Village Life and the Cultural Transformations of the Eastern Central Zagros Societies: Archaeological Excavation at Tappeh Qela-Gap

The higher mountainous region of the Central Zagros is regarded as one of the important regions for the early human settlements. Although archaeological studies have been initiated from the early 20s but there has been little precise information on the absolute chronology and also transitional processes of cultural sequences especially on the eastern parts of the region including eastern Luristan. Archaeological excavation of Tappeh Qela-Gap carried out in 2009 in the Azna district. The previous study including four seasons of surveying identified 280 archaeological sites; one of which is Tappeh Qela-Gap is selected for excavation because of its different cultural sequences. The main aim of the excavation project firstly was to evaluate the regional chronology of the region as a whole and then to see the local variations of the site to establish a chronological framework for Azna plain. Two small soundings and also a wide trench dug out on the site provided some evidences corresponding to the early village life، pastoralism and cultural transformations of the region during the late Neolithic through the late Islamic phases.