Recent archaeological studies of the ancient Siyalk (Sialk) Tepe indicate that the first houses were built at the site about 7,500 years ago, the Persian service of CHN reported on Friday.
Siyalk Tepe was the first ancient tepe in Iran which was excavated by archaeologists. It was first excavated by late French archaeologist Roman Grishman in 1933. During his excavations, Grishman unearthed a giant structure which he called the brick structure of Siyalk.
Sadeq Malek Shahmirzadi, the head of the excavation team, said that the northern hill of Siyalk was studied during the last season of excavations.
Shahmirzadi said that the excavation of the southern part of the hill and other recent studies show that many ethnic groups lived in Siyalk over the course of history.
The current stage of studies of the ancient tepe is complete, but a new stage of excavations will be started if the Archeological Research Center approves the project, he explained.
Previous excavation seasons in Siyalk Tepe led to new discoveries about this pre-historic site. A massive earthen ziggurat, some large clay jars, the skeletons of a man and a girl who were most probably buried under debris due to an earthquake, and hundreds of other historical artifacts were unearthed during the excavations.
Siyalk Tepe is located in the city of Kâshân in central Iran, surrounded by many residential houses. The Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) has proposed a project to improve the Siyalk area.
