www.tehrantimes.com Karim Alizadeh of Iran’s Archaeological Research Center said that a team of Iranian and Japanese archaeologists began a project to save artifacts and gather information from two Neolithic caves at the ancient site of Tang-e Bolaghi on July 17.
Located in Iran’s southern province of Fars, Tang-e Bolaghi and its very significant ancient sites will be flooded by the Sivand Dam, which is scheduled to come on stream in March 2006.
“We plan to gather the maximum amount of information from the caves before the dam becomes operational. Our country’s Neolithic sites have not been studied much, so the results of the research currently underway at the two caves will be very important,” said Alizadeh.
The Neolithic period pertains to the last phase of the Stone Age, marked by the domestication of animals, the development of agriculture, and the manufacturing of pottery and textiles. It is commonly thought to have begun circa 9000–8000 BC in the Middle East.
The team is comprised of eight Japanese experts from the University of Tsukuba and six Iranian archaeologists, who will be working in the caves for one month.
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