Journal of Iran National Museum

Journal of Iran National Museum

Tol-e Khaki: Tracing the Footsteps of a Chalcolithic Community in the highlands of Fars Province, Southern Zagros Mountains, Iran

Document Type : Report

Authors
Saman Hamzavi Zarghani 1
Cyrus Barfi 2
Samira Jafari 3
Mohsen Zeidi 4
1 Department of Early Prehistory and Quaternary Ecology, University of Tübingen, Germany
2 Research base of the historical city of Bishapur, Fars
3 Independent Researcher
4 Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment at University of Tübingen, Germany
10.22034/jinm.2024.2016568.1080
Abstract
In this brief paper, we present a recently discovered Bakun site called Tol-e Khaki, located in the highlands of Fars Province. The site was discovered during an archaeological survey conducted in Sarchehan County, located in the northeast of Fars Province. The ceramics found on the surface of the site represent deposits from various cultures dating from the late Neolithic period onwards. The presence of numerous Chalcolithic painted black-on-buff ceramics scattered across the site indicates that Tol-e Khaki was primarily occupied during the Chalcolithic Bakun period. The significance of this isolated site lies in its location at the end of a small, enclosed narrow valley near a water source on the foothills of high mountains, providing access to pastures and other resources. These features draw attention to the possible nomadic nature of this settlement. This area falls within the territory of the current nomadic summer pastures, where nomads set up their tents near and around Tol-e Khaki. By placing this site in the wider context of the distribution of Chalcolithic sites known as Bakun in Fars Province and beyond, we propose that Tol-e Khaki could have been a nomadic settlement.
 
Keywords
Tol-e Khaki
Iran
Fars Province
Chalcolithic
Bakun
Ceramics
Subjects

  • Receive Date 27 November 2023
  • Accept Date 08 February 2024