Chogha Bonut Explained
Chogha Bonut (Persian Choghā bonut) is an archaeological site in south-western Iran, located in the Khuzistan Province.
The site is about 20 km southeast of Dezful, and 5 km west of Chogha Mish, another ancient site.
It is believed that the site was settled as early as 7200 BCE, making it the oldest lowland village in south-western Iran.[1]
This settlement on the Susiana Plain played a big role in the early Elam civilization. Later, this area became dominated by Susa. The site is important because it preserves a record of preceramic period settlement in Iran.
Archaeology
The site has an area about 50 meters in diameter and about 5 meters in height.[2] It was accidentally discovered in 1976 when the mound was being leveled for agribusiness development. Helene Kantor, then working at Chogha Mish nearby, hurried to the site and received a permit to investigate it.[3]
Kantor remained for two seasons (1976/77 and 1977/78), but was unable to return in 1979 due to the Iranian Revolution.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Abbas Alizadeh continued investigations at the site in 1996.[4] His findings were published in 2003.[1] It is one of the few Neolithic sites excavated since the Iranian revolution.[9]
Among the finds were 41 clay tokens.[10]
Settlement
Five phases of occupation are documented at the site:
- the Aceramic phase,
- the Formative Ceramic phase, (Film Painted Ware)[11]
- the Archaic Susiana 0 phase (includes the Early Susiana period, ca. 5900 BCE),
- the Late Middle Susiana phase (ca. 5200 BCE)
- the Late Susiana 2 phase. (ca. 4400-4000 BCE)[12]
See also
References
32.222°N 48.505°W
Notes and References
- Book: Alizadeh, Abbas. Excavations at the prehistoric mound of Chogha Bonut, Khuzestan, Iran : seasons 1976/77, 1977/78, and 1996, Oriental Institute Publications 120. 2003. Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in association with the Iranian Cultural Heritage Organization. 1-885923-23-6. Chicago, Ill.. 53122624.
- Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh, and St. John Simpson. “Archaeological News from Iran: Second Report.” Iran, vol. 36, 1998, pp. 185–94
- Alden. John R.. 2005. Review of Excavations at the Prehistoric Mound of Chogha Bonut, Khuzestan, Iran: Seasons of 1976/77, 1977/78, and 1996. Journal of the American Oriental Society. 125. 1. 109–111. 20064295 . 0003-0279.
- https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/nn153.pdf
- https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/71-80/76-77/76-77_Chogamish.pdf
- https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/71-80/77-78/77-78_Chogamish.pdf
- https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/71-80/78-79/78-79_Chogamish.pdf
- https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/ar/71-80/79-80/79-80_Chogamish.pdf
- Hole, Frank. Neolithic Age in Iran
- Overmann, Karenleigh A.. "CHAPTER 9. THE NEOLITHIC CLAY TOKENS". The Material Origin of Numbers: Insights from the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Piscataway, NJ, USA: Gorgias Press, 2019, pp. 157-178
- BERNBECK, Reinhard. “MIGRATORY PATTERNS IN EARLY NOMADISM: A RECONSIDERATION OF TEPE TULA’I.” Paléorient, vol. 18, no. 1, 1992, pp. 77–88
- Abbas Alizadeh, "Excavations at Chogha Bonut, an Aceramic Neolithic Site in Lowland Susiana, Southwestern Iran", Neo-Lithics: A Newsletter of Southwest Asian Lithics Research, 1997