Archaeological Excavations at Moneh Cave (Landeh County, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province)

Due to suitable environmental conditions, some caves have been the center of human settlement and human activities for a long time, and therefore, the sedimentary layers of the bottom of the caves and their rocky walls always contain valuable evidence of the evolution of human societies. Moneh Cave is one of the ancient places of Landeh County in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, which has been the focus of past humans due to its special conditions. The emergence of disputes and conflicts among the residents of the region due to their unauthorized excavations in this cave provided the ground for its archaeological excavations. The archaeological research conducted on the cave led to the identification of three halls and a communication corridor between the halls. In addition, the exploration of two boreholes in this cave brought the time of its use to the Late Chalcolithic Age until the late centuries of the Islamic era. During this period, the cave was temporarily used by the herdsmen of the region. The investigation of the surroundings of the cave also led to the identification of the remains of the stone walls of Setregi, 200 meters west and northwest of the cave. Thermoluminescence dating of the pottery of this cave indicates that they belong to the Abbasid period.