Evidence of the Presence of the Hassuna Culture in the West of Central Zagros (Tepe Nazargah, Sarpol-e-Zahab County)

Subject Areas : Prehistoric Archaeology

Naser Aminikhah ¹ , Farhad Fatahi ²

1 - Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 - MA in archaeology, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

Received: 2022-08-01 Accepted : 2022-09-11 Published : 2022-09-22

Keywords: Central Zagros, Sarpol Zahab, Neolithic, Hassuna,

Abstract :

The Hassuna culture (ca. 6000-5300 BC) belonging to the late Neolithic Age, is considered one of the first cultures of the Village period in Zagros. The Hassuna culture evidence has been found in Northwest Iran and recently in the east of Zagros, which shows the spread of this culture. However, no evidence of Hassuna has been found in Central Zagros, especially in its western regions. In the fall of 2021, a rescue archaeological survey was conducted in the Havasan dam area located in Sarpol-e Zahab County, Kermanshah Province. This research is mainly aimed at investigating the possible cultural interactions of the region with neighboring regions, especially Mesopotamia. The finding of pieces of peeling tray pottery, one of the cultural characteristics of Hassuna, on Tepe Nazargah indicates the cultural connections between Iran's Zagros and northern Mesopotamia in this period.  In this article, in addition to introducing the material culture of Tepe Nazargah, we have also discussed the reasons for the importance of the study area.

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