Tehran, 27 May 2006 (CHN) -- A grave belonging to the Sassanid era was discovered during sounding activities by archaeologists near Kangelou historical fortress in Mazandaran province in which a signet ring with Pahlavi-Sassanid carved on it was found.
“This Sassanid grave was discovered during the sounding activities aimed at finding the pathway to Kangelou Fortress in Savad Kooh in the northern Iranian province of Mazandaran. This is a four-layer stone grave and the corpse was buried in a foetal position. In addition to the signet ring, some enameled clay dishes, metal, and glass relics have been found in this grave,” said Saman Sourtiji, member of academic assembly of Iran’s Archaeology Research Center of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department of Mazandaran province and head of the archaeology team in Kangelou Fortress.
According to Sourtiji, the grave was built with rubbles and mud mortar and the corpse was buried towards the west laid on its left side with hands near its mouth and knees bent.
This is a pre-historic burial method common before the Islamic period. However, this new discovery shows that this method of burial continued in Mazandaran province even after the Islamic era for over a century.
“The discovered ring in the grave is an opal ring which was used as a seal. An etched word can be seen on the opal which was decoded by Rasoul Bashash, master of ancient languages. According to Bashash, the word on the ring says “Farokhi” or “Farahi”, meaning luck or happiness, and it was believed that it would bring dignity and splendor for its owner,” explained Sourtiji.
According to Sourtiji, with this discovery, the Kangelou fortress archaeology team is determined to continue its excavations in the area to find the architectural remains of the people who lived near the fortress during the Sassanid era in order to learn more about the mysteries of this historical period in this area.

Tehran, 27 May 2006 (CHN) -- Discovery of several clay ovens at the Bolaghi Gorge in Fars province shows that art of pottery was much flourished in this historical site some 7000 years ago and that this place was the residential settlement of handicrafts artists in pottery making during the ancient times. This was announced in a one-day archaeology seminar which was held on 24th of May in Iran"s National Museum with a special focus on Bolaghi Gorge historical site. During this seminar, heads of archaeology teams issued their reports on their accomplishments in this historical site.
Iranian-German joint archaeology team, represented in this seminar by Mojgan Seyedein and Barbara Helwing, declared the discovery of several numbers of kilns for baking clays and used it as a proof to claiming that a large number of potters lived in Bolaghi Gorge during the ancient times. "Archaeology excavation team in Bolaghi Gorge has succeeded in discovery of five clay bake ovens in the area so far. Just like the clays found from the Bacon era, these ovens enjoy a very high quality," said Mojgan Seyedein, Iranian head of the joint Iranian-German archaeology team in Bolaghi Gorge.
She also talked about some other accomplishments in this historical site during the archaeological excavations in areas no. 119, 73, and 131 of Bolaghi Gorge such as discovering some constructions belonging to the Achaemenid era, residential areas of the people during the Bacon era (5th millennium BC), and discovering the remains of some 7000-year-old skeletons such as a girl who was buried on her side.
Barbara Helwing, German head of the joint Iranian-German archaeology team in Bolaghi Gorge also talked about the discovery of a settlement area in this historic site which belonged to some tribes who lived there during the Bacon era. "There were several hypothesis about the exact location of a residential area which was believed to have belonged to the Bacon era; however, our excavations ultimately revealed that it actually existed in area no. 131 near the Sivand Dam," explained Helwing.
Among other achievements of this team of archaeologists were finding the remains of several skeletons and a mass grave containing 6 skeletons discovered by digging some deep trenches.
Iranian-German joint team has continued its excavations in Bolaghi Gorge historical site since winter 2006 under the supervision of Mojgan Seyedein from Iran and Barbara Helwing from Germany. This team of archaeologists is working alongside other Iranian and foreign experts to save the remaining evidence of Bolaghi Gorge before they are drowned by inundation of the nearby Sivand Dam.

LONDON, May 20, 2006 (CAIS) -- Following the recent excavations in Babak fortress and removal of debris, some important parts of the fortress, which had previously been unknown, were unearthed. Archaeological excavations in Babak Fortress started in 2002, and some parts of this fortress were unearthed. The most important discovery has recently been made in this historical site which was finding of a staircase dating back to the beginning of Post-Sasanid period.
The main activities of the excavation team were excavating and restoring the western part of the main staircase. Due to the large number of Iranian pilgrims, this part of the staircase was not in a good condition and if nothing had been done to preserve it, it would have suffered a real harm in the future.
A 4.5x5.5 meter room with two windows, which must have been a guard room, was discovered during latest excavations in. There is a 35-meter corridor beside the room. This corridor leads to two towers which have already been unearthed. The discovered staircase and the two-floor building at the back of the corridor and towers all belong to the beginning of the Islamic era. Experts believe that this building might have been a reservoir or food storage.
Stonework with mortar was used in the construction of this double-floor building, except for the staircase. This was a common architectural style during the Sasanid dynastic era. Therefore, it cannot be said for sure that the staircase and building were constructed during the same historical period. Babak fortress is one of the most important historical sites of Iran, located in a mountainous region in north-west of the country.
This fortress also called the Eternal Fortress was built during the Sasanid dynastic era; however, it is famous for the 23-year Iranian residence and resistance of Persian hero Babak Khorramdin who fought against the Arab invaders.
One of the most dramatic periods of Iranian history occurred under Babak’s leadership from 816 to 837 CE. Eventually Babak, his wife, and his warriors were forced to leave their command post at the fortress under very difficult circumstances after 23 years of struggle.
During Babak’s martyrdom, the caliph"s henchmen first cut off his legs and hands in order to convey the most devastating message to Iranians. Legend has it that Babak bravely rinsed his face with the blood pouring out of his wounds, thus depriving the caliph and the rest of the Arab invaders the opportunity to see that his face had turned pale due to heavy bleeding.
Every year in July, Iranians pilgrims visiting the place to hail their Persian hero, Babak, as the symbol of Iranian resistance against foreign and dictatorship rules. The pilgrims reading poetry including Shahnameh (the Book of Kings - Iran’s most famous epic) and playing traditional Persian music. They also lit up bonfires to follow traditional rituals of ancient Iran.

Tehran, 28 May 2006 (CHN) -- Archaeological excavations in Sanjar Tepe in Khuzestan province resulted in the discovery of a cylindrical seal with the design of a winged horse on its end. Although it is not the first time that the archaeologists have found a design of a winged horse in Iran, what makes this one special compared to the previous ones is that this winged horse has a lion’s head and a cow or a goat’s hooves, creating a strange creature which combines features of a horse, a bird, a lion, and a cow!
“A stone seal which most probably belongs to the Sassanid era (226-651 AD) was discovered during the first archaeological excavation in Sanjar Tepe in Dezful. The design of a winged horse can be seen on the seal whose head is like a lion and has round hooves like a cow or a goat. Horse was considered as a sacred animal during the Sassanid period and had a special place among the Persians of the time. We had previously found a large number of Sassanid seals with the designs of winged horses on them in other archaeological sites but what makes this one unique among all the pervious ones is that it is the first time we see such a strange combination of four animals all in one. Another interesting thing about this design is that the hooves are round not cracked, although we don’t have any idea about the reason it is designed so,” said Mostafa Abdolahi, archaeologist and head of Archaeology Department of Azad University of Dezful.
First season of archaeological excavations in Sanjar Tepe has started by the students of Dezful Azad University under the supervision of Dr. Pour Derakhshandeh. According to Abdolahi, the s which have been discovered so far in this historical site, including clay, bronze and iron relics, were displayed in an exhibition in Khuzestan which was held during the Cultural Heritage Week (18-25 of May).
“Some models illustrating the Islamic architectural style used in the constructions of the city and colored posters from some historic monuments prepared by the students were displayed in this exhibition. In addition, some documentary movies from different archaeological sites were screened in this exhibition,” said Abdolahi.
Sanjar historical Tepe is located in the city of Dezful in Khuzestan province, south of Iran, and belongs to the Elamite period (2700 BC-539 BC). The first season of archaeological excavations in this historical site led to discovery of the location of Zahari, the Elamite city. “This city was located between the cities of Susa and Avan. Considering the archaeological evidence found in the region, we believe that this city must have existed near the Sanjar Tepe,” added Abdolahi.

Tehran, 29 May 2006 (CHN) -- Restoration of the tomb of Cyrus the Great, the Achaemenid king, has started in Pasargadae historical site in Fars province by removing very giant stones. This project which involves 10 restoration experts aims at preventing possible damages to this ancient monument by humidity.
“Studies on the condition of Cyrus’ Tomb and its susceptibility had already started last year, and following that the restoration project of this Achaemenid monument was planned. About 30 years ago, some parts of this monument were restored by an Iranian expert. However, since the material which was used in the restoration was cement, and cement and stone do not stick together for a long time, the cracks appeared once again through which the raindrops leaked into the tomb and caused more damages to the monument. In this restoration project we will try to prevent any water leakage by closing the cracks,” said Mohammad Hassan Talebian, head of Parse-Pasargadae Research Center.
The restoration work started with the ceiling of this historical monument and experts believe that the restoration of the ceiling will be completed by the end of winter.
“Some stones had been removed during the previous restoration work. This time we also have to remove some giant stones and put them back to their original place. The exact place of the stones will be determined by the metal braces used in the construction of the tomb,” said Hassan Rahsaz, restoration expert and head of restoration team of Cyrus’ Tomb.
So far, experts have relocated three stones of the ceiling, weighing more than 2 tons each.
“This year we are intending to pay a special attention to the Tomb of Cyrus and Pasargadae historical site. Therefore, for us this year is the year of Pasargadae,” added Talebian.
Pasargadae historical site is located 87 kilometer northeast of Persepolis in Fars province of Iran. Pasargadae was an important city during the Achaemenid era (648 BC–330 BC) and was the first capital of the Persian Empire. It was construction by the order of Cyrus the Great around 546 BC but was left uncompleted due to death of Cyrus in a battle in 529-530 BC.
Many Greek and Persian historians account that after Cyrus the Great was killed in the battle, he was brought to this place and was buried there. They also say that his tomb was constructed towards the sunset since he was fond of the unset view during his lifetime.
The tomb of Cyrus the Great has witnessed many dramatic events in the course of the history. After the conquest of Persia by Arabs in the seventh century AD, Arab armies came upon the tomb planning to destroy it. However, the talented caretaker of the grave managed to convince the Arab commander that the tomb was not built to honor Cyrus but instead housed the mother of King Solomon. This way he saved it from destruction.

فهرست اصلی

بازدید امروز: 23 بازدید
بازدید دیروز: 19 بازدید
بازدید کل: 98425 بازدید

---

شناسنامه
 RSS 
 Atom 
صفحه نخست
پیام‌رسان
پست الکترونیک
پارسی بلاگ

نوشته های پیشین

شهریور 1388
مهر 1388
آذر 1388
آبان 1388

لوگوی وبلاگ من