Excavation from the Iron Age Site of Kaluraz, Northern Iran

Ali Mousavi

The aim of this project is to analyze, interpret and prepare the results from the excavations at Kaluraz, Iran, for publication. At a distance of about 60 km from the Sea, Kaluraz lies at an altitude of 360 m on a watercourse joining the Sefid Rud. The site was the object of two seasons of excavation between 1965 and 1967 by Ali Hakemi on behalf of the Iranian General Office of Archaeology. These excavations, as well as the many other finds revealed by clandestine diggings have shed light on the civilization of the Mardes. Most of the objects hitherto discovered in other areas of the Sefid-Rud valley and delta belong, in fact, to this civilization.

The importance of Kaluraz lies in the discovery of a series of tombs, some of which contained bronze weapons, gold and silver vessels and other objects. The culture that flourished at Kaluraz and in the Sefid Rud region from around the end of the second millennium B.C. belongs to the beginning of the Iron Age period in Iran (c. 1350-1000 B.C.).

Kaluraz is the second Early Iron site in the Sefid-Rud valley, which has revealed a rich archaeological material similar to that of Marlik, on the opposite side of the valley. In absence of information on other site soft he region, the material culture discovered at Kaluraz, being similar to that of Marlik, constitutes an important archaeological evidence for the occupation of the valley in the late second millennium B.C. Furthermore, this may address the important issue of the appearance of the Iranian speaking population on the Iranian Plateau.

Contrary to the skeletal remains at Marlik, the skeletal remains at Kaluraz were discovered intact and retrieved carefully at the time of the excavation. No other site of the region has so far yielded equine skeletons. The examination and publication of these remains, particularly the equine skeletons, would be a crucial contribution to the archaeology of the Early Iron Age period. Such a study will be an excellent contribution to the better understanding of the subsistence economy of the Early Iron Age communities in northern.