2019/11/26 by Fereidoun Biglari, Sonia Shidrang · 5 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Marine and environmental studies #Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies #Archaeology and Historical Studies
paper · doi:10.1086/706536
openalex publication_date 2019/11/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Construction of Darian Dam on the Sirwan River at Hawraman, Kurdistan between 2009 and 2015 provided an opportunity to investigate this little-known region of the Central Western Zagros. Salvage excavations carried out at a number of sites along the Sirwan River revealed evidence of human occupation spanning over more than fifty thousand years. During these investigations, about ninety sites and potential sites were recorded by the survey team, sixteen of them—including caves, rockshelters, graveyards, and villages located along the Sirwan, Gerdalan, and Zhawaro rivers—were tested or excavated. This research revealed evidence of human occupation from the Middle Paleolithic through to nomadic and herding seasonal sites of the late Islamic period. In particular, four caves and rockshelters contained Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic, and Epipaleolithic deposits and one small cave yielded Pleistocene/Holocene paleontological remains. The Darian Dam Archeological Salvage Project has shown that this remote and mountainous region has a rich archaeological potential that requires systematic and prolonged projects to explore and protect it from rapid development.