excavation at sarcham, a multi-period archaeological site in hawraman region, kurdistan province, iran

The archaeological site of sarcham is situated in the southwestern region (hawraman region) of kurdistan province in western iran. it was excavated as part of the darian dam archaeological salvage project (ddasp) in 2015, revealing a multi-period site with cultural deposits spanning four distinct archaeological periods. this paper aims to present the findings from the excavation season, highlighting the significance of each period. the cultural sequence of site includes the middle chalcolithic (se gabi phase), middle bronze age, late bronze age, and the parthian/sassanid era. the middle chalcolithic pottery discovered at sarcham bears resemblance to that of the seh gabi period in the central zagros region. similarly, the middle bronze age pottery assemblage exhibits similarities with those found in the central zagros (late phases of godin iii), northwestern iran, and anatolia. this excavation marks the first discovery of a middle bronze age/late bronze age site in kurdistan province. furthermore, our research indicates that certain grey ware previously attributed to the iron age i period actually originated in the bronze age. the uppermost layer of the site, albeit somewhat disturbed, yielded pottery fragments dating to the parthian/sassanid period. this study sheds new light on the archaeological significance of sarcham and contributes to the understanding cultural history of the region.

excavation at sarcham, a multi-period archaeological site in hawraman region, kurdistan province, iran

the archaeological site of sarcham is situated in the southwestern region (hawraman region) of kurdistan province in western iran. it was excavated as part of the darian dam archaeological salvage project (ddasp) in 2015, revealing a multi-period site with cultural deposits spanning four distinct archaeological periods. this paper aims to present the findings from the excavation season, highlighting the significance of each period. the cultural sequence of site includes the middle chalcolithic (se gabi phase), middle bronze age, late bronze age, and the parthian/sassanid era. the middle chalcolithic pottery discovered at sarcham bears resemblance to that of the seh gabi period in the central zagros region. similarly, the middle bronze age pottery assemblage exhibits similarities with those found in the central zagros (late phases of godin iii), northwestern iran, and anatolia. this excavation marks the first discovery of a middle bronze age/late bronze age site in kurdistan province. furthermore, our research indicates that certain grey ware previously attributed to the iron age i period actually originated in the bronze age. the uppermost layer of the site, albeit somewhat disturbed, yielded pottery fragments dating to the parthian/sassanid period. this study sheds new light on the archaeological significance of sarcham and contributes to the understanding cultural history of the region.