8. Fossil scallop shell Early Pa Sangar, Khoramabad, Lurestan Upper Paleolithic Period Kurdistan, Sefid-Āb in Kāshān, and Eshkaft-e Gāvi and Boof Caves Humans in Fārs. Artifacts from some of these sites are on display in the Museum. in Iran on the Basis of National Museum of Epipaleolithic The next period—called Iran Collections the Epipaleolithic (mean- ing terminal Paleolith- ic)—is characterized by 10. Shell ornament composite tools, tools for Ali Tappeh Cave, Mazandaran processing plant foods, and Epipaleolithic Period the means of storing food stuffs. The Epipaleolithic period begins around 20,000 years ago and goes on until to the end of the Ice Age, about 12,000 years ago. Examples of Cover: Reconstruction tools and ornaments of an onager hunting of this period from Ali scene showing a group of Neanderthals gathered Tappeh and Komishān around a carcass. This reconstruction is on the caves in Māzandarān, Pā San- basis of archaeological gar Rockshelter in Lurestān and a finds from Qaleh Bozi Denticulated blade caves, Isfahan. Artist: Ghar-e Khar Cave, Bisotun, Kermanshah number of other sites are on display Erfan Soltani Upper Paleolithic Period in the Museum hall. 9. Natural pigment (ochre) Ali Tappeh Cave, Mazandaran Epipaleolithic Period Introduction to Iranian Archaeology and history children series, No. 2 A publication of National Museum of Iran on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the establishment of Iran Bastan Museum, 2018 Text: Fereidoun Biglari Photos: Neda Hossein Tehrani, Nima Fakoorzadeh and Fereidoun Biglari; Typesetting and layout: Nima Fakoorzadeh; Illustrated by Erfan Soltani; man, Lurestān, Arsanjān, Qaleh Bozi) and cen- In the long span of the Paleolithic period, humans lived 4. Middle Paleolithic cave site of Qaleh Bozi, tral Iran (Mirak, Niāsar, Parvadeh, Ziviyeh) in small bands with a sedentary lifestyle, making a living Mobarakeh, Isfahan are on display in the museum. One of the mainly from hunting wild animals and gathering wild plants. oldest human fossil remains from Iran, dis- This period is characterized by the use of chipped stone covered in a small cave called Wezmeh tools and later antler and bone tools and the appearance of near Kermanshah in the west-central personal ornaments, art objects and cave art. The Paleo- 6.Hematite pendant Zagros, is on display. This is a human Yafteh Cave, Khoramabad, Lurestan lithic period is sub-divided into: Lower Paleolithic (ca. Upper Paleolithic Period premolar tooth representing a late juve- 3,300,000 – 250,000 years ago), Mid- nile individual, who may have been the dle Paleolithic (ca. 250,000 – 40,000 prey of carnivores such as hyenas and years ago), Upper Paleolithic wolves whose remains are abundant (ca. 40,000 - 20,000 years ago), in the Wezmeh Cave. A human radius followed by Epipaleolithic (ca. (forearm) fragment from a Neander- 20,000 – 12,000 years ago). thal has been discovered in Bisotun cave is located in the same region of Lower Paleolithic the west-central Zagros. The most ancient artifacts in the Museum are stone Upper Paleolithic tools dating to the Lower The Upper Paleolithic period, which Paleolithic period. These began around 40,000 years ago tools belong to times and came to a close about 1. Core- chopper when early humans Kashafrud, Abravan, Khorasan 20,000 years ago, coincides with lived by means of Lower Paleolithic Period the arrival of anatomically modern hunting, scaveng- humans (also known as Homo sa- ing, gathering and foraging, and used piens sapiens) in Iran. In this pe- stone tools for cutting animal flesh, mak- riod, making stone tools such as ing wooden tools, and other implements humans were roaming in west- blades and bladelets expanded. and objects. Remains from this period— ern Asia. Representative stone Personal ornaments like pendants mostly stone tools—have been discov- tools of this period made from made from shell, animal teeth, and ered at archaeological sites such as flint and oth- 3. Levallois core a reddish-black iron mineral (he- Kashafrud in Khorāsān, Lādiz in West of Harsin, Kermanshah er rock types, matite) appeared in this period, of Sistān and Baluchistān, Shiwa- Middle Paleolithic Period and animal which some examples from Yafteh too in Kurdistān, Ganj Par in Gilān, bones, some cave are on display. Red ochre was all open-air sites, and with cut marks, are on display in the 2. Biface (trihedral) also used quite abundantly. Among Darband Cave, also Amar Merdeg, Mehran, Ilam, Museum. These remains come from caves import- in Gilān. Lower Paleolithic Period or open-air sites in the Zagros Mountains and the Iranian ant sites 5. Pointed bladelet (Arjeneh point) Plateau. Important stone tools of this period include points Yafteh Cave, Khoramabad, Lurestan dating to Upper Paleolithic Middle Paleolithic and side-scrapers used for butchering hunted game and this peri- In the Middle Paleolithic period bands of humans subsisted processing animal hides as well as other tasks. Examples od are Yāfteh and Kaldar caves in Lur- 7.Artist’s reconstruction of Upper through actively hunting and gathering plant foods. During of stone tools of this period from caves and rockshelters Paleolithic daily life at Yafteh Cave estān, Warwāsi, Malāverd and Ghār-e about 35000 years ago. this period Neanderthals and early anatomically modern and open-air sites in the Zagros region (Bisotun, Hawra- Khar Cave in Kermānshāh, Kenacheh in .