Iran urbanized 4,500 years ago

Iran Press TV ^ | Sunday, March 8, 2009 | NAT/JG

[SunkenCiv]

Archeological studies have indicated that traces of ancient population in Iran's northern province of Mazandaran goes back 5,600 years. "Archeological excavations and precise date recognition at the historical site of Gohar Tappeh revealed urbanism had entered the region about 4,500 years ago," says Ali Mahforouzi, head of the excavation team of Gohar Tappeh of Mazandaran. The discovery has also led archeologists to believe that powerful political and economic systems in the region were established around 5,600 years ago. "If we believe in the theory that urban dwelling occurred after agrarian, we could claim settlement in Mazandaran province dates back to at least 5,600 years ago," Mahforouzi added. "We believe the powerful economic system was based on agriculture, animal husbandry, and trade - all among the basics of industry at the time," he said. "The history of pre-agrarian dwelling goes back to cave-dwelling era," Mahforouzi said. "There was a 3,800-year-old gap between cave and agrarian dwelling in the region though."

Trace of population in Gohar Tappeh goes back to 6,500 years ago.

[SunkenCiv]

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[a fool in paradise]

I won’t believe they were urbanized until I see signs of Community Organizers.

[SolidWood]

Iran ping

[stratboy]

It is a shame that they haven’t updated since then.

[SolidWood]

Thanks, fascinating stuff.

It is noteworthy that the remote South-Caspian regions of Mazanderan and Gilan stayed Zoroastrian way longer than the rest of Iran, since the Arab Muslims couldn't get through the thickly forrested mountains defended by the warlike Gilakis and Mazanderanis.

[ArrogantBustard]

It is a shame that they haven’t updated since then.

They did.

Then Khomeini took over ... wait and see what we look like after a couple years of The Korrupt Kenyan Kommunist and his Kronies, before casting too many stones at Iran.

[SunkenCiv]

My pleasure.

[SunkenCiv]

LOL!

[SunkenCiv]

LOLOL!

[varmintman]

The most major ingredient of all such dating schemes is circular reasoning. I wouldn’t want to have to bet on whether or not this planet was settled 4,500 years ago, at least not by humans.

[Ciexyz]

I recommend two historical novels, "Dawn of Empire" and "Empire Rising" by Sam Barone, concerning the rise of the city state of Ur on the Tigris River. Check your local library to see if you can get a copy through the inter-library loan system.

Well-written, fascinating story of the building of a wall for defense around the developing city, in an attempt to keep out a band of marauding steppe raiders. Has a strong female lead character, both males and females would enjoy this book.

[JoeProBono]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

Wow, interesting search results for the author's name on Amazon. If I were still a reader of fiction, I'd be in heaven nowadays.

---

Dawn of Empire by Sam Barone	Empire Rising by Sam Barone

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[Fred Nerks]

History of Research

As early as 1963 Göbekli Tepe had been pinpointed as an archaeological site in the course of a Turkish-American survey, and in 1980 appeared Peter Benedict's report on the mound. The full significance of the site, however, was not yet apparent. The flanks of the rise, strewn with large cut blocks of masonry as well as countless implements of chipped stone, certainly did not bring to mind an establishment from mankind's earliest period of settlement, i.e. from the time the Paleolithic/Mesolithic hunters were first shifting to a sedentary life of farming. Only further investigation would reveal the special significance of this mound, which gradually rose layer upon layer like Schliemann's Troy, but dates at least five thousand years earlier than the "City of Priam."

Previous Activities

The excavations of the Şanlıurfa Museum and the DAI in Istanbul begun in 1995 and since 2001 have continued in cooperation with the Orient-Abteilung of the German Archaeological Institute. The annual campaigns since 1995 have brought neither residences nor fortifications to light, but instead monumental and megalithic circular configurations previously unknown, beyond any shadow of a doubt religious in function. Monolithic pilasters, each weighing tons, were bound into a circle by segments of wall that enclosed them on the interior and the exterior as if to form a temenos. In the center, towering above all, stood a single pair of pillars. On these were large-scale reliefs of wild beasts: lions and bulls, wild boars, foxes and snakes. The sculpture provides a glimpse of a pictorial tongue, the meaning of which-like the overall significance of the structures-will continue to stimulate much scholarly controversy. What has now become clear is that the earliest architectural forms yet known were by no means small and unpretentious, but astoundingly monumental in character. It is only in the upper building levels at Göbekli Tepe that we see a transformation of these circular structures intomuch smaller forms, some constructed with quadrilateral plans as well.

[Fred Nerks]

sorry, forgot to post the link:

http://www.dainst.org/index_642_en.html

[Fred Nerks]

SACRED COWS

The discovery of these sculptures indicates that the people of the region worshiped cows 3000 years ago.

Mazandaran is one of the most ancient provinces in Iran. Archaeological excavations indicate that the province has been inhabited by human beings since 400,000 years ago until the present time, and that around 5000 years ago, urbanization flourished in the area. Gohar Tepe is a proof to this claim.

[SunkenCiv]

Maybe they just invented the cow-wie bank, y’know, before anyone had invented money...

[SunkenCiv]

thanks.

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/gobeklitepe/index