TEHRAN – An archaeological team has initiated a comprehensive survey in southeast Iran as part of efforts to trace further Bronze Age settlements.

Authorized by the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, the survey is being conducted on the historical region of Girdi, situated near the once-flowing Helmand River in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province.

It is aimed to shed new light on the possible interconnectedness of ancient civilizations along the Helmand River and its ancient wetland.

The investigation, in particular, seeks the remnants of human activity that once thrived in relation to Shahr-e Sukhteh, aka Burnt City, which was a prosperous Bronze Age site and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

On Tuesday, archaeologist Mojtaba Sa’adatian, who leads the survey, noted that his team is conducting methodical surveys across the region, characterized by its sandy hills, to identify and document ancient sites.

“We expect to find remnants from the Bronze Age that correlate with Shahr-e Sukhteh, alongside historical mounds and various Islamic-era artifacts such as fortifications, tombs, and irrigation channels,” Sa’adatian explained. The project is designed to map the relative chronology of these findings, shedding light on the evolution of settlements in the region.

The survey’s outcome may hold the key to unraveling the mysteries surrounding the rise and fall of Shahr-e Sukhteh and its contemporaries.

Shahr-e Sukhteh, which flourished between 3550 and 2300 BC, is recognized for its significant contributions to understanding Helmand culture and the complexities of ancient urban life. Artifacts unearthed from Shahr-e Sukhteh reveal a distinct culture that appeared independent of neighboring civilizations in ancient Mesopotamia.

Burnt City, which was once situated at the junction of Bronze Age trade routes crossing the Iranian plateau, was populated during four main periods up to 1800 BC. Previous rounds of excavations showed that its residents had great skills in weaving, and creating fine arts such as decorative objects, stone carving, and pottery painting.

According to the UN cultural body, changes in water courses and climate change led to the eventual abandonment of Burnt City in the early second millennium. The structures, burial grounds, and many significant artifacts unearthed there and their well-preserved state due to the dry desert climate make this site a rich source of information regarding the emergence of complex societies and contacts between them in the third millennium BC.
Last year, Iranian archaeologist Seyyed-Mansour Seyyed-Sajjadi announced that the earliest period of human settlement in Burnt City might have occurred in about 3500 BC, more than 300 years before what was previously thought. “In recent research and tests, based on the evidence and findings, we found out that the burnt city, contrary to what we thought, does not belong to 3200 BC,” Seyyed-Sajjadi said.
“The site is at least 300 years older than what we thought, which means that this city was founded at least 3500 BC.”
AM