Human remains from Estark, Iran, 2017

Abstract

During second season of excavations at Estark (34◦01′24′′N, 51◦13′51′′E) in September and October, 2017, three parts of the cemetery were investigated: an extension of the 2016 operation (cf. Sołtysiak et al. 2016; Hosseinzadeh et al. 2017), labelled as trench B (Figure 1), a new operation in the eastern part of the cemetery (trench C, Figure 1), and a few small test trenches in the south with no evidence of burials. All burials were dated based on pottery comparison to the Iron Age II and perhaps to the very beginning of the Iron Age III. In addition to excavation, a survey in the Rahaq valley was carried out, revealing more Iron Age cemeteries around the village of Estark and Joshaqan.