Eastward expansion of the Neolithic from the Zagros: Obsidian provenience from Sang-e Chakhmaq, a late 8th-early 7th millennia BCE Neolithic site in northeast Iran

Roustaei, Kourosh; Gratuze, Bernard

doi:10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.101969

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…management of goat from c . 8000 cal BC), travelled eastwards along the Great Khorasan Road on the northern edge of the central plateau of Iran and introduced Neolithic lifeways (Harris & Coolidge 2010; Roustaei & Gratuze 2020; Matthews & Fazeli Nashli 2022). The presence of domesticated sheep at Obishir in southern Kyrgyzstan by 6000 cal BC (Taylor et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition in north-eastern Iran: zooarchaeological evidence from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea

2023

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In Iran, studies of the transition from hunting and gathering to farming and herding have focused on early developments in the Zagros Mountains. Here, the authors present new zooarchaeological data from Hotu Cave, which throw light on sheep/goat management and domestication during the Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea. Gazelle dominate the Epipalaeolithic levels, while sheep/goat are most abundant in the Neolithic. Large quantities of perinatal sheep/goat remains from the Early Neolithic indicate that these animals were actively managed in or close to the cave. The results point towards the importance in Iran of local developments beyond the Zagros, adding nuance to the general model of domestication in South-west Asia.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition in north-eastern Iran: zooarchaeological evidence from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea

2023

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“…During the Middle Chalcolithic phase, the relative separation between the material cultures of the two areas of the Central Zagros continues, but its earliest phase, represented by the Dalma Period, occupies a surprisingly vast area stretching from the northern Lorestan to the Lake Urmia Basin in northwest Iran. In the Late Chalcolithic phase, Kangavar Valley shows increasing interaction with the Central Plateau in the east, as evidenced by close ceramic similarities between the two regions during Godin VII and VI periods (Roustaei and Azadi 2017).…”

Section: The Central Zagros Chalcolithicmentioning

confidence: 95%

New Radiocarbon Dates for the Middle Chalcolithic Period of the Central Zagros, Iran

Bahranipoor¹

2023

Radiocarbon

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As one of the most extensive prehistoric entities of western Iran, Dalma culture belonging to the Zagros Chalcolithic, flourished in vast areas of the Central Zagros and Northwest Region of the country. This culture is defined essentially by its characteristic ceramic assemblages that show a marked uniformity in terms of technology, vessel forms, and painted designs throughout its territory. One of the main issues regarding this culture is its chronology, which was largely based on comparative studies, a few radiocarbon (14C) dates analyzed in the 1960s–1970s, or a few confusing thermoluminescence dates. In this paper, a series of 15 charcoal samples from a recent salvage excavation at Nad Ali Beig, a single-period site dated to Dalma period, is presented that provide the first reliable absolute dates for a part of the Middle Chalcolithic period of the Central Zagros region. Based on these new dates we may suggest that Dalma culture flourished between ca. 5200/5100–4600 BCE. Furthermore, based on these dates it is now possible to determine the order of appearance of different types of the Dalma culture ceramic assemblage, including the Ubaid-related painted buff ceramics.

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“…Tools comprise sickle blades, laterally retouched or truncated bladelets and blades, drills, geometrics, and end-scrapers [ 74 , 90 ]. Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry performed on seven obsidian flakes from the recent excavations indicate their origin from Bingöl B and Bingöl A (respectively Alatepe’s and Solhan’s outcrops), West of Lake Van in Turkey [ 68 ]. Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaq West Mound is the easternmost site in northern Iran where Anatolian obsidian has been identified.…”

Section: Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaqmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, evidence of human management of wild and domesticated animals [61][62][63][64] and legume founder crops [65] support the idea of the early development of farming and settled communities in the Zagros-Taurus arc, with domestic-type cereals (emmer) appearing for the first time in the area around 7,800 BCE [21,66]. By contrast, the origin of Neolithic lifeways and agriculture in the area East of the Zagros is still poorly investigated [42,60,67,68]. The eastern part of the Iranian plateau has to a large extent been unexplored [69,70], and evidence for Early Holocene settlements is scarce [71], raising challenging questions about the mechanisms of the Neolithisation process, including plant and animal management practices, early domestication, and adoption of new technologies, following the last Ice Age [67][68][69][72][73][74][75][76].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By contrast, the origin of Neolithic lifeways and agriculture in the area East of the Zagros is still poorly investigated [42,60,67,68]. The eastern part of the Iranian plateau has to a large extent been unexplored [69,70], and evidence for Early Holocene settlements is scarce [71], raising challenging questions about the mechanisms of the Neolithisation process, including plant and animal management practices, early domestication, and adoption of new technologies, following the last Ice Age [67][68][69][72][73][74][75][76]. Moreover, the recurrent stratigraphic hiatus between the occupations related to the foraging Epipalaeolithic and later Neolithic, together with the lack of evidence of wild fauna and plant resource management preceding the exploitation of fully domesticated species, does not support an in situ origin hypothesis of an agricultural economy [76,77].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Harvesting cereals at Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaq and the introduction of farming in Northeastern Iran during the Neolithic

Pichon,

Ibáñez Estevez,

Anderson

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaq is the only Neolithic site in Northeastern Iran, characterised by aceramic and ceramic levels corresponding to an occupation of 1500 years from the eighth to the end of the sixth millennium BCE. The Western and Eastern Mounds represent the oldest and longest occupation among the sites identified East of the Zagros, providing a unique context to explore the origin and spread of farming outside the core area of the Eastern Fertile Crescent. We present data about the first harvesting activities in the Northeastern Iranian Central Plateau by applying usewear and microtexture analysis through confocal microscopy on sickle gloss blades. Our results indicate a community of pioneer farmers who settled down in the area carrying with them both domestic cereals as well as advanced techniques of cereal cultivation. We demonstrate that most of the tools were used for harvesting cereals in a fully ripened state collected near the ground, indicating a well-established cereal cultivation strategy. The use of straight shafts with parallel inserts in Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaq, as known in some sites in the Zagros, suggests the dispersal of farming practices and technologies from the Eastern Fertile Crescent north-eastward across Iran. We observe an evolution in the degree of ripeness of harvested cereals along the first four levels of occupation of the Western Mound, where semi-ripe harvesting is relatively important, suggesting that domestic cereals to be harvested before full maturity were introduced into the village. From the topmost of the Western Mound and along the occupation of the Eastern Mound, ripe harvesting is dominant, showing a well-established cultivation strategy of fully mature cereal. This shift could indicate an in-situ evolution towards a better-established agricultural technology, including harvesting riper crops, that would have resulted in higher yields, as cereals were collected when the grain was fully formed.

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Eastward expansion of the Neolithic from the Zagros: Obsidian provenience from Sang-e Chakhmaq, a late 8th-early 7th millennia BCE Neolithic site in northeast Iran

Cited by 4 publications

References 31 publications

The Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition in north-eastern Iran: zooarchaeological evidence from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea

The Epipalaeolithic–Neolithic transition in north-eastern Iran: zooarchaeological evidence from the southern shores of the Caspian Sea

New Radiocarbon Dates for the Middle Chalcolithic Period of the Central Zagros, Iran

Harvesting cereals at Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaq and the introduction of farming in Northeastern Iran during the Neolithic

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