A Recent Archaeological Project in the Iranian Kurdistan

the QaNaTES Project, a collaborative program initiated in 2017. The project aims to conduct fieldwork at Tepe Qaleh Naneh, an archaeological site located in the Marivan area in northern central Zagros, Iran. The excavations have provided valuable insights into the occupational deposits at the site, revealing burials, wall structures, and various materials such as pottery and lithics. These deposits span from the Chalcolithic to Islamic periods, with a particular focus on the Late Chalcolithic period, which appears to be the most significant occupation phase. Laboratory analyses have been conducted on organic samples, including charcoals and bones, as well as on items such as obsidian objects. These analyses have enabled the study of adaptation models and developmental patterns in a region, the northern central Zagros, which remains relatively understudied. The ecosystem of Tepeh Qaleh Naneh and Marivan plain, between the Middle Chalcolithic period to Bronze age, consists of extensive vegetation of oak forest-steppe And the amount of precipitation, at least in the Late Chalcolithic period, was not less than 600 mm. the material culture discovered at Tepe Qaleh Naneh indicates an increase in social complexity, as evidenced by the presence of stone mace-heads (ceremonial tools), specialized productions such as painted pottery, and evidence of long-distance contacts. Interestingly, the site appears to have stronger connections with Mesopotamia than with western Iran. The identification of Uruk pottery, including beveled-rim bowls, suggests commercial and cultural relations between the society in the Marivan region and northern Mesopotamia during the late Chalcolithic period. These findings shed light on the gradual differentiation of society during the Chalcolithic period, a critical period that witnessed the emergence of the first porto-urban communities in southern Mesopotamia. Even if the Zagros communities followed a similar trend during the Chalcolithic period, they also developed local traditions as response to interregional contacts.