New discoveries from “Shiraz ID card” and a warning!

While exploring the 7,000-year-old “Postchi” hill, archaeologists found a 4-meter prehistoric structure, pottery, stone tools, spinning spindles, and worked shells. At the same time, the explorers declared its status as alarming due to the attacks on this ancient hill.

The fifth season of exploration in this seven-thousand-year-old hill has started while after the fourth season of archeological exploration, this hill was left alone and diggers, encroachers and drug addicts came to it.

About 9 months ago, Siavash Arya – an activist and researcher of Fars’ cultural heritage – said about the situation of “Pustchi”: archaeological excavations in this seven thousand years old hill after the fourth season in March 2019, have been abandoned and the hill looks like a ruin. The ever-increasing expansion of constructions in the area and first-class privacy of this valuable ancient environment has marked a dark future for it. The local and surrounding people of this historical and cultural area have removed and torn down part of the fencing that the municipality has built to protect it and have entered it and are enjoying cycling and walking in this valuable ancient place. The worst of all is that the addicts and nuisance people are in the historic area of ​​Postachi every day, where they engage in drug use and immoral actions incompatible with the urban and regional environment.

Now the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism has announced the beginning of the fifth season of archaeological excavations in this historical hill: “The fifth season of archaeological excavations for educational, research and conservation purposes in the prehistoric hill of Shiraz, following the previous four seasons (years 2015, 2016, 1397 and 1399) under the joint supervision of Alireza Sardari and Hassan Ali Arab is being carried out.

New findings from Shiraz birth certificate

Hasan Ali Arab, a member of the faculty of Shiraz University of Arts and one of the supervisors of the excavation of the historic Postchi hill, said about the value and the latest findings of this historical hill: Postchi hill is one of the few prehistoric sites in the Shiraz plain, which has a history of habitation. Based on archeological stratification studies and radiocarbon tests, it reaches 7350 years ago.

According to this archaeologist, the settlement in this historical site continued for 650 years and finally around 6700 years ago, this settlement was abandoned and turned into a ruined hill.

He added: Archaeological studies show that settlement in this prehistoric village took place during 9 phases of settlement and this village has undergone construction, destruction and reconstruction many times. Finally, the residents left this large four-hectare village and moved to other places, including another village 700 meters south of it.

A member of the scientific faculty of Shiraz Art University stated: Archaeologists call this prehistoric period in the Fars region as the Shamsabad phase (Old Persia) (late 6th millennium BC) and the Bakun phase (Middle Persia) (early 6th millennium BC). They have named it related to cultures characterized by simple earthenware, with a mixture of straw, and then pea-colored patterned earthenware.

This archaeologist added: In this area, there were villages that appeared after the Neolithic age and following the emergence of agriculture and animal husbandry, and with the increase in their population and the development of cultural connections and social complexities, the primary grounds for the emergence of regional civilizations in the land of Iran, such as the “Anshan” civilization They have founded in Fars.

Arab continued: On the other hand, Postchi Hill of Shiraz, along with other villages, such as “Shah Qalibeigi” Hill and “Tepeh Kotahi”, were among the centers of the first advanced communities of farmers, cattle breeders, and nomads in the Shiraz plain, whose later generations, after passing away Centuries of settlement in this plain have founded the city of Shiraz, but unfortunately, the remains of these villages and settlements, which are several thousand years old, have been destroyed and destroyed in recent decades due to the expansion of the city of Shiraz.

He also reminded: The remaining parts of this area were registered in the list of national monuments of Iran in 2015 and it can be considered as one of the oldest documents of historical identity or birth certificate of the city of Shiraz.

The danger of turning the seven-thousand-year-old hill into residential and commercial buildings

Alireza Sardari, a member of the scientific board of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism and the other supervisor of this exploration, said about the alarming situation of this seven-thousand-year-old hill: In the second season of these studies in 2016, the exploration team began to speculate in order to determine the area and propose a sanctuary around it. Tepe Postchi said that a proposed map was sent to the Cultural Heritage Register Office, but despite the great importance of this area and its special protection conditions, the scope of the area was approved much smaller than the proposed size and caused many parts of agricultural lands in the north The area, leading to the “Bulvar Rahmat” highway, which was supposed to have only agricultural use, garden and green space on the edge of this historical and cultural heritage area, is currently subject to change of use.

He added: The space, which is actually the 2nd degree of privacy and landscape of the area, is about to be turned into residential and commercial buildings, which can damage the possible historical layers buried under these lands.

This archaeologist continued: On the other hand, with the change of use and carrying out such constructions, this unique historical area in the city of Shiraz has been closed in front of apartments and commercial buildings from four sides and while destroying the scenic view and protection, it has caused future generations to blame us for our lack of respect. will protect these works.

A member of the scientific board of the Cultural Heritage Research Institute stated: In the meantime, during these five seasons of archaeological excavations, Postachi Hill has been visited many times by various officials and officials of the province, including the former governor of Fars, the former director general of the cultural heritage of the province, the former mayor of Shiraz and members of the fifth courses. and the sixth is the city of Shiraz, and favorable promises have been made to carry out excavations and extensive studies, all-round protection of this area and the construction of a museum site in it, which has not been implemented so far.

Then, referring to the archaeological excavations of the fifth season, which are being carried out in a limited way in two parts of the hill, he said: In one of these excavation workshops, there are traces of the residential space of the prehistoric village in the last stage of settlement, before it was abandoned. It was discovered that it is in the form of clay and layered architecture containing objects, such as pieces of pottery, stone and bone tools and tools, spinning spindles, decorative beads and worked shells.

Stating that these shells are marine species that seem to have been brought to this place from the shores of the Persian Gulf, this archaeologist added: In another workshop or trench on the northern slope of the hill, remains of a large structure were found, which was probably used for defense and or has a flood dam and the materials used in it include river gravels along with compact, solid and layered mud masses and professional excavation.

Sardari said: According to the limited and still unfinished excavations of this section, the height of this structure may be more than four meters and its thickness may be more than three meters. The beginning of the fifth millennium BC (about 6800 years ago), is an interesting phenomenon that requires financial credits for more extensive explorations and excavations for its accurate understanding.

According to the announcement of the cultural heritage and tourism research center, the fifth season of exploration in Tepe Postchi is being carried out in the form of a joint program between the Institute of Archeology and the Shiraz Art University and with the cooperation of the Shiraz Municipality.

For the first time and more than 50 years ago, “Paul Gach” – a British archaeologist – mentioned the historicity of Postchi hill. This historical hill was registered in the list of national monuments on the 4th of May 1395 under the number 31463, and the archaeological excavations began in the same year. These excavations in “Postchi” hill bring the history of Shiraz city to 6500 years ago.