Tehran: A team of archaeologists has stumbled upon an ancient coffin bearing a skeleton of a child buried in a Parthian mound in Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran.
The team, which had previously been assigned to demarcate
the site, found the coffin in mid December after the recent
heavy rainfall removed the earth from the coffin, Khuzestan
Cultural Heritage Enthusiasts Society (Taryana) spokesman
Mojtaba Gahestuni told the Persian service of the Mehr News
Agency on Saturday.
An intact pottery jar and several other artifacts were
also buried along with the child in the coffin, he added.
The report did not specify the material used in making
the coffin, however it did clarify that the casket along with
its contents have been transferred to a governmental
organization in the province.
The archaeological team led by Mohsen Hosseini also
discovered many intact pieces of pottery and a large number of
shards at the mound, leading them to surmise that most likely,
there was a large pottery workshop at the site during the
Parthian era.
Illegal excavations and farming are currently threatening
the ancient sites in the region.
The team has identified traces of illegal excavations on
the mound and other ancient sites nearby.
In addition, agricultural activities by the local
residents have caused serious damage to some of the ancient
sites over the past few decades.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, January 06, 2010, 08:58