New Research on the Palaeolithic Occupation of Ghar-e Boof, Fars Province

Building on the successes of the 2006 and 2007 field seasons of excavations at Ghar-e Boof, the goals of the 2015 TISARP excavation at the site were to achieve higher resolution in the cultural stratigraphic sequence and to gain more robust observations in both synchronic and diachronic perspectives. While the results of the earlier excavations have been published in some details, thus far, our observations were not sufficient for looking at short-term cultural change or examining occupational episodes with precision. Additionally, we hoped to determine if the site contained finds from the Middle Palaeolithic. To varying degrees, we have achieved these goals. The 2015 season focused on the front part of the cave where deposits are thick and offer much higher stratigraphic resolution than was possible in past seasons. This year’s excavation extended far deeper than those of previous seasons, providing for the first time, important information on the use of the site during the Middle Palaeolithic, which in turn allows us to consider possible explanations for the significant differences between the cultural signatures left by the Upper and Middle Palaeolithic occupants of the cave. The documentation of multiple features and the artefacts associated with them, make the study of occupational events at Ghar-e Boof possible. Finally, the presence of a small number of geometric microliths and thumbnail scrapers suggests that Ghar-e Boof preserves evidence for the use of the site during Epipalaeolithic in addition to the rich Upper Palaeolithic record of the site.