غار کان‌گوهر: تحلیل یک حادثۀ تاریخی با روش‌های باستان‌شناسی‌زیستی

در سال 1389 ه .ش. از معدن غار کان گوهر در شهرستان بوانات در استان فارس تعدادی اسکلت انسانی کشف شد. باتوجه به وجود فرضیه های مختلف در رابطه باوجود این بقایا در غار و نامعلوم بودن قدمت آن ها، به منظور یافتن دلیل وجود این تعداد بقایای انسانی، علاوه بر بازدید از غار، جغرافیای تاریخی منطقۀ بوانات در منابع تاریخی نیز مورد مطالعه قرار گرفت. در منابع دورۀ آل مظفر و تیموری ذکر شده است که در حدود سال 742 ه .ق.، هم زمان با ناآرامی های بعد از فروپاشی ایلخانان در ایران و نبود قدرت متمرکز، روستایی در بوانات مورد حملۀ امیرزاده ای مغول قرار گرفته و اهالی روستا برای نجات جان خود به غاری پناه می برند. امیر زاده به محض اطلاع از محل اختفای آن ها، دستور به افروختن آتش در دهانۀ غار داده که دود ناشی از آن منجر به کشته شدن تمام افراد در داخل غار می شود. درراستای تطبیق این بقایای باستان شناختی با رویداد مذکور در منابع تاریخی، مطالعات باستان شناسی زیستی با محوریت بررسی آثار خشونت، با استفاده از روش پیشنهادی بیوکسترا و آبه لیکر (در سال 1994م.) مورد استفاده قرار گرفت. این روش برمبنای مشاهدۀ چشمی، با هدف تخمین سن، تعیین جنسیت، تشخیص بیماری ها و شناسایی تمام تغییرات قبل، حین و پس از مرگ تنظیم شده است. باتوجه به سقف دود زدۀ غار، به ویژه دهانۀ آن، تعداد زنان (37 درصد)، کودکان (29 درصد) و کهنسالان (30 درصد) و نبود آثار خشونت فیزیکی در جمجمه ها و وجود آثار سوختگی، می توان با احتمال این بقایا را با حادثۀ مذکور در منابع تاریخی تطبیق داد. این یافته ها می توانند پاسخ روشنی را در جهت فهم علت وجود این تعداد بقایای انسانی در غار مذکور فراهم آورند.

KanGohar Cave: Analysis of a Historical Event with Bioarcheological Methods

AbstractIn 2010 some human remains were discovered in KanGohar cave, an iron mine which is located close to Bavanat city in Fars Province. By regarding the different hypothesis about the probable events which might have been occurred inside the cave and unknown date of them, after visiting the cave, a series of historical sources relevant to Bavanat regional history were considered. Some texts (e.g. AleMozaffar and Timurid sources) pointed to the events which have been occurred in1350 AD through which after the death of AbuSaeed Ilhkanid, people of a village in Bavanat were attacked by one of the Mongols son, so that all villagers to escape sheltered inside a cave to save their lives. But Mongol ruler ordered to set a huge fire in the entrance of the cave, thus all people were suffocated by the smoke and were killed in the cave. In order to compare these human remains with the mentioned event in historical sources, bioarchaeological studies were done with focus on violence using standard protocols of Buikstra & Ubelaker (1994). This method is rely almost solely on observations aiming to age estimation, sex determination, identification of pathological conditions and taphonomic agents. Considering the smoky roof and entrance of the cave, the number of females (37%), subadults (29%) and old individuals (30%) and lack of physical violence traces and observing the traces of burning on some of the bones, these assemblage of human remains are comparable with this historical event, with probability. These findings can provide an answer in order to find out the reason of discovering this human remains assemblage from KanGohar cave. Keywords: Kan Gohar Cave, Bavanat City, Human Remains, Bioarchaeology, Archaeology of Violence.IntroductionIn 2010, a large number of human remains, burnt wooden objects and old shoes and clothing with lots of ash all around the cave specially in the entrance, were discovered from KanGohar cave in Bavanat city in Fars Province. Since the bones were very well preserved, in addition to Fars Cultural Heritage Organization (CHO), Legal Medicine Organization (LMO) started to handle the studies on these bones, through collecting 47 skulls from the cave. The results of LMO studies revealed that most of the skulls belong to females and children, and they seemed that the skulls could not be assigned to the modern times and probably they are the victims of a firing. CHO studies by focus on cultural materials revealed that these are the mine workers who were killed by the collapse of the cave roof probably in the Safavid or Qajar periods. In addition to these hypothesis it was possible to assume that these human remains belong to people with dangerous infectious disease that are banished in this cave to save other people lives. Although there have been no a convincible answer, the case was closed. In 2015 through an archaeological survey project in Bavanat, and the director of this project stated that these are likely the victims of a war (Khanipour et al., 2015). After this project there was another chance to open this case for more investigation (Najafi 2018, Najafi et al., 2018). The aim of this article is to reveal the probable reason of discovering this human remains assemblage from KanGohar cave. In this research 2 methods are used, the first, is studying the historical sources and the second is studying the human remains with using standard protocols (Buikstra & Ubelaker 1994). This method is rely almost solely on observations aiming to age estimation, sex determination, identification of pathological conditions and taphonomic agents. DiscussionSince the discovered cultural materials in the cave belong to Islamic Period, the relevant historical sources of different Islamic periods were evaluated. The result of this comprehensive survey on written sources revealed that some of the AleMozaffar and Timurid sources would point to an event that has been occurred in 1343 AD. After the death of AbuSaeed Ilkhanid, there was political instability and people of a village in Bavanat were attacked by one of the Mongols son, so that all villagers were sheltered inside a cave to save their lives. But Mongol ruler found the shelter and ordered to set a huge fire in the entrance of the cave, thus all people were killed in the cave through the influence of smoke. This event is mentioned in six sources with the same story. (Hafiz. Abru 1996, 1938, Qazvini 1993, Yazdi 1947, Kotobi 1985, Samarghandi 1993, Mirkhand 2001). So, this and it is possible that theses human remains are the victims of this event.The results of bioarchaeological studies are related to age estimation, sex determination, identification of pathological conditions and taphonomic agents. The study of 40 skulls revealed 9 unidentifiable skulls, 15 females and 2 males. Age estimation showed 12 old individuals, 13 adults, 15 subadults (11 children and 4 adolescents). The pathological situations include pelagiocephaly in 16 skulls and it should be noted that this feature was observable in all ages, 5 old individuals, 6 children and 6 adults. 11 skulls were identified with porotic hyperostosis and 14 skulls with Cribra orbitalia. The last one is button Steoma in 6 skull. Taphonomic changes include smoky and burnt skulls with black and brown staining with post mortem breakage and crystalline spots. 3 antemortem trauma were identified that have been healed before death. No evidence of physical violence was observable on these skulls. ConclusionThe aim of this research is to find out why these human remains without usual burial practices are spread in this cave. The identified pathological items are not related to infectious disease and it is not acceptable that these individuals are abandoned in this cave, to die without hurting others. These human remains based on sex and age, don’t belong to mine workers, since almost all of them belong to old individuals, subadults and females that are not qualified to work in mine as mine workers. The reason of death isn’t roof collapse in the cave, since there is no evidences of premortem breakage on the skulls that cause death. Based on the available proofs in archaeological context of these remains, like a thick layer of ash, burnt wooden materials and in some of the skulls, scattering bones in all around the cave and smoky entrance of the cave, it is likely that a huge fire was set in the entrance and the smoke has been scattered in all around and covered most places and objects too. Moreover the sex and age gender combination lead us to not only an accidental event in the cave, but also an organized action. One of the reasons that causes old individuals, children and subadults climbed the mountain and gather all together in such a dark and dangerous place, is a more dangerous event that can cause them to death. Based on this combination, the most probable reason can be war. So the geographical location of the cave, the condition of the context and age and gender combination prepare some clues to compare and connect it with the event which happened in Bavanat. These are likely the ones who sheltered in the cave to save their lives so they were killed with no physical violence, and they were suffocated by the smoke and died.