Human remains from Estark, Iran, 2016

Abstract

Located on a terrace near the modern village, Estark (34◦01′24′′N 51◦13′51′′E) is one of a few identified Iron Age cemeteries around a cluster of artesian oases located at the foot of the Zagros Mountains, c. 10km west of the city of Kashan. It covers less than one hectare, and some parts (especially in the south-eastern part) have been recently heavily looted and destroyed by bulldozing. In the autumn of 2016, a small-scale rescue operation was carried out at the site, with two aims: to collect artifacts and bones from the surface and from the looting dumps, and to excavate a 5×5m trench near the northern limit of the site. All pottery, a few bronze objects and one cylindrical seal retrieved from the surface were consistent in chronology, suggesting that the cemetery was used for a relatively short period during the Iron Age II (c. 1000–800 BCE in regional chronology, according to Ghirshman 1938, 1939). As all human remains found at Estark were heavily fragmented and affected by various taphonomical agents, the applied protocol included basic identification of every fragment, any possible measurements and observations of bone morphology, as well as description of any taphonomic alternations (following the methods referred to in Sołtysiak 2010).