Newly Drawn Lithographic Maps of Kurdistan

Petroglyph is one of the arts whose sculpture has continued from the Paleolithic period to the present day. This art is found in almost all parts of the world. So far, a large number of rock motifs have been identified and introduced, a large part of which is located in the Central Zagros, especially in western Iran (Kurdistan Province). In this study, during archeological studies in 2020, newly discovered lithographs of Zarrineh in mountainous areas at a distance of 1.5 km west of Zarrineh village were examined. The research method in this article is fieldwork along with a historical-comparative-analytical approach. In the field section, the site in Kurdistan province has been studied. In the historical section, books, articles, and reports related to the subject are examined. The main research questions include: What designs do Zarrineh drawings contain? What are the themes of the golden motifs? What areas are Zarrineh lithographs comparable to? What is the relative chronology of the area? Zarrineh lithographic motifs include motifs in the form of collections of images of animals (horse, goat, leopard, camel), geometric (cross, wheel), tools (bow and arrow, bow, cane), and human figures. The paintings are stylized and volumetric and have been created on igneous rocks. The figures narrate scenes that are directly related to the thoughts and ideas of past peoples. Even in recent years, these motifs have shown the continuation of a long tradition. The motifs can be traced back to the Iron Age or later. The lithographs can be compared and analyzed in terms of style, technique, and variety of similarities with the regions within the Iranian plateau, especially Azerbaijan (Songun Arasbaran) and Lorestan (Bauki Azna). The study of these works in western Iran is important because these works are located in a region that has always been considered as a strategic passage between different ethnic groups from prehistoric times to Islamic periods.