TEHRAN – Iranian authorities have recently seized several ancient relics from the home of an illegal excavator in northern Iran. And the objects are estimated to date back to the Parthian and early Islamic eras.

“[A total of] 13 relics dating from the Parthian and early Islamic eras have been recovered from the home of an unauthorized digger in Rasht (the capital of Gilan province) and seven people have been detained in that regard,” IRNA quoted deputy provincial tourism chief Vali Jahani as saying on Saturday.

The relics had been unearthed from archaeological sites in Gilan province, the official said, adding the northern province is home to some 3,000 historical relics, monuments, and sites.

Gilan is well-known for its rich Iron Age cemeteries such as Marlik that have been excavated over the past century. It was once within the sphere of influence of the successive Achaemenian, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid empires that ruled Iran until the 7th century CE. The subsequent Arab conquest of Iran led to the rise of many local dynasties, and Gilan acquired an independent status that continued until 1567.

AFM/MG