Journal of Iran National Museum

Journal of Iran National Museum

Human remains from Zard-e Sahel, Kashan, Iran

Document Type : Report

Author
Faculty of Archaeology, University of Warsaw
Abstract
During the archaeological survey around Kashan, an assemblage of lithics was found at Zard-e Sahel together with many human and a few animal bone fragments. Based on the lithic typology, it was tentatively dated to the Late Neolithic. Most human remains were cremated at a relatively consistent high temperature and represented several adult and non-adult individuals. Although the assemblage was exposed on the soil surface and affected by various taphonomic agents, some traces of the red ochre were still visible on the surface of three elements. The frequencies of retrieved elements were somewhat different than at a nearby contemporary site of Tepe Sialk, likely due to the fragmentary character of the assemblage from Zard-e Sahel. Although cremation was not popular in the Near East, this burial custom was relatively more popular during the Neolithic than in the later periods.
Keywords
Subjects

  • Receive Date 18 February 2025
  • Accept Date 22 April 2025