December 31, 2021
has been unearthed is seen in an aerial photo.
A team of Iranian, Italian and Serbian archaeologists has unearthed numerous animal and human figurines from the UNESCO-registered Burnt City in southwest Iran—but despite two decades of excavations, the site is still only 4 to 5 percent explored.
“Like previous [archaeological] seasons, we have unearthed a significant number of figurines,” the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) quoted Iranian archaeologist Hossain Moradi as saying December 9.
Called “Shahr-e Sukhteh” in Persian, Burnt City is associated with four rounds of civilization, all burned down by catastrophic fires. The site is situated in Sistan va Baluchestan province, which was once a junction of Bronze Age trade routes crossing the Iranian plateau.
“The figurines include various animal designs, especially cows, as well as human statues, which are in the form of sitting women and standing men,” the archaeologist explained.
A kiln has been unearthed as well. However, it is not yet determined if it is a pottery oven or a metal smelting furnace, the archaeologist said.
“So far, 4 to 5 percent of Burnt City has been excavated . . . and [conducting surveys on] unexplored areas requires a lot of time and funds,” according to provincial tourism chief Alireza Jalalzaei.
According to Jalalzaei, in this season of excavation, residential areas in the central and eastern parts [of Shahr-e Sukhteh] are to be explored. “The excavation season is estimated to take 60 days, of which 45 days are for field activities and 15 days for summarizing field information, and preparing reports for the Research Institute [for Cultural Heritage and Tourism].”
Led by the senior Iranian archaeologist Mansur Seyyed-Sajjadi, the 19th season of digging commenced November 19.
The 18th season, begun in November 2019 in collaboration with Italy’s University of Salento, shed new light on a residential area of the 5,000-year-old site. “The goal is to reach older urban sections because most of the excavations so far have been related to the second, third, and fourth periods and less information about the times before these eras,” Seyyed-Sajjadi said in 2019.
Founded around 3200 BCE, Burnt City was populated during four main periods up to 1800 BCE. Previous rounds of excavations showed that its residents had great skills in weaving, creating fine arts such as decorative objects, stone carving, and pottery painting.