On a mission to resurface the remains of history from the depths of the earth is an Iranian and German archaeological team which has joined hands to commence a new excavating season. This time their area of interest constitutes the Gohar-Tappeh prehistoric mound in Iran’s northern province of Mazandaran.
Under the umbrella of anthropological studies, the project, a contract tied by Iran’s Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR) and German University of Munich in 2009, aims to gain an understanding of the lifestyle of people in Gohar-Tappeh in different eras. As per the agreement, the German university will conduct and finance part of the research and experiments.
“The site was identified during an archaeological excavation in 2000 and eight seasons of excavation have previously been carried out there,” Ali Mahforuzi, the team director, quoted. These excavations have unearthed a large number of graves and numerous other artifacts giving experts a reason to believe that the place may have developed into a large city about 4500 years ago. However, it was abandoned some 1000 years later due to a major climate change along with several other reasons experts suggest.
Myriad artifacts have resurfaced during the course of the previous excavations which include: a cobble-stoned lane, the skeleton of a warrior buried in an attacking pose with a dagger in his hands, the skeleton of a child, a bronze pendant with a bullhorn motif and dice for playing the game of craps.
These leave experts hopeful as they embark on the ninth leg of their journey – expecting to stumble upon a discovery which will unlock the chest of secrets hidden by this forgotten civilization.
