New excavations at Tapeh Asiab, Kermanshah, Central Zagros Mountains

Despite the fact that Tapeh Asiab has been described as one of the key sites for studying the emergence of the Neolithic in the central Zagros, previous work at the site has been poorly published. At the same time, fieldwork methods have made a quantum leap since the excavations of Bruce Howe in 1960. We describe new excavations at Tapeh Asiab, which aimed to relocate and document the first excavations at the site, and to recover stratified finds and samples to enable us to better place the site in its regional and chronological context. In particular, our research focused on elucidating the chronology, economy and general character of the Neolithic settlement at Tapeh Asiab. Although the analysis of archaeological finds and samples are mostly ongoing, the preliminary results of our excavations in 2016 suggest that Tapeh Asiab was initially established as a communal or ritual place during the Transitional Neolithic (ca. 9600-8000 BCE) and continued to be occupied during the early Neolithic.