of another burial can be seen, which probably belongs to an adult and young human due to the vertebrae of the spine and the size of the long bones.

In addition, an adult sheep skull can be identified next to the skulls of human fetuses. Also, a container with a vertical handle and a small jug along with a part of the body of a pot with pea color and rope decoration constitute the pottery findings of this section.

The head of the Institute of Archeology of the University of Tehran pointed out: In order to protect the discovered works, these works were transferred to the Segzabad Municipality under the supervision of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of Qazvin Province and in cooperation with the Segzabad Municipality as a museum piece for display and preservation, and will be unveiled in May 1402. .

Dr. Deh Pahlavan said: Segzabad hill is located about 7 kilometers north of Segzabad city, in the Boin Zahra district, and it is known as Kara Tepe among the native people. Segzabad hillock is one of the three prehistoric hills that was chosen by Dr. Ezatullah Gardhan for the educational excavations of archeology students in 1970 and has been explored by the Department of Archeology of University  of Tehran until now.

In the course of the project to determine the area and boundaries of Qara Tepe Segzabad in July 2016, evidence of a cemetery belonging to the Iron Age 2 and 3 (550-1100 BC) was found in the sedimentary layers at a depth of 180 cm.

He added: physical anthropology studies and genetic research, paleozoology, rare burial traditions and rich evidence indicate the interactions and cultural and economic links of the inhabitants of this site with the remote areas of the western edge of the Iranian plateau and the political and cultural sphere of governments such as Assyria and the cultural spheres of the West. , north and northwest of Iran.

The head of the Institute of Archeology of  University of Tehran said: In the eastern cemetery of Qara Tepe, important evidences of 5 layers of burials and graves on top of each other were obtained on a wide scale. In this cemetery, the graves do not have a specific direction. Their borders are surrounded by several clay ridges. Aborted fetuses and babies were buried in clay cooking pots. Without exception, the remains of animals such as goats, immature sheep, cows, camels and horses were found in all the graves, which indicates that animals were buried next to the dead. In these graves, other objects such as cylindrical seals, metal, clay and stone ornaments and pottery belonging to the Iron Age 2 and 3 are observed.