Study of Faunal Remains from Excavations of Tepe Qasrdasht - Fars; Fifth Report

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Researcher / Bioarchaeology Laboratory, Central Laboratory, University of Tehran, Iran

2 Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique, Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, CNRS ; CP 56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 P

3 Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique, Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements (AASPE), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, CNRS ; CP 56, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France

4 Institutfür Vorderasiatische Archäologie Ludwig-Maximilians-UniversitätMünchen ,Geschwister-Scholl-Platz 1- D-80539 München, Germany

https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.14754114.v1

Abstract

Tepe Qasrdasht is located in the Kamin plain near Pasargadae, Fars province. It was excavated in 2011 under the direction of Mohammad Taghi Atayi in order to investigate the chronological sequence before the Achaemenid period. Three main chronological periods are defined in Qasrdasht, including: pre-Achaemenid, Achaemenid/post-Achaemenid, and Sassanid. Approximately 2000 animal remains were recovered at this site, predominantly from the pre-Achaemenid period (the main period). Among the identified species, domesticates, including goat, sheep, and cattle, were the major source of animal exploitation at Qasrdasht. Milk, wool, and hair exploitation of goat and sheep is evidenced through the kill-off patterns. Equids, including donkey and persian onager, are also present in the collection. Other identified species include carnivores, (mainly dog), birds (unidentified), boar, gazelle, wild caprines, fox, turtle, and molluscs. The presence of wild animals attests to hunting, although it formed only a marginal part of the economic life of Qasrdasht. According to these results, Qasrdasht rural communities were highly specialized in pastoral and herding activities. Furthermore, the presence of molluscs from the Persian Gulf in the collection is evidence for interactions between inhabitants of Qasrdasht and the southern coast of Iran.

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