TEHRAN – A team of archaeologists has found an ancient backgammon dice among other relics during its excavations conducted in the foothills of Motla-Kuh, northern Iran.

On Monday, Gilan province’s tourism chief announced the discovery of a “backgammon dice” in the archeological studies of Motla-Koh in the Amlesh county, Mehr reported.

Vali Jahani said it is the first time that such a dice, which is made of bone, is found in northern Iran.

“One of the most important achievements of this speculation survey is the identification of clay finds and a bone dice, which was found for the first time in the archaeological excavations in the north of the country, although similar examples were discovered in Neyshabur (northeast Iran).”

The game dice was unearthed by the team led by archaeologist Seyyedeh Mana Rohani carved trenches in a bid to propose legal boundaries for the ancient site, the official said.

The history of human settlements in Motla-Koh is estimated to date from the Parthian and Sassanid eras based on pottery pieces discovered so far, Jahani said.

Motla-Kuh has been registered on the national heritage list, but it has not been demarcated so far…, the official said.

This demarcation project will be beneficial for both the historical site to receive better care and maintenance and the locals, particularly the ones whose lands are situated around the site, he said.

Motla-Kuh is situated within the Almash region, which is believed to be a settlement for early humans. In 2021, studies on the potteries found at four caves in Amlash suggested Neanderthals used them as shelters.

Amlash is home to some historical and archaeological sites such as Liar-Sang-Bon, full of ancient and prehistoric settlements and cemeteries. Liar-Sang-Bon was first identified in [Iranian calendar year] 1391 (March 2012 – March 2013), while the associated mapping and delineation projects were completed in [calendar year] 1393 and the first excavation season began in [calendar year] 1395.

A 2016 field research led to the discovery of funerary and stone architectural objects estimated to date from the Parthian and Sassanid periods.

Another study, which was published in the Journal of Human Evolution in 2019, suggests that Neanderthals were roaming the Iranian Zagros Mountain sometime between 40 to 70 thousand years ago. Until the late 20th century, Neanderthals were regarded as genetically, morphologically, and behaviorally distinct from living humans. However, more recent discoveries about this well-preserved fossil Eurasian population have revealed an overlap between living and archaic humans.

AFM