Huto and Kamarband Caves
Encyclopedia
Huto and Kamarband Caves or Belt Caves are prehistoric, archaeological sites in Iran
. They are located 100 meters apart, in a cliff on the slopes of the Alborz
mountains in the village of Tarujen (currently called Shahid Abad), 5 km. south west of Behshahr
.
Excavations took place led by C. S. Coon and were reported on between 1949-1957.
Huto Cave is approximately 30 m. x 20 m. The site produced pottery shards, stone tools and samples for radio-carbon dating. Twenty-two samples were dated from Huto Cave and grouped into eight different cultures. The 2 earliest cultures, dating to c. 9910 B.C. - 7,240 B.C. were thought to be seal hunters and vole eaters. The bones of a dog have been cited as an example of exceptionally early animal domestication.
Sub-Neolithic finds date to c. 6120 B.C.
Kamarband cave is notable for three human skeletons discovered there, dating to approximately 75,000 years B.C. Other finds included flint blades, walrus and deer bones, giving valuable information about human development from the ice age
in the Mazandaran area.
In June 2005, Archaeologist Ali Mahforuzi reported discovering stone tools nearby in the valley of Shuresh near the Rostam Kola. These were dated by Professor Marcel Otte of the University of Liege
, Belgium
who suggested they were 400,000 year old.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. They are located 100 meters apart, in a cliff on the slopes of the Alborz
Alborz
Alborz , also written as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran stretching from the borders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the northwest to the southern end of the Caspian Sea, and ending in the east at the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan...
mountains in the village of Tarujen (currently called Shahid Abad), 5 km. south west of Behshahr
Behshahr
Behshahr is a city in and the capital of Behshahr County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 83,537, in 22,034 families.It is approximately forty kilometers from Sari. The name Behshahr literally means The Best city...
.
Excavations took place led by C. S. Coon and were reported on between 1949-1957.
Huto Cave is approximately 30 m. x 20 m. The site produced pottery shards, stone tools and samples for radio-carbon dating. Twenty-two samples were dated from Huto Cave and grouped into eight different cultures. The 2 earliest cultures, dating to c. 9910 B.C. - 7,240 B.C. were thought to be seal hunters and vole eaters. The bones of a dog have been cited as an example of exceptionally early animal domestication.
Sub-Neolithic finds date to c. 6120 B.C.
Kamarband cave is notable for three human skeletons discovered there, dating to approximately 75,000 years B.C. Other finds included flint blades, walrus and deer bones, giving valuable information about human development from the ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
in the Mazandaran area.
In June 2005, Archaeologist Ali Mahforuzi reported discovering stone tools nearby in the valley of Shuresh near the Rostam Kola. These were dated by Professor Marcel Otte of the University of Liege
Liege
Liège is a municipality and a city of Belgium. The term Liège or Liege may also refer to:* Liege, a party to the oath of allegiance in feudalism .* Liège Island, in the Antarctic...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
who suggested they were 400,000 year old.
Literature
- C. S. Coon, Cave Explorations in Iran 1949, Museum Monographs, The University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1951.
- C. S. Coon, Excavations in Huto Cave, Iran, 1951: A Preliminary Report, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society 96, 1952, pp. 231–69.
- C. S. Coon, The Seven Caves: Archaeological Explorations in the Middle East, New York, 1957.