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Iranian-French Archaeological Mission in Bam, Kerman: Summary of Field-Seasons 2016-2017

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Iranian-French Archaeological Mission in Bam, Kerman: Summary of Field-Seasons 2016-2017 Iranian-French Archaeological Mission in Bam, Kerman: Summary of Field-seasons 2016-2017 Benjamin Mutin1 and Omran Garazhian2 Abstract: In this article we present the scientific objectives and results of the first two field-seasons in 2016 and 2017 of the Bam Archaeological Mission (BAM), a new Iranian-French joint field research project in the Bam- Narmashir Region, Kerman. During these two field-seasons, we surveyed this region and recorded about 250 sites mostly dating from the Palaeolithic period to the Iron Age. One of the most significant results from this survey is the discovery of two substantial settlements, one dating to the Neolithic period and the other one relating to the fourth millennium BCE Aliabad archaeological culture. These settlements are probably among the highest concentrations of sites dating to these periods reported so far from the south-eastern Iranian Plateau. In 2017, we also resumed excavation at the Neolithic site of Tell-e Atashi. We opened test-trenches at various locations at this site as well as a new stratigraphic trench near the excavation that had been opened in 2008. With new radiocarbon dates, we were able to confirm that at least a large part of the occupation levels at Tell-e Atashi dates to between the second half of the sixth and the middle of the fifth millennia BCE. This fieldwork also made it clear that this site is aceramic, a configuration that stands in contrast to the typical sixth and fifth millennia BCE archaeological sites in Iran. The aggregate of this fieldwork produced new data which have confirmed the unique nature of Tell-e Atashi and the Bam-Narmashir Region as well as their significance for the understanding of the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods in the Indo-Iranian Borderlands. Keywords: Neolithic, South-eastern Iran, Bam, Tell-e Atashi, Archaeological survey, Excavation چکیده: در این مقاله، اهداف پژوهشی دو فصل ِنخست پروژۀ باستان شناسی بم، برنامۀ مشترک ایران و فرانسه برای پژوهش های میدانی در منطقۀ بم-نرماشیر، استان کرمان در سال های 2016 و 2017 م. ارائه شده است. طی این دو فصل، منطقه را بررسی و بیشاز 250 محوطه مطالعه و مستندسازی شد. بیشتر این محوطه ها مربوط به دوره های پیشازتاریخ )از پارینه سنگی تا عصر آهن( هستند. از مهم ترین نتایج این بررسی شناسایی دو محوطۀ گسترده، یکی مربوط به دوره نوسنگی و دیگری آثاری از فرهنگ هزاره چهارم پ.م.، مشهور به فرهنگ پیشازتاریخی علی آباد در جنوب شرق ایران، دارد. در سال 2017 م. کاوش را در محوطۀ نوسنگی تل آتشی از سرگرفتیم. چند ترانشۀ آزمایشی در بخش های مختلف محوطه کاوش شد. همچنین در نزدیک موقعیتی که در سال 2008 م. کاوش ﻻیه نگارانه انجام شده بود کاوش ها ادامه یافت. اکنون گاه نگاری تل آتشی برای نیمۀ دوم هزارۀ ششم تا نیمۀ هزارۀ پنجم پ.م. تثبیت شده است. کاوش ها روشن نموده اند که تل آتشی معرف فرهنگ نوسنگی بی سفال است. این فرهنگ یا گاه نگاری یادشده نشان می دهد که با محوطه های باستانی شاخص هزاره های ششم و پنجم پ.م. در ایران تفاوت دارد. درمجموع، کاوش ها تائیدی بر ماهیت منحصربه فرد تل آتشی و منطقۀ بم-نرماشیر است. کاوش های اخیر یافته هایی دارد که خصوصیات، اهمیت و طبیعت بی نظیر تل آتشی و منطقه نرماشیر در فهم بهتر فرهنگ های نوسنگی و مس-سنگی سرزمین های بین ایران و هند را نشان می دهد. ,Harvard University .1 کلیدواژگان: نوسنگی، جنوب شرقی ایران، بم، تل آتشی، بررسی های باستان شناختی، کاوش Anthropology Department; CNRS, UMR 7041, ArScAn Introduction seeks to reconstruct the ancient settlement in this – Archéologies et The Bam-Narmashir Region is located in the area with an emphasis on its oldest occupation Sciences de l’Antiquité, Archéologie de l’Asie southern margins of the Lut Desert, Kerman periods between the Palaeolithic period and centrale. benmutin@ (Figs. 1-2). In 2016 and 2017, we conducted in the Iron Age. It aims to understand how this gmail.com. this region the first two field-seasons of a new settlement evolved, to evaluate the influence 2. Archaeology Department, University Iranian-French archaeological mission, the Bam of climate and environmental changes on this of Neyshabur, Archaeological Mission (BAM). This mission evolution, and to determine its relationship to [email protected]. 2 Iranian-French Archaeological Mission in Bam, Kerman: Summary of Field-seasons 2016-2017 but also include many additional monuments and expanses of archaeological materials outside of the city. The Bam-Narmashir Region is also rich of archaeological remains dating to older periods. Among them are the archaeological remains from the Chalcolithic period (and possibly from the Neolithic period) reported by Adle from the Fig. 1. Map of the south-eastern Iranian Arg-e Bam area and west of Bam city (Adle, 2006: Plateau with the location 39-41), the fourth millennium BCE graveyard of of the Arg-e Bam and Tell-e Atashi in the Khaje Askar rescued by N.A. Soleimani and his Bam-Narmashir Region colleagues in the western periphery of Bam city and an additional, major archaeological sites and (Soleimani et al. 2016), and Tell-e Atashi, a large areas. Neolithic site excavated by one of the authors the archaeological cultures defined in Iran and (O.G.), situated ca. 30 km as the crow flies east Pakistan and more generally in the rest of the of the Arg-e Bam in an area called Darestan (Adle, Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. As 2006: 38-39; Garazhian, 2009; Garazhian and such, this research project also more broadly Shakooie, 2013). seeks to contribute to the general study of ancient Our first two field-seasons had two main south-eastern Iran and to the reconstruction of objectives, different in scope: 1) To survey the the major demic and cultural dynamics—the Bam-Narmashir Region in order to evaluate dispersal of peoples, cultures, and technologies— and get an initial reconstruction of its ancient that occurred in this area and across Middle- and settlement; 2) To renew fieldwork at Tell-e Atashi. South Asia during pre- and proto-history. Our survey was mostly conducted during the The creation of this mission was encouraged first field-season in 2016 while additional sectors by the late Dr. C. Adle who tirelessly made were explored in 2017. Fieldwork at Tell-e Atashi considerable effort to record and protect the began in 2017. cultural heritage of the Bam-Narmashir Region in the aftermath of the deadly earthquake that struck Geographic settings this region in December 2003. Prior to our first The city of Bam and the Bam-Narmashir Region field-season in 2016, Adle and other colleagues, are located in the eastern part of the Kerman including one of the authors (O.G.) as well as M. Province, close to the Sistan-Baluchestan Atayi, L. Fazel, M. Judaki, N.A. Soleimani, and Province, in the south-western periphery of Sh. Zare, had conducted archaeological surveys the Southern Lut Desert (Dasht-e Lut). Bam and excavations in the Bam-Narmashir Region is located between two mountain ranges, both (Adle, 2006). This fieldwork currently continues. north-west—south-east oriented: the Kapudi with a focus on the early historical and Islamic Mounts in the north, with hilltops higher than periods as part of a protection and conservation 2400 m, and the Jebal Barez in the south, which program of the UNESCO World Heritage almost reaches 4000 m in altitude (Fig. 2). property “Bam and its Cultural Landscape”, The average altitude of the plain between these nominated to the World Heritage List soon after mountain ranges decreases from west to east. It is the December 2003 earthquake (https://whc. ca. 1250 m at Darzin and ca. 750 m in Darestan. unesco.org/en/list/1208). The city of Bam is The city of Bam is located at the confluence of famous for its Islamic citadel and fortified town, two rivers: the Posht-e Rud coming from the the Arg-e Bam, which was a major hub along the north-west and the Chelekhoneh from the south- trade routes of the so-called Silk Roads between west. These rivers then continue further east the 7th and 11th centuries AD. Vestiges of the and north-east through Darestan down to the Islamic period are not limited to the Arg-e Bam, Southern Lut Desert. As noted above, this region Archaeology, No.2, Spring 2019 Benjamin Mutin and Omran Garazhian 3 Fig. 2. View of the study area: City of Bam and Bam-Narmashir Region. is located in an active seismic zone. Bam city lies by foot, aided with the prior study of satellite directly above the active seismic Bam fault. A imagery. We recorded and documented the well-known geological feature related to this fault archaeological sites we identified and collected is a north-south ca. 15-20 m high scarp located a selection of diagnostic artefacts (mostly stone in the eastern and south-eastern periphery of the artefacts and ceramic fragments) from their city and west of the town of Baravat. The Bam- surfaces. We also explored additional sectors Narmashir Region is characterized by a desert inside and in the immediate periphery of the city climate with rainfalls averaging 72 mm/year of Bam, although we had little hope to find any and an annual average temperature of 21.7°C. substantial remains in these sectors, since any The amount of rainfalls annually is ca. 300 mm ancient occupations that may have existed there along the south-eastern slope of the Jebal Barez. are today covered and most probably completely They provide the plain with water and make it disappeared through the cumulative effects possible, with irrigation systems, for palm trees to of urban expansion and palm tree plantation.
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