Archäobotanik

Chogah Golan (Iran)

Dr. Simone Riehl

In 2009 members of the Tübingen-Iranian Stone Age Research Project4 (TISARP) conducted initial excavations at the aceramic Neolithic site of Chogha Golan. The site has been known for nearly 20 years and has been registered as a national archaeological monument since 1996.

However, Chogha Golan has not been studied systematically by archaeologists. Using careful techniques the Tübingen team opened a test excavation of 8 m² and an additional 7m pit. This work led to the recovery of a huge collection of chipped flint, and other inorganic and organic artifacts, as well as remains of architecture and samples of charred plants and fauna.

These results indicate that Chogha Golan has considerable potential to contribute to our knowledge of human adaptations and cultural traditions during the early phases of village life in western Iran. For more information on the archaeology of the site: Mohsen Zeidi-Kulehparcheh

Archaeobotanical research started in 2010. Preliminary results have been recently submitted for publication to Vegetation History and Archaeobotany.