TEHRAN–Chega Sofla ancient site in Dasht-e Zohreh, southeast of Khuzestan province, is one of the most key civilizational links of Persian Gulf, where the world’s first brick tomb, an elaborate shrine, and unique evidence of the privileged position of women in the 5th millennium BC have been discovered.
Announcing this, Abbas Moghadam, archaeologist and head of the Chega Sofla excavations team, told Miras Aria (CHTN) that Chega Sofla was first identified in 1971 during a short-term survey by German archaeologists in Behbahan county, and since then it has been considered as one of the important civilizational sites of Persian Gulf.
“Despite several excavation seasons, we have not yet reached the pristine layers of this historical site; but the current findings indicate an age as early as the early 5th millennium BC.”
He considered the most important findings of the excavation to be the unique architecture of the tombs of Chega Sofla, adding: “The tombs in Chega Sofla are truly eternal homes and the afterlife; completely architectural, masterful structures built with brick, whose precise proportions and engineered design are a serious lesson for us in ancient funerary architecture.”
According to him, the discovery of the world’s first brick tomb in this area is considered one of the most important pieces of evidence of the funerary architecture in southwestern Iran and the entire Persian Gulf civilization region.
Moghaddam explained about the findings of the Chega Sofla habitation section: “We discovered a large temple in this area; a temple with a prayer platform and a platform for offerings. A total of 73 raised stones were found in the platform for offerings, which shows that we are dealing with a deeply religious society; a society in which religious and ritual beliefs played a fundamental role. This evidence leads us to conclude that Chega Sofla was likely a prominent ritual site in the 5th millennium BC.”
The archaeologist considered one of the surprising aspects of the excavations to be the discovery of a social pattern regarding the priority of women’s role, saying: “We identified a total of 102 burials, more than half of which belonged to women. Evidence shows that women had a superior position and decisive roles in this society.”
Moghaddam explained a sample of these burials as follows: “Next to a mass grave of 52 people, we discovered the burial of a 25-year-old woman whom we named Khatun.
This woman was buried with special order and respect and was accompanied by two symbolic objects: a weight and a sword. This combination is reminiscent of the image of the goddess of justice holding a scale and a sword. Therefore, our interpretation is that this woman had authority, a role of judgment, and maintaining law and order in society during her lifetime.”
According to him, “In the brick grave of 11 people, the last person buried is a woman, and among the deformed skulls, there are more female specimens than male ones; a collection that all presents a clear picture of the female-centered social structure in Chega Sofla.
Moghaddam considered one of the most important questions ahead to be the discovery of the main temple of this site, adding: “Given the evidence, we are sure that the main temple of Chega Sofla exists in the residential area; but it has not yet been discovered. This issue doubles the necessity of continuing the excavations.”
He said about the livelihood structure of this society: “The people of Chega Sofla were skilled craftsmen; metalworkers, potters, stonemasons, spinners, and artists who had a completely self-sufficient livelihood model. The findings show that this society had extensive connections with distant regions and imported raw materials such as obsidian, marble, and metals from long distances.”
The archaeologist concluded by stating: “Chega Sofla has not yet revealed an important part of its secrets to us. The pristine layers, the great temple, and the details of the social and economic structure of this society all require continued excavations to reveal a more complete picture of one of the oldest centers of civilization in Persian Gulf.”
KD
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