Excavation at Tepe Chalow: Some Evidence of “Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex” (BMAC) in the Plain of Jajarm, Northeastern Iran

First season of archaeological excavation at the pre- and proto-historic site of Tepe Chalow in Northern Khorasan Province, NE Iran, was carried out by a joint Irano-Italian expedition in the autumn of 2011. The joint team opened 9 trenches in the core zone plus 28 small test pits in the periphery of the site to evaluate the accumulation and extent of archaeological layers. Archaeological analysis of the material and data gathered through excavation show influence of different cultural areas including Damghan (Hissar I-II) and Gorgan plains (Shah Tepe III-II) to the south and north of Alborz Mountain, respectively, as well as piedmont zone of the northern Kopet Dagh in southern Turkmenistan (Namazga III, VI). One of the most important results of the first campaign was the discovery of a large mid-late Bronze Age necropolis with the material culture of Namazga VI, the so called‘ Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex’ (BMAC). A total of 6 graves with BMAC materials were excavated in the first season which yielded not only the luxury objects but also the ordinary, household objects and the pottery identical to the contemporary assemblages from Bactria and Margiana. The bio-archaeological studies conducted during the first season of excavation at Chalow show that agriculture and herding were important components of the economic activities of the site all through the occupational sequence.