The Western Cemetery of Qareh Tepe, Segzabad: New Iron Age Evidence from Iran’s Central Plateau

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Independent Researcher, PhD in Archaeology Graduate, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

3 Independent Researcher, MA in Archaeology Graduate, University of Tarbiat Modares,Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

In 2018, the excavation of Trench 13 at the western cemetery of Qareh Tepe in Segzabad led to the discovery
of 10 Iron Age graves located in the southwestern section of Tepe Ghabrestan. These graves featured mudbrick
structures, oriented east-west, and contained burials placed on their sides. The grave goods found within included
pottery vessels, metal objects, animal bone remains, and ornaments made of various materials. The burial
practices and grave goods suggest that these graves were created within a relatively short time frame. To establish
a chronological context for these findings, the artefacts from Trench 13 were compared to those from Trench
12, located at the eastern cemetery of Qareh Tepe. With five absolute dating samples from Trench 12 graves, a
reliable chronological framework was available, enabling a more precise dating of the Trench 13 graves. The
comparison indicates that the graves in Trench 13, which had the highest number and most incredible variety of
similar artefacts, corresponded closely to those in Trench 12, dating from 1000–900 BCE.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies
Volume 16, Issue 1
2026
Pages 45-72

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