Yafteh Cave (Baradostian EUP), Iran reopened

[Daryl Habel]

All,

Relevant to a recent involving the Baradostian industry on this forum CLICK HERE and discussions here and there at other times where I've been lamenting a lack of recent data regarding the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition in the Zagros Mountains and regions to the immediate east, a media story from Iran reports news for some optimism that new findings might be forthcoming from re-opening of a site (Yafteh Cave) that hasn't been worked for more than 35 years.  I do believe the reporter has given an incorrect name for the Yale University leader of the previous excavation, as "Frank Haul", when it should be Frank Hole:

Hole, F. & Flannery, K. (1967). The pre-history of south-western Iran: A preliminary report. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society. 33: 151-206.

Archaeologists to resume work at Paleolithic site in Lorestan

TEHRAN, April 20 (MNA) -- A joint Iranian and Belgian team of archaeologists plans to begin excavations at the ancient Yafteh Cave near Khorramabad in Lorestan Province in early May.
They will be resuming efforts to discover the remains of early inhabitants of the region with the cooperation of Belgium’s University of Liege and Iran’s Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (CHTO).

 Fereydun Biglari, the head of the team, said on Wednesday that human remains from the Upper Paleolithic era and tools estimated to be between 28,000 and 40,000 years old were discovered during the previous excavations in the region carried out by the American team from Yale University led by archaeologist Frank Haul.

 “The Iranian-Belgian team is planning to continue the studies. We will also be making serious efforts to determine more precise dates for human habitation of the region,” he added.

During the previous studies, many small findings were not preserved due to the lack of equipment, so only some of the stone tools and animal fossils were saved, and they are currently being kept at the National Museum of Iran and Yale University, he stated.

The news report is online:CLICK HERE.

This is just one example of other promising reports from Iran showing renewed interest in the Paleolithic archaeology of the Zagros.  For example:CLICK HERE.

And a website put together by one Lars N. Clement Bertelsen  -  Librarian  &  Webmaster, with other interesting bits of news from Iran, at:CLICK HERE

Paleolithic archaeology in Iran again seems on the upswing, mostly due to the encouragement and efforts of archaeologist  Fereidoun Biglari of The Paleolithic Research Center at The National Museum in Teheran, Iran.  Good news on one front at least.

Dar  

[lagarvelho]

Dar:

I thought the material  on the handaxes was interesting, to say the least.  I had no idea there was any Lower Paleolithic industry to speak of in Iran much of anywhere else in that region.  And the handaxes looked as well made as better-known handaxes farther west.  One wonders what the dating on these has turned up.
Anne G

[Daryl Habel]

Dar:

I thought the material  on the handaxes was interesting, to say the least.  I had no idea there was any Lower Paleolithic industry to speak of in Iran much of anywhere else in that region.  And the handaxes looked as well made as better-known handaxes farther west.  One wonders what the dating on these has turned up.
Anne G

The handaxe that made the news headlines a couple of years ago came from up north in Iran near the Caspian Sea.  I don't think dating of most Lower Paleolithic finds in Iran is, shall we say, very precise.  For example, a news release today tells of 400,000-year-old finds in the Caspian Sea area of Iran.  Apparently, with no way of dating the artifacts on-site, the Iranians sent the tools to Marcel Otte (who happened to be in Iran), whereupon he pronounced them to be 400,000 years old -  from what appears to read in this news report to be a visual inspection.  To read the news: CLICK HERE

Probably no more than an educated 'guess'.

Dar

[Lars]

....just to keep the subject going ! ....."A Lower Paleolithic occurrence was discovered by Rahmat Naderi in July 2005 during a short survey of terraces of the Simineh River in the Iranian Kurdistan"......more can be read in the News Section at http://www.paleolithic-archaeology.com/   .......along with an online reference literature database: The Paleolithic Iran Bibliography.

Lars N. Clememt Bertelsen

[Daryl Habel]

....just to keep the subject going ! ....."A Lower Paleolithic occurrence was discovered by Rahmat Naderi in July 2005 during a short survey of terraces of the Simineh River in the Iranian Kurdistan"......more can be read in the News Section at http://www.paleolithic-archaeology.com/   .......along with an online reference literature database: The Paleolithic Iran Bibliography.

Lars N. Clememt Bertelsen

Thanks Lars.

Excellent job keeping people informed of the latest news frrom Iran.  It's been a while since I last checked your site, and I see two new 2005 reports on the planned study of Yafteh Cave (just to return to the subject title) at CLICK HERE and at CLICK HERE.  Also, an interesting abstract from another promising Zagros site containing bouth MP and UP deposits, Warkaini Rockshelter, at CLICK HERE.  Your site seems to be the best overall site on the www for reporting Iran's most recent archaeological news.  Keep up the good work.

Dar