Teppe Zagheh
# Teppe Zagheh

Teppe Zagheh (Persian: تپه زاغه) is an early urban settlement located near Qazvin, Iran. In Persian, Tappeh means "tell, mound". It was first excavated by a team from the University of Tehran under the direction of Ezzat Negahban in the early 1970s

## Important finds

- Discovery of a shrine with interior decoration.

- 23 graves of adults and infants with local and imported goods.

- Administrative artifacts such as tokens.

- Residential dwellings.

It is suggested that the Painted Building was a special place for women to give birth

## Chronology

After the re-excavation of Zagheh in 2001, new radiocarbon dates were obtained. The radiocarbon estimations for the occupation of Zagheh between 5370–5070 BC and 4460–4240 BC. They indicate that the site was settled c. 5370–5070 BC and abandoned c. 4460–4240 BC. Thus, it may belong to Transitional Chalcolithic.

There were also many small clay 'tokens', used as counting objects, that were found at Zagheh; these are variously-shaped, and are similar to such tokens at other Neolithic sites. These Zagheh tokens are dated typologically to 6500–5500 BC. Thus, there were probably two periods of occupation.

Zagheh archaic painted ware (ca. 6000-5500 BC) was found in Tepe Sialk I, sub-levels 1-2. This is the early painted ware, that was first excavated at Teppe Zagheh.

Clay figurines found in Mehrgarh (Pakistan), an important precursor to the Indus Valley civilization, resemble those discovered at Teppe Zagheh, and at Jeitun in Turkmenistan (6th millennium BCE). The faunal remains from the site were studied by Marjan Mashkour who identified Sheep, goats, wild goats, cattle, Gazelles, boars, dogs, and foxes.

## Relative chronology

vteChronology of the Neolithic period :

Pre-Pottery Neolithic   Pottery Neolithic :

BC

Europe

Egypt

Syria Levant

Anatolia

Khabur

Sinjar Mountains Assyria

Middle Tigris

Low Mesopotamia

Iran (Khuzistan)

Iran

Indus/ India

China

11000

Early Pottery (18,000 BC)

10000

Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Gesher Mureybet (10,500 BC)

9000

Jericho Tell Abu Hureyra

8000

Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Jericho Tell Aswad

Göbekli Tepe Çayönü Aşıklı Höyük

Initial Neolithic (Pottery) Nanzhuangtou (8500–8000 BC)

7000

Egyptian Neolithic Nabta Playa (7500 BC)

Çatalhöyük (7500–5500) Hacilar (7000 BC)

Tell Sabi Abyad Bouqras

Jarmo

Ganj Dareh Chia Jani Ali Kosh

Mehrgarh I

6500

Neolithic Europe Franchthi Sesklo

Pre-Pottery Neolithic C ('Ain Ghazal)

Pottery Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad Bouqras

Pottery Neolithic Jarmo

Chogha Bonut

Teppe Zagheh

Pottery Neolithic Peiligang (7000–5000 BC)

6000

Pottery Neolithic Sesklo Dimini

Pottery Neolithic Yarmukian (Sha'ar HaGolan)

Pottery Neolithic Ubaid 0 (Tell el-'Oueili)

Pottery Neolithic Chogha Mish

Pottery Neolithic Sang-i Chakmak

Pottery Neolithic Lahuradewa Mehrgarh II Mehrgarh III

5600

Faiyum A

Amuq A

Halaf Halaf-Ubaid

Umm Dabaghiya

Samarra (6000–4800 BC)

Tepe Muhammad Djafar

Tepe Sialk

5200

Linear Pottery culture (5500–4500 BC)

Amuq B

Hacilar Mersin 24–22  

Hassuna

Ubaid 1 (Eridu 19–15) Ubaid 2 (Hadji Muhammed) (Eridu 14–12)

Susiana A

Yarim Tepe Hajji Firuz Tepe

4800

Pottery Neolithic Merimde

Amuq C

Hacilar Mersin 22–20

Hassuna Late Gawra 20

Tepe Sabz

Kul Tepe Jolfa

4500

Amuq D

Gian Hasan Mersin 19–17

Ubaid 3

Ubaid 3 (Gawra) 19–18

Ubaid 3

Khazineh Susiana B

3800

Badarian Naqada

Ubaid 4

Succeeded by: Historical Ancient Near East :

