Sialk, Tepe

Important tell site near Kashan on the plateau of Iran with a six major phases from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. They are: I, dating to the 6th-5th millennia BC, a simple village of recently settled farmers who used pottery painted with basketry designs and copper only in the form of hammered ornaments; II, a village of mudbrick architecture with very fine pottery elaborately painted with stylized animals; III, pottery made by wheel and kiln and more use of copper; IV, around 3000 BC, the site fell under the influence of Susa and Mesopotamia, the painted ware replaced by monochrome gray or red, much jewelry, and the introduction of proto-Elamite writing. This phase was followed by a break in occupation and the resettlement - represented in cemetery A - is often attributed to intruders from the northeast, who are thought to have been responsible for the introduction of Indo-European languages to this area. The final occupation of Tepe Sialk, represented in cemetery B and dated to the late 2nd-early 1 millennium BC, saw the first use of iron. Around 9th-8th century BC, the site was destroyed and abandoned.

Tell site near Kashan on the Iranian plateau, occupied from the 6th to the 1st millennium bc. The earliest settlement was built of pisé, though no house plans were recovered; painted pottery was in use and some ornaments of hammered copper occurred. In Period II, after c5000 bc, mudbrick architecture appeared, as did fine painted pottery, decorated with stylized animals in dark paint on a light ground. Period III saw the introduction of the potter’s wheel, cast copper tools and weapons, and stamp seals. Period IV (late 4th millennium bc) showed strong influence from Susa, with the introduction of Proto-Elamite writing, accompanied by an increase in wealth. This phase was followed by a break in occupation and the resettlement — represented in cemetery A — is often attributed to intruders from the northeast, who are thought to have been responsible for the introduction of IndoEuropean languages to this area. The latest occupation of Tepe Sialk, represented in cemetery B and dated to the late 2nd or early 1st millennium bc, saw the first use of iron.