University of Sistan and Baluchestan Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies 2251-743X 16 1 2026 06 01 The Western Cemetery of Qareh Tepe, Segzabad: New Iron Age Evidence from Iran’s Central Plateau 45 72 9524 10.22111/ijas.2026.51843.1349 EN Mostafa Dehpahlavan Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Saman Babazadeh Independent Researcher, PhD in Archaeology Graduate, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Mahdi Jahed Independent Researcher, PhD in Archaeology Graduate, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Amar Tazik Independent Researcher, MA in Archaeology Graduate, University of Tarbiat Modares,Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2026 02 11 In 2018, the excavation of Trench 13 at the western cemetery of Qareh Tepe in Segzabad led to the discovery<br />of 10 Iron Age graves located in the southwestern section of Tepe Ghabrestan. These graves featured mudbrick<br />structures, oriented east-west, and contained burials placed on their sides. The grave goods found within included<br />pottery vessels, metal objects, animal bone remains, and ornaments made of various materials. The burial<br />practices and grave goods suggest that these graves were created within a relatively short time frame. To establish<br />a chronological context for these findings, the artefacts from Trench 13 were compared to those from Trench<br />12, located at the eastern cemetery of Qareh Tepe. With five absolute dating samples from Trench 12 graves, a<br />reliable chronological framework was available, enabling a more precise dating of the Trench 13 graves. The<br />comparison indicates that the graves in Trench 13, which had the highest number and most incredible variety of<br />similar artefacts, corresponded closely to those in Trench 12, dating from 1000–900 BCE. https://ijas.usb.ac.ir/article_9524_8ebc22a42248e8420dced36866e74a97.pdf