Atashi in Kerman province, SE Iran. Area A: distribution of PPN sites in Darestan (numbered).
Natural and cultural landscape
An archaeological project is currently being conducted in Darestan, in the district of Bam in East Kerman province, south-eastern Iran (Figure 1). Darestan belongs to a desert area (Figure 2) located on the western borders of the southern Lut (Ehsani & Quiel 2008). The area lies c. 700m above sea level and is limited to the north and south by volcanic mountains known as Kapooti and Jamali. Alluvial sedimentary deposits have covered the region between these heights. The known settlements in the region include Chalcolithic and Bronze Age sites (Figure 1, Area A).The dry basin of two branches of the river Poshtrood, which once carried water in a west-east direction, can be observed in the region. The northern branch is covered by sediments coarser than those of the southern branch. The basin of the southern branch is covered by alluvial sand and it contained less water. This branch reaches a low, flat area (Figure 2, no. 2) in which all the observed PPN sites of the region are located (Figure 1, Area A). Currently, the region contains scattered palm groves which are irrigated by deep wells. The permanent residents of the region consist of only 35 families; palm grove owners and labourers cross the area but their permanent dwellings are in Bam or in nearby villages.
The landscape of Tell-e Atashi (northern view). 1: Qanat well; 2: flat low area (northern and western parts of the site); 3: sampled area of northern part; 4: location of stratigraphic sounding.
Archaeological activities and their scales
The archaeological project in the region is being conducted on three distinct scales. The smallest scale is represented by a stratigraphic sounding at Tell-e Atashi (Figure 2, no. 4), the largest PPN site in Darestan. The medium scale consists of systematic sampling, which was conducted at Atashi and in its surrounding area (Figure 2, no. 3) over an area of c. 12 hectares. The sampled area represents about 5 per cent of the extent of the site and comprised 723 2×2m squares. At the largest scale, site visits and surveys were conducted over an area 10×10km (Figure 1, Area A). This resulted in the discovery of 10 settlements dating from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (PPN) to the Pottery Neolithic (PN).
Preliminary conclusions
Tell-e Atashi is the largest recognised PPN site in the study area targeted by sampling and sounding in summer 2008. The stratigraphic sondage was excavated on the highest part of the site (Figure 2, no. 4). The test trenches show that cultural sediments survive to a height of about 6m from the surface down to virgin soil and consist mostly of architectural structures (Figures 3 and 4). In the first season approximately 2.8m of the layers have been excavated and recorded. The stratified deposits excavated so far represent 11 architectural phases, grouped into Period 1, which comprise floor levels in an uninterrupted sequence belonging to the same period.
Architectural structure, phase 6 (room).
Architectural structures, phase 5 (three parallel cubes).
Marble bowl, phase 5.
In phases 5 and 6, the plan of the architectural remains reveals rooms c. 2.3×1.5m (Figure 3), which survive to a height of c. 1.8m. On a lower level and in front of the door of these architectural remains, three parallel cubes, related to the room, were recognised (Figure 4). Two small fireplaces, 20 mud-built circular bases, beads and a marble bowl (Figure 5) were recovered from the floor, in separate rooms.
There were two types of walls: walls made of mud brick and mortar and clay built walls (similar bricks were recorded in Mehrgarh; see Reference Jarrige and AllchinJarrige 1984). In some cases, 4-8 internal compartments could be observed in the mud bricks. Clay figurines (Figure 6) and lithic artefacts (Figure 7) were recovered among the architectural debris. Two kinds of large hearths have been excavated in the corner of the structures (Figure 3): one type consists of hearths with structures resembling funnels which conducted the smoke to the roof via a chimney; another type is a hearth, set on foundations, which rises 0.4m above floor level. Under the lowest levels of phase 11, i.e. under the remains of Period 1, the architectural remains consist of mud bricks different in size from those of Period 1 and circular walls which are likely to belong to a second (earlier, as yet unexcavated) period of occupation of the site. Remains of wheat and barley have been recognised near a bread pan which is related to Period 1 (for similar data in Mehrgarh see Reference Costantini and AllchinCostantini 1984). All excavated soils have been processed through floatation, and animal bone was recovered systematically.
Beads, shell ring and figurines (from sampling and sounding).
Lithic artefacts (phases 1-3).
In the middle of the zone surveyed there was a flat area, surrounded by a higher 'ring', on which architectural remains have been recognised. Deserts winds and illegal excavations have resulted in the obliteration of surface layers (Figure 2), but nevertheless structures, such as structures with circular entrances, are still visible on the surface today (see Reference AdleAdle 2005).
Systematic sampling of the low area surrounding the tell site suggests that the density of the data is high over a surface of more than 9 hectares. In addition to the lithics and their debris, stone, marble and shell objects (Figure 6, shell ring) have been recovered and await analysis.
At the macro scale, site visits and surveys led to recognition of 10 Neolithic sites in the vicinity of Atashi. All are located in the eastern, lower reaches of Darestan and on the dry riverbed of the southern branch of the Poshtrood river (Figure 1, Area A). The extent of these sites varies between 0.3 and 3/5 hectares and their heights are between 2-4m above ground surface. On the surface of the western part of these eastern Darestan sites, the presence of some PN sherds suggest that there is continuity in the area after the abandonment of Tell-e Atashi at the end of the PPN period.
Acknowledgements
The project is a part of the Arg-e Bam Rescue Project, under the auspices of the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR). The author is grateful to the director of the Arg-e Bam Rescue Project, Dr. Eskandar Mokhtari and to the director of ICAR, Dr.Hassan Fazeli. I also express my gratitude to Dr.L.Papoli, and to the members of the Tell-e Atashi field team, Dr.B.Ajorloo, M.Dana, M.Shakooei, M.Jayez, M.Rahmati, M.Bahoo, V.Askarpour. Thanks are also due to M.Taheri and M.Naeemi for editing the text. The author wishes to thank the editor for his kind assistance.
