Cultural Development in the Chalcolithic Age in the East of Central Zagros: A Case Study of Tape Qeshlagh

Situated in the Talvar valley of the Bijar County, Tepe Qeshlagh is an archaeological site with a sequence spanning the Chalcolithic through to the Bronze Age. Two seasons of salvage excavations have covered the site as it will be submerged as part of the intended lake of the Talvar Dam. Results from the excavations show evidence of long-lasting Chalcolithic (Dalma) settlements at the site. Dalma represents a major culture of the early-mid-Chalcolithic period, and its presence has thus far been documented over large parts of northwest and west Iran. In this period several socio-economic changes and environmentally provoked cultural adaptations have led to a diversity and distinction in certain cultural aspects. The preliminary results from the excavations at the site reveal strong parallels with the Hajji Firuz-Dalma cultures of the Lake Urmia Basin alongside inspirations from the Hassuna culture of northern Mesopotamia in the form of a pottery of Dalma type. The excavated material indicates external connections.