5000-yr-old pottery kiln identified in Iran's Burnt City

Tehran, March 2 (ANI): Archaeologists have identified a 5000-years-old pottery kiln near the ancient Burnt City of in Shahr-e Sukhteh in Sistan-va-Baluchestan Province in Iran.

"Current evidences verify that this pottery kiln is the same type as the kiln discovered by Maurizio Tosi at Rud-Biyaban Tappeh II", said Mehdi Mortazavi, director of Archaeological Survey and Stratigraphical Research team in the Burnt City.

Mortazavi, who is a member of Scientific Group of the Sistan-va-Baluchestan University, believes Teppeh-Dasht was one of the most important satellite areas of the Burnt City.

With regard to archaeogeography of the site, Mortazvi said that "due to the discovery of numerous pottery kilns in the site, it appears that the site was very important industrial centre for Burnt City and had played a major role in production of pottery."

He asserted that the abundance of bole-soil, water and wood as a fuel for making pottery were the main factors behind the formation of pottery workshops in the area.

"Evidences indicate that there was a lake in the area during the Moronze Age," said Mortazavi.

Some soil samples from the area which can be found within 3 kilometers radius of the site were sent to Esfahan and Sistan-va-Baluchestan Universities for further analyses.

With regard to previous archaeological research in the area, Mortazavi said, "This site was initially discovered and excavated by Maurizio Tosi. He named the site based on the local and vernacular information." (ANI)