A preliminary report on two seasons of excavations at Kul Tarike cemetery, Kurdestan, Iran

Abstract

Kul Tarike lies in a rolling hilly landscape of northern kurdestan, in the Zagros Mountains. In 2001 and 2003 the site was sounded by archaeologists of the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research. During the two seasons 10 graves were uncovered, three of them having been plundered previously. The tomb pits have been cut through the loose bedrock, and were capped by large slabs. In each grave there were usually one or two burials with various funerary gifts, included ceramic vessels, silver, iron and bronze objects, beads, and so on. Preliminary observations on the Kul Tarike assemblage, especially ceramics, suggest a Mannean date for the cemetery.