The seventh season of archaeological work in the Kale-Kord cave, located in Avaj district of Kazvin province, has begun with the aim of more accurately reconstructing the sequence of human settlement and the formation of cultural layers at this prehistoric site.
Maryam Mahdavi, Director of the General Directorate of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Crafts of Kazvin, announced the start of the new season on Wednesday. These works are conducted with the permission of the Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, with financial support from the Provincial Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Crafts, and in coordination with the Archaeological Research Institute.
The project is headed by Milad Hashemi Sarvandi, a lecturer at the Archaeology Department of Tarbiat Modares University. According to Mahdavi, the current season includes continuing excavations in previously opened trenches as well as exploring new areas. The main objective is to achieve a more accurate reconstruction of the sequence of human presence in the cave and to better understand the processes that led to the formation of its cultural layers.
Previous studies have established the cave as one of Iran's oldest known archaeological sites, opening new avenues for studying the Paleolithic period in the country. Archaeological findings indicate multiple occupations of the cave, dating back over 400,000 years. The discovered stone tools are associated with early human species, including Homo heidelbergensis and possibly Homo erectus, while later evidence points to the presence of Neanderthals.
Researchers have also found animal remains such as extinct prehistoric horses, deer, brown bears, and rhinoceroses, providing insight into the environment and subsistence methods of the cave's ancient inhabitants. The first joint Iranian-French excavation season in Kale-Kord in November 2018 resulted in the discovery of over 6,000 cultural artifacts, as well as animal bones and numerous stone tools dating back to the Middle Paleolithic.
Research in this cave has contributed to a broader understanding of the Zagros region's settlement, including the activities of Neanderthals in the mountainous areas of Iran. The Paleolithic period, or Stone Age, represented an ancient stage of human development characterized by the use of primitive stone tools. Paleo-diet is based on products that humans supposedly consumed during this period.
The Paleolithic period is generally divided into three phases: Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic. However, anthropologists avoid establishing rigid chronological boundaries for these divisions because technological development occurred at different times and in different regions. Furthermore, there was significant overlap between phases, as the spread of new technologies required time, meaning some groups adopted more advanced tools and methods earlier than others.