GRAVE 12 AT CHALOW: THE BURIAL OF A LADY OF THE “GREATER KHORASAN CIVILIZATION”

Grave 12 of Tepe Chalow is the richest burial excavated to date at the site. It is a typical GKC pit grave in which was buried a female adolescent younger than 18 years. In the grave were found 34 objects: 12 typical GKC pottery vases; 4 stone objects of chlorite, white and black stone, serpentine, and lapis lazuli; 13 metal objects of gold, bronze, typical GKC, and two ivory pins.
The burial matches the funeral rituals attested at Chalow. The grave was oriented NE-SW and the body crouched on the right side with the hands near the face, looking toward the SE. Ceramic vessels were placed behind the back of the skeleton, from the head to the feet; there were two pins near the shoulders and two bracelets on the arms; the large vase near the feet contained a significant object. The chlorite objects were grouped near the face of the deceased, and so were the metal objects and ivory pins, with the exception of a small bronze jar and two pins. The beads also were near the face and the neck, probably forming one or more necklaces. Remains of ovid/caprid bones inside a pottery bowl indicate a food-offering for the burial. All of these burial goods and funeral rituals of grave 12 at Chalow have close parallels at many burial grounds of Bactria and Margiana indicating close cultural ties between the area of northern Khorasan with the Bactro-Margiana cultural sphere.