TEHRAN - The third phase of a reassessment project at Tepe Sialk, a treasured 8,000-year-old archaeological site near Kashan in Isfahan province, has commenced.

Authorized by the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, the excavation is co-led by Jebrael Nokandeh from the National Museum of Iran and Javad Hosseinzadeh Sadati from Kashan University. This phase seeks to uncover the reasons behind the mysterious abandonment of the prehistorical site, a question that has remained unanswered for 2,500 years.

According to Hosseinzadeh, this season of excavation focuses on two main objectives: research and public display. “Our primary question is understanding why Sialk was abandoned. We aim to preserve displayable artifacts for visitors and eventually showcase them step by step,” he explained.

“This phase marks the third stage of the reassessment project, which began in 2022,” ISNA quoted the archaeologist as saying on Friday.

The reassessment was first proposed and initiated by the late Dr. Sadegh Malek Shahmirzadi, a distinguished archaeologist from the University of Tehran, to address unresolved questions left after earlier excavations by French archaeologist Roman Ghirshman. Ghirshman conducted three seasons of excavation at Sialk in 1933, 1934, and 1937, but the site was subsequently neglected. The current project follows earlier phases, the first of which was conducted by Dr. Shahmirzadi from 2001 to 2005, and the second by Hassan Fazeli Nashli in 2008 and 2009, ISNA reported.

The third phase of the project, currently underway with a team of about 20 experts from several universities, including Kashan, Tehran, Tarbiat Modares, Shahid Beheshti, Isfahan Art, and Nishapur universities, is focusing on the sixth period of Sialk (approximately 2,800 to 2,600 years ago), the last period of settlement at the site. “We have been working on this period for the past two years and hope to continue for another three years,” Hosseinzadeh told ISNA.

He emphasized that artifacts unearthed from this period will be preserved for public viewing. “The displayable artifacts will be protected from wind and rain, and eventually, they will be prepared for public display with fixed roofing, lighting, and informative panels,” he added.

Hosseinzadeh highlighted the continuity of Sialk’s history from circa 8,000 to 2,500 years ago and mentioned that new findings are being analyzed using modern methods and tests unavailable in the past to reconstruct the economic, technological, and social conditions of the period. “We also aim to reconstruct the beliefs, worldviews, and cultural aspects of the people from that era,” he noted.

One of the archaeologists suggested that political or social issues might have led to Sialk’s abandonment, or that the region no longer had the capacity to sustain further habitation.When asked if the reasons for Sialk’s abandonment and the migration of its inhabitants would be explored, Hosseinzadeh confirmed, “Our most important question in studying the sixth period of Sialk is why it was abandoned. Various factors, from climatic and natural issues to cultural reasons, have been suggested.”

He pointed out that no evidence of economic decline has been found at the site, nor any indication of a significant climate crisis, given that the Achaemenids emerged around 100 years later and thrived for nearly 200 years.

“Sialk was flourishing during its sixth period, with workshops, well-preserved graves, and pottery. It doesn’t appear that the people were in distress, as they even engaged in public welfare activities,” he explained.

Hosseinzadeh suggested that political or social issues might have led to Sialk’s abandonment, or that the region no longer had the capacity to sustain further habitation. “At this point, we cannot definitively answer until all information is gathered. My view is that a political event might have caused Sialk to be abandoned,” he added.

In discussing how political events might be inferred from the findings, Hosseinzadeh noted that such evidence could not be directly observed but inferred from contextual clues.

For example, the flourishing of the area continued until around 2,500 years ago, a period marked by significant political turmoil, including Assyrian invasions and the expansionist ambitions of Cyrus [the Great, the founder of the Achaemenid Empire].

“There may be a connection between the abandonment of many [connected] sites during this period and these territorial expansions,” he suggested.

Recent discoveries

In excavations started last year, a series of industrial workshops dating back to the sixth period of Sialk (approximately 2,800 to 2,600 years ago) were discovered, including burial sites for workshop waste, tools, and other industrial materials.

Metalworking was a thriving industry in this period in Iran, with artifacts ranging from daggers to decorations and animal gear found in various settlements and graves, the archaeologist said.

Hosseinzadeh highlighted the significance of these new discoveries: “Until now, we had few artifacts directly linked to industrial activities that led to production. For the first time last year and this year, we found places where such activities occurred, which is astonishing.”

He added, “This year, we discovered two industrial workshops equipped with furnaces or kilns. The stone tools used for metalworking, blowpipes for the furnaces, and slag from the metalworking process are among our most important finds this season. After documenting these field discoveries and preparing reports, we will integrate them with existing historical narratives to provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of this period.”

Regarding the preservation of the archaeological layers at Sialk, Hosseinzadeh clarified that they intend to maintain the metalworking workshops and excavate further downwards in adjacent areas. “We plan to excavate step-by-step from the top to the bottom. The upper layers we are working on date back 2,500 years, and as we dig deeper, we reach layers from 6,300 years ago. Ultimately, one of our goals is to preserve the architectural development and artifacts for public display as they were found,” he stated.

According to archaeologists, Tepe Sialk, with its cultural layers from prehistoric times, the Early Elamite period, and the Iron Age, is a valuable heritage site and a repository of information that can help trace and understand the transformations that occurred in ancient human societies.

Louvre-hosted meeting

In 2019, the Louver Museum hosted a worldwide gathering on Sialk, which was attended by archaeologists from Germany, England, France, and Iran.

The event, as mentioned by the prestigious museum, was aimed to cast a new light on the ancient site some 80 years after its first excavation to lay an opportunity to present to the public the diversity of research and projects, as well as current issues of preservation and enhancement.

AM