5,000-year-old civilization found in southern Iran

Tehran, Jan 6 (ANI): Archaeologists working on Bam riverside in Kerman Province, Iran, have discovered ruins of a large ancient site that they believe belonged to a 5000-year-old civilization.

According to the Persian Mehr News Agency, team director Nader Alidadi-Soleimani said the site was discovered while excavation for a construction project in the Khajeh Askar region near the city of Bam was taking place.

"Unfortunately, part of the site was damaged during the excavation," Tehran Times quoted him as saying.

"Based on the artifacts unearthed there, the site was one of the early places of human habitation in Iran, whose inhabitants had a connection with other civilizations such as the Jiroft civilization," he explained.

The team has also discovered a number of pieces of intact pottery and shards. Study of the artifacts suggests that use of potter's wheel was not common at the site.

Alidadi-Soleimani also said that two styles of burial, one for a man and another for woman, have been identified at two cemeteries discovered at the site.

The bodies had been buried with various artifacts. A seashell containing chromatic material used for women's cosmetics was found beside one of the bodies. (ANI)