Civilization of Jiroft

The civilization of Jiroft is an old civilization having had for center the area of the valley of Halil Rud, around the current city of Jiroft, currently in the province of the Kerman, in Iran of the south.

The fact that this discovery is very recent makes difficult its interpretation, but it can in the future change our vision of the old story of this part of the world.

Discovered and excavations

In 2001-2002, indeed, clandestine excavations carried out by the inhabitants along banks of Halil Roud made it possible to put at the day an important material, mainly funerary, dated from the OJ: vases, human or animal statuettes in Chlorite, heads of men or animals in Marble, bronze statuettes and figurines, potteries, objects in Lapis lazuli, etc

The authorities having put an end to plundering in 2002, of the regular excavations could be carried out on the principal site of the area, Konar Sandal, by a helped Iranian archaeological team specialists coming from other countries, directed by Youssef Madjizadeh.

Principal sites

The principal site of the area of Jiroft is Konar Sandal, a site of a very important size, whose excavations are very promising. Other sites of this civilization had been excavated before, most important being Tepe Yahya, always in the province of Kerman.

Material characteristics

Objects out of chlorite

The civilization of Jiroft is the production center of objects out of chlorite, above all the vases. Those are found for the end of thousand-year-old IVè in a great number of sites on the Iranian plate, and around the Persian Gulf until in the Arabic Péninsule. Tepe Yahya had already appeared like a center of manufacture of these objects, and the recent discoveries confirmed that, in particular the tombs delivered to the plunderers in which a considerable quantity of chlorite artefacts were updated.

The found vases have very different forms: bowls, cuts, long or more collected. Objects out of chlorite which have a form being connected with handbags are an originality of the archaeological material of Jiroft.

The reasons represented on these vases are very varied. The aspect naturalist is often marked, by trees and other plants which one finds on many vases, just as of the animals, ibexes, birds or scorpions. Mythological characters are often represented, in particular of the man-scorpions, which one finds later in Mésopotamie, or of the beings equipped with horns. According to certain interpretations, vases would represent an old version of the myth mésopotamien of Etana, which would be in this case originating in this area.

Glyptique

Sceaux-cylindres were found on the site of Konar Sandal, testifying by there to the existence to a developed administration. They were not the subject of a publication yet. It seems that they present reasons similar to those of the objects out of chlorite, there too of a large variety and a great originality compared to what one finds elsewhere on the Iranian plate.

Structure

Various buildings were released in Tepe Yahya and Konar Sandal. They present sometimes a rather complex plan. The most impressive monument of this civilization which was put at the day is the large terrace of the Tel. B of Konar Sandal.

Implications of this discovery

Interpretations go good progress since the discovery of this site. Its digger (who wants to see there the city of Aratta) considers that it is about a site of major importance, which revolutionizes our knowledge of the origins of civilization. Others, more measured, consider that it is just about one of the cultures which open out then on the Iranian Plate among others, maintaining the bonds with its neighbors, in particular the Civilization proto-élamite. The recent discovery of a shelf considered by its discoverers as being written in élamite linear with Konar Sandal could nevertheless indicate that this civilization would have bonds with that of the Élam. It remains nevertheless to be established how it is located compared to the close Civilization proto-élamite (two different units or only one?).

The civilization of Jiroft was integrated perfectly in the exchanges inter-Iranian, helped well by his central position. Towards the west a road carried out towards the future Élam, and further in Mésopotamie. To the east, another road led to the Baluchistan and the valley of Indus in the east. Towards the North-East, one joined the road of the lapis lazuli which crosses the Sistan (Shahr-i Sokhteh), the Hindu-Kush (Mundigak) then Bactriane (Shortughaï). Without forgetting in the south the proximity of the coasts of the Persian Gulf. The inhabitants of the area thus will easily be able to export their productions. The objects in cornaline know a very broad diffusion, since one finds some in all Iran, in Turkménie, in the valley of the Indus, in Eastern Iran, Mésopotamie, and even on the southern part of the Persian Gulf, in Arabia (Tarut) and in Oman (Such Abraq).

Archeological sites

Random links: