Jiroft civilization

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The Jiroft Civilization (Persian تمدن جيرفت) was a theorized Early Bronze Age civilization located in central and western Iran, (fl. ca. 26th century BC). Information about this culture is based on an ongoing multinational archaeological project in a series of recently discovered sites in Sistan and Kerman Province, notably Konar Sandal near Jiroft in the Halil River area. At least twelve sites are now under excavation in the area, the oldest thought to be more than 7,000 years old. Other significant sites include Shahr-i Sokhta (Burnt City), Tepe Bampur, Espiedej, Shahdad, Iblis, and Tepe Yahya.

"The recent findings have uncovered an independent Bronze Age civilization with its own architecture and language," according to Professor Yousef Majidzadeh, head of the archaeological excavation team in Jiroft, who also speculates they may be the remains of the lost Aratta Kingdom, though others disagree. Other conjectures (eg. Daniel T. Potts, Piotr Steinkeller) have connected the site with the obscure city-state of Marhashi, that apparently lay to the east of Elam proper. But what is certain is that this kingdom had a large pottery industry, was a transit hub for trade merchants, and had active interactions with the Elamite civilization to the west and the Indus Valley civilization to the east.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Discovery and excavation 2 Jiroft site 3 Pre-Mesopotamian Artifacts 4 Writing 5 Jiroft Civilization Predated Sumer 6 Jiroft and Aratta 7 References 8 See also 9 Further reading 10 Further reading 11 External links

[edit] Discovery and excavation

Many artifacts associated with Jiroft were recovered from looters described as "destitute villagers" who had scavenged the area south of Jiroft before 2001, when a team led by Yousef Madjidzadeh began excavations. The team uncovered more than two square kilometers of remains from a city dating back to at least the late 3rd millennium BC.

The looted artifacts and some vessels recovered by the excavators were of the so-called "intercultural style" type of pottery known from Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau, and since the 1960s from nearby Tepe Yahya. The "Jiroft civilization" hypothesis proposes that this "intercultural style" is in fact the distinctive style of a previously unknown, long-lived civilization.^{[citation needed]}

This is not universally accepted. Archaeologist Oscar Muscarella of the Metropolitan Museum of Art criticizes that the excavators resorted to sensationalist announcements while being more slow in publishing scholarly reports, and their claims that the site's stratigraphy shows continuity into the 4th millennium as overly optimistic. Muscarella does nevertheless acknowledge the importance of the site.

After the numerous unique discoveries in the region, Majidzadeh declared Jiroft to be the cradle of art. Many scholars questioned^{[weasel words]} the theory due to the fact that no writings had yet been discovered at the site, but shortly afterwards his team discovered inscriptions at Konar-Sandal Ziggurrat, which caused experts to reconsider their views on Jiroft.

Earlier excavations in Kerman were conducted by Sir Aurel Stein around 1930 and One of the most notable archaeological excavations done in Kerman Province was one done by a group lead by Professor Joseph Caldwell from Illinois State Museum in 1966 (Tal-i-Iblis) and Lamberg Karvolski from Harvard University in 1967 (Tepe Yahya Sogan Valley, Dolatabad).

[edit] Jiroft site

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article entitled Konar Sandal. (Discuss)

The primary Jiroft site consists of two mounds a few kilometers apart, called Konar Sandal A and B with a height of 13 and 21 meters, respectively (approximate location 28.5° N 57.8° E). At Konar Sandal B, a two-story, windowed citadel with a base of close to 13.5 hectares was found.

[edit] Pre-Mesopotamian Artifacts

Archeological excavations in Jiroft led to the discovery of several objects belonging to the fourth millennium BC. Archeological excavations in Jiroft, known as a "hidden paradise" to world archeologists, have resulted in the discovery of a bronze statue depicting the head of goat which dates back to the third millennium BC. This statue was found in the historical cemetery of Jiroft where recent excavations in the lower layers of this cemetery revealed that the history of the Halil River region dates arguably^{[weasel words]} back to the fourth millennium BC, a time that goes well beyond some of the civilizations in Mesopotamia

“One of the reasons the archeologists and historians give for Mesopotamia to be the cradle of civilization is that the most ancient historical evidence and relics which have been discovered in Jiroft so far date back to the third millennium BC or nearer, and therefore they argue that this region could not have been the place where civilization began. However, some cultural evidence and ancient artifacts belonging to the fourth millennium BC were traced while digging a trench beneath the Matot Abad cemetery which gave proof to the fact that the history of this region goes back to the sixth millennium BC. Aside from these ancient articles found so far, archeologists were able to unearth a bronze statue of the head of a goat from one of the graves of Jiroft cemetery which raised new questions about the history of this region and whether or not the civilization that lived here is older than that of Mesopotamia,”^{[citation needed]} said Yousof Majidzadeh, head of excavation team in Jiroft.

“Two different kinds of clays were discovered in this cemetery, some belong to third millennium BC while the others go back to the fourth millennium BC. It was supposed that this area was a cemetery in both periods, but the trenches dug under the cemetery indicate that the region was a residential area during the sixth millennium BC. After this area was covered by different sediments and layers little by little over the period of 1000 years, the cemetery was established on the remains of the previous settlement area. The team of archeologists who are working in this area at the present is determined to continue the excavations to study more about the lower layers,”^{[citation needed]} added Majidzadeh.

According to Majidzadeh, geophysical operations by French experts in the region indicate the existence at least 10 historical and archaeological periods in the region belonging to different civilizations who lived in this area during different periods of time in history. According to the French experts who studied this area, the evidence remained from these civilizations may be traced up to 11 metres under the ground.

“What is obvious is that the evidence of Tal-i-Iblis culture in Bardsir can be traced in all parts of the region. Tal-i-Iblis culture, known as Ali Abad period (fourth millennium BC) was revealed by Joseph R. Caldwell, American archaeologist,”^{[citation needed]} said Majidzadeh.

Plunder of the Matot Abad cemetery by smugglers, which caused an unbelievable disaster in the history of archaeology, attracted the attention of public opinion to this region. Only one of the cemeteries 30 stone dishes were plundered. Some metal and clay dishes as well as some gold articles were plundered by smugglers as well.

The excavations in the lower layers of Jiroft’s cemetery indicate that the history of this region goes back to the fourth millennium BC. This further provided the proof to the claim that Jiroft was the cradle of civilization long before civilization first appeared in Mesopotamia, although this claim has not yet been approved by world organizations.

Analytical studies on relics found in Jirof in a research center in the United States indicate that the discovered materials in this region date back to the third millennium BC. Considering an inscription found earlier in the region, archeologists believe that the writing language of Jiroft is more ancient than that of Mesopotamia, and that the script language was spread to Mesopotamia from this region.[1]

• اطلاعات در مورد جیرفت در سایتwww.jiroft.ir

[edit] Writing

Madjidzadeh claims to have discovered inscriptions in a previously unknown script, allegedly comparable to linear Elamite, dated to ca. the 22nd century BC. The announcement of this discovery was received with skepticism. Lawler (2007) quotes Jacob Dahl, specialist in ancient texts at Berlin's Free University, as saying "No specialist in the world would consider these to be anything but absolute fakes."^{[citation needed]} Madjidzadeh is defended by his co-excavator Holly Pittman of University of Pennsylvania who notes that earlier discoveries of new civilizations met with similar incredulity.

[edit] Jiroft Civilization Predated Sumer

Many archaeologists believe that the recent discoveries prove that the Jiroft civilization was as important as Sumer and Mesopotamia. Findings show that the Jiroft civilization was older and more advanced than the Sumerian civilization, which is one of the oldest known civilizations.

[edit] Jiroft and Aratta

According to a theory by Iranian historian Jahanshah Derakhshani (born 1944), an ancient Aryan people known as the Aratti, or Artaioi, inhabited a country in the eastern Iranian Plateau called Aratta by the Sumerian sources in the 3rd millennium BC^[1]. Around 1000 BC, the Aratti moved southwest to Persis and became direct ancestors of the Persians.

According to Derakhshani, the Aratti may also have been ancestors of the Parthians, Bactrians, and Arachosians, based on his observations of ancient sources. Derekhshani says that according to Herodotus the Parthians were also called Artaioi = Artaians^[2], and that Hellanicus of Lesbos described them as inhabitants of a Persian region called Artaia^[3]. The Greeks called the inhabitants of the region Barygaza Arattii, Arachosi and Gandaraei, who had been subjected by the bellicose Bactrians ^{[4][citation needed]}

[edit] References

1. ^ Derakhshani, Die Arier in den nahöstlichen Quellen des 3. und 2. Jahrtausends v.Chr., Tehran 1998, p. 41.
2. ^ Herodotus VII, 61. 150
3. ^ Fr. cited from Marquart !--name spelling changed in 1922--! 1986, Untersuchungen zur Geschichte von Eran I: 234.
4. ^ ibid.; The periplus of the Erythraean Sea, Ed. by W. Schoff, New York 1912, p. 41.

• Jiroft, Fabuleuse Decouverte en Iran, Dossiers Archeologica 287, October 2003.
• Yousef Mazidzadeh, Jiroft earliest oriental civilization (2004).
• O. White Muscarella, Jiroft and “Jiroft-Aratta”: A Review Article of Yousef Madjidzadeh, Jiroft: The Earliest Oriental Civilization, Bulletin of the Asia Institute 15 (2005) 173-198.
• Andrew Lawler, Ancient Writing or Modern Fakery?, Science 3 August 2007: Vol. 317. no. 5838, pp. 588 - 589.
• Andrew Lawler, Iranian Dig Opens Window on New Civilization, Science 21 May 2004: Vol. 304. no. 5674, pp. 1096 - 1097.

[edit] See also

• History of Iran
• Zayandeh River Civilization
• Kulli culture

[edit] Further reading

• The Early Civilizations Of Kerman(تمدّن های نخستین کرمان)(Prof. Mahmoud R. Maheri)(In Persian)

[edit] Further reading

• The Early Civilizations Of Kerman(تمدّن های نخستین کرمان) /Prof. M.R. Maheri, Markaze Kerman Shenasaee (2000), 1st edition, ISBN 9646487211

[edit] External links

• Jiroft and “Jiroft-Aratta” A Review Article of Yousef Madjidzadeh
• Saudi Aramco World report
• "New studies show Jiroft was ancient trade link"
• about Iran civilizations
• Jiroft Inscription, Oldest Evidence of Written Language
• New Discoveries in Jiroft May Change History of Civilization
• Jiroft was an international trade center 5000 years ago
• See the fantastic Jiroft objects
• اطلاعات در مورد جیرفت در سایتwww.jiroft.ir