Komishan Cave: A Mesolithic and Later Settlement on the Southeastern Shore of the Caspian Sea, Iran (original) (raw)
Related papers
2016
Komishan Cave in the southeast of the Caspian Sea was selected for a small excavation in 2009 to address questions concerning the Mesolithic industries of the region. Two AMS dates present an age between 10,628 cal. BC and 11,771 cal. BC for the Mesolithic deposits. The chipped stone assemblage is characterised by large concentration of blade/lets, notches/denticulates, scrapers of all forms, especially end scrapers, borers, and backed pieces. This chipped stone assemblage is obviously most similar to those of Kamarband, Hotu and Alitepe regarding their locations, which are in the same climatic, geological and ecological conditions. The Mesolithic chipped stone industry of the southeast of the Caspian Sea has been previously attributed to Trialetian lithic industry. In this article the differences in raw material access, technological organization and the subsistence between these sites are discussed; as a conclusion based on Human Ecology the Mesolithic of the east-southeast of the Caspian Sea should be separated from Trialetian Industry and presented as " Caspian Mesolithic. " Résumé : La grotte de Komishan, au sud-est de la mer Caspienne, a fait l'objet d'une petite fouille en 2009 afin de répondre aux questionnements portant sur les industries mésolithiques de la région. Deux datations AMS pour les dépôts mésolithiques donnent des âges compris entre 10.628 et 11.771 cal. BC. L'assemblage lithique est caractérisé par une grande concentration de lames/lamelles, d'encoches/denticulés, de grattoirs de toutes formes, en particulier de grattoirs distaux, de perçoirs et de pièces à dos. L'assemblage lithique de Komishan est évidemment très semblable à ceux de Kamarband, Hotu et Alitepe, étant donné leur localisation dans des conditions climatiques, géologiques et écologiques communes. L'industrie lithique mésolithique du sud-est de la mer Caspienne a été précédemment attribuée au Trialétien. Dans cet article, les différences entre ces sites concernant l'accès aux matières premières, l'organisation technologique et la subsistance sont discutées et, sur la base de l'écologie humaine, amènent à la conclusion que le Mésolithique de l'est et du sud-est de la mer Caspienne doit être exclu de l'industrie trialétienne et désigné comme " Mésolithique caspien " .
The faunal remains of Komishan. an epipaleolithic settlement in Northern Iran
The recent study of the faunal remains from the Komishan cave in Southeast of the Caspian Sea provided new insight to the final Pleistocene fauna of the region that could be compared to the previously known late Pleistocene faunal assemblages from Belt, Hotu and Ali Tappeh caves. This paper provides a comparative analysis of these remains as a sketch for the definition of faunal exploitation by the Epiplaeolithic populations of this region. The first plausible radiocarbon date indicates an occupation during the 12 millennium B.C. The fauna of Komishan Cave bears many similarities with the other adjacent sites, with the exploitation of gazelles, birds, and marine resources. A common Epiplaelolithic "faciés culturel" can therefore be outlined in the southeast of the Caspian.
The recent study of the faunal remains from the Komishan cave in Southeast of the Caspian Sea provided new insight to the final Pleistocene fauna of the region that could be compared to the previously known late Pleistocene faunal assemblages from Belt, Hotu and Ali Tappeh caves. This paper provides a comparative analysis of these remains as a sketch for the definition of faunal exploitation by the Epiplaeolithic populations of this region. The first plausible radiocarbon date indicates an occupation during the 12 millennium B.C. The fauna of Komishan Cave bears many similarities with the other adjacent sites, with the exploitation of gazelles, birds, and marine resources. A common Epiplaelolithic "faciés culturel" can therefore be outlined in the southeast of the Caspian.
Proto-Neolithic Caves in the Bolaghi Valley, South Iran
Iran, 2007
The Eastern Zagros region has not previously been considered in the study ofNeolithisation in the Near East. Our recent research, which was carried out as one of the salvage projects in the Bolaghi valley, Fars, sheds new light in this area. Two cave sites were excavated and both sites produced a considerable amount of lithic artefacts. They show a coherent assemblage which appears to date to some point within the "Proto-Neolithic" framework of the Zagros region. Though the subsistence remains have not yet been fully studied, our evidence may bridge the hiatus between the end of the Epi-Paleolithic and the beginning of the Pottery Neolithic in the Eastern Zagros.
Faunal remains from the Epipaleolithic site of Komishan Cave And its dating, preliminary results
The recent study of the faunal remains from the Komishan cave in Southeast of the Caspian Sea provided new insight to the final Pleistocene fauna of the region that could be compared to the previously known late Pleistocene faunal assemblages from Belt, Hotu and Ali Tappeh caves. This paper provides a comparative analysis of these remains as a sketch for the definition of faunal exploitation by the Epiplaeolithic populations of this region. The first plausible radiocarbon date indicates an occupation during the 12 millennium B.C. The fauna of Komishan Cave bears many similarities with the other adjacent sites, with the exploitation of gazelles, birds, and marine resources. A common Epiplaelolithic "faciés culturel" can therefore be outlined in the southeast of the Caspian.
Archaeological Research in Asia, 2019
An increasing number of field investigations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have revealed that the Neolithic socio-economy in the Southern Caucasus had emerged by the early 8th millennium cal BP. Although this probably occurred during the expansion of the Southwest Asian Neolithic, the local hunter-gatherer societies might also have contributed to the establishment of the Caucasian Neolithic cultures. However, the absence of well-dated Mesolithic sites immediately preceding the earliest Neolithic has prevented this process from being discussed in detail. This paper reports the discovery of such evidence from the 2016-2017 excavations at the Damjili Cave in West Azerbaijan. Dated from the Mesolithic of the final 9th millennium cal BP, this discovery offers the first opportunity to compare a late Mesolithic cultural assemblage with the early 6th millennium Neolithic one to investigate the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in the Southern Caucasus. The new evidence highlights the need to understand the complex nature of Neolithization in the Southern Caucasus, apparently involving both continuity and replacement between the local Mesolithic and the incoming Neolithic socioeconomies.
Years of investigation, of varying degrees, have been undertaken into the semi-sedentary communities in the Near East and especially central Zagros, encompassing ethnology, anthropology and ethno-archaeology. All this research provides useful information regarding the cultural structure of the semi-sedentary communities of central Zagros. However, due to the difficulties in identifying the sites related to this type of livelihood, reconstructing such cultural structures is problematic; thus special strategies are required in archaeological excavation and surveys. Meanwhile, caves and rock shelters preserve some evidence of ancient settlements and can enhance our knowledge about their livelihood patterns and cultural structures. Identifying these settlements is evidently easier than finding settlements in open spaces as they incurred less damage than open sites. Botkhane cave is one of this group of settlements, which reflects various aspects of the semi-sedentary communities' cultural structure in central Zagros. This cave is located 21 kilometres southeast of Kuhdasht city and one kilometre east of Damchehr Qaralivand village in the west of Luristan province. Evidence of settlements from the fourth millennium bc into the historic period have been revealed in this cave during a threat mitigation plan in 2008. Numerous bone remains of humans, goats, horses, rabbits etc. have also been observed. Although the cultural materials in this cave have been displaced, making the stratigraphy process impossible, due to the importance of the discoveries and the strategic location of the cave, all the finds have been collected and documented. The present study aims to introduce the cave's cultural materials and the remains' relative chronology, along with an analytical overview of the cave's function, based on the existing evidence, from the second half of the fourth millennium bc to the end of the Bronze Age.
Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies, 2024
The Mesolithic and Neolithic periods mark pivotal junctures in the evolving relationship between humans and the environment. During these epochs, millennia-old hunter-gatherer lifestyles underwent a profound transformation, giving rise to new modes of existence. A cornerstone of this shift was the development of strategies to harness and optimize the diverse resources offered by the natural world. The Neolithic period, in particular, is often considered the dawn of the Anthropocene, as human activities began to exert a substantial and often irreversible impact on ecosystems. To explore the dynamics of this transformation in the southeastern Caspian Sea region, this article examines archaeological evidence from the Hotu, Kamarband, Komishan caves, and Komishani Tepe. Through the analysis of archaeobotanical, zooarchaeological, and lithic artifacts, we seek to reconstruct the multifaceted changes experienced by communities as they transitioned from hunting and gathering to agriculture. Our findings reveal a period of remarkable adaptability. Humans intelligently modified their environments to meet their needs and employed diverse strategies to mitigate the challenges posed by climatic fluctuations, such as cold and warm. These adaptations underscore the ingenuity and resilience of early human societies as they navigated the complexities of their changing world.