TEHRAN – A fresh archaeological season has commenced on Konar Sandal, a Bronze-Age site in Iran’s Jiroft region, after a 17-year hiatus.

“Led by [Iranian archaeologist] Seyyed Mansour Seyyed Sajjadi, these excavations are being conducted after a 17-year pause under the supervision of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage,” Kerman province’s tourism chief said on Saturday.

“That interruption in excavations resulted in partial destruction of the mounds and historical artifacts. In this renewed operation, the primary objective is to salvage and preserve the artifacts obtained from these mounds,” Saeid Shahrokhi explained.

The second phase will be dedicated to new excavations and research, the official said.

“Shahrokhi added, “Preliminary study, damage assessment, and estimating the time required for the restoration and protection of the obtained artifacts are among the most crucial objectives of the archaeological season.”

He emphasized: “Many of the discovered artifacts remain unstudied and require documentation, making the creation of a comprehensive database a priority for us.”

Shahrokhi highlighted Dr. Seyyed Sajjadi's significant role as one of the country's eminent archaeologists, saying “He previously led excavations in the ancient site of Burnt City located in Sistan-Baluchestan and is renowned as the savior of Burnt City.”

Seyyed Sajjadi’s years-long excavations and efforts resulted in the UNESCO registration of this ancient site, the official said.

Situated in the Jiroft plain of Kerman province, the site consists of two mounds a few kilometers apart, called Konar Sandal A and B with a height of 13 and 21 meters, respectively. At Konar Sandal B, a two-story, windowed citadel with a base of close to 13.5 hectares was found. Tablets with scripts of unknown nature were reportedly discovered at the site.

An initial archaeological dig at the site occurred about twenty years ago, led by Iranian archaeologist Yousef Majidzadeh and a team of international experts. This survey uncovered a Bronze Age settlement nestled in the Halil-Rud Valley.

Nestled among mountains rising around 4,000 meters high on three sides, Jiroft's discoveries are viewed by many Iranian and international experts as evidence of a civilization as significant as Sumer and ancient Mesopotamia.The remarkable Jiroft site's discovery was accidental in the early 21st century when severe floods along the Halil River unearthed numerous previously unknown tombs, revealing artifacts believed to date back to the Early Bronze Age (late 3rd millennium BC).

Reports initially described the sight of "an ancient object floating on the water's surface." Recognizing its value, villagers, impacted by two years of drought, swarmed the riverbanks the following day, searching for 5,000-year-old relics.

Despite its historical significance, geological factors led to the site's oversight by tourists and archaeologists, who were typically more focused on locations like Mesopotamia, situated roughly 1,000 km away.

In 2003, Iran invited Jean Perrot, the renowned French archaeologist who directed excavations in the Shush (or Susa) area from 1969 to 1978 as head of the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Referring to the discovery of Jiroft's artifacts as an archaeological revolution, Perrot remarked: "An area once thought inhabited solely by nomads and their livestock was the center of an incredibly advanced civilization. Here, a structured society thrived, distinct from the Sumerians. We must now consider Jiroft as the birthplace of civilizations, shaping our view of those that came before and after."

Under the guidance of Dr. Yousef Majidzadeh, international archaeologists, commenced excavations in 2003 while also initiating an awareness campaign among locals to educate them about Jiroft's historical significance and the invaluable artifacts present.

Majidzadeh and his team unearthed remnants spanning over two square kilometers, revealing a city dating back to at least the late 3rd millennium B.C. The evidence suggests that Jiroft's peak period existed between 2500 BC and 2200 BC. Surprisingly, the chlorite vases found in Jiroft were not unique; similar vessels had been discovered from the Euphrates to the Indus, stretching as far north as the Amu Darya and south to Tarut Island on the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia.

Majidzadeh, a leading authority on the third millennium BC and author of a comprehensive three-volume history of Mesopotamia, has long theorized that Jiroft might be the fabled land of Aratta, a "lost" Bronze Age kingdom renowned for exporting magnificent crafts to Mesopotamia. This quest began during his doctoral studies at the University of Chicago in 1976, where he proposed that Aratta lay in southeastern Iran.

According to Majidzadeh, Jiroft artifacts act as a "missing link" in comprehending the Bronze Age, shedding light on why numerous incised chlorite vessels, displaying remarkably similar imagery, appeared in distant ancient sites from Mari in Syria to Nippur and Ur in Mesopotamia, Soch in Uzbekistan, and Tarut in Saudi Arabia, north of Bahrain.

The archaeologist suggests the existence of a school of stone carvers due to the consistent aesthetic seen in these objects across the kingdom, indicating a development period of 300 to 400 years for these traditions to evolve.

Artisans in Jiroft crafted pieces adorned with enigmatic iconography and embedded with lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus Valley, turquoise, agate, and other imported semiprecious stones. Majidzadeh notes their naturalistic style, which he claims was unparalleled in that era.

Nestled among mountains rising around 4,000 meters high on three sides, Jiroft's discoveries are viewed by many Iranian and international experts as evidence of a civilization as significant as Sumer and ancient Mesopotamia.

AFM