ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS AT TAL-E MALYAN

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AERIAL VIEW OF MALYAN FROM THE EAST

Photograph by Georg Gerster, 1978

Tal-e Malyan, located 46 km north of Shiraz in the Zagros mountains of Fars Province, is the site of Anshan, a great city, comparable to Elamite Susa and the Sumerian cities of Mesopotamia in size and importance; see Iran Map. The ancient city wall embankment encloses more than 200 hectares, and the habitation mound within the wall occupies 130 hectares. see Site Map

Although first occupied in the Jari Period (ca. 5500 B.C.) or earlier, Malyan flourished during three great eras: the Banesh Period, (ca. 3500-2800 B.C.) Banesh- ABC Banesh-TUV , the Kaftari Period (ca. 2200-1600 B.C.) Kaftari , and the Middle Elamite Period (ca. 1300-1000 B.C.) Elamite see also Qaleh Kiln . Evidence of later occupation includes Parthian and Sasanian coins found in burials, a Sasanian pottery kiln, and surface evidence for Sasanian and Islamic occupations.

The University of Pennsylvania sponsored excavations at the site in 1971, 1972, 1974, 1976, and 1978; see Sponsors . These excavations, conceived as a preliminary exploration, had three main objectives: 1) to establish a chronological sequence based on stratified excavations, 2) to conduct systematic topographic, surface, and magnetometer surveys of the site; see Site Map , and 3) to conduct excavations to identify economic and social characteristics in different quarters of the city. In our pursuit of these objectives we collected production raw materials and by-products, artifacts, pottery sherds, animal bones, botanical samples, and mineral samples. The stratigraphic and architectural or cultural feature context of these finds was recorded in order to reveal patterns of variation through time and in different quarters of the city

Small Kaftari stone foot from Kaftari levels at operation ABC

Typical Banesh Goblet

This site was written by William M. Sumner

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sumner.1 AT osu.edu

Dadolla Miri holding his "rast bil" used to keep the balks straight and smooth

Revised 5 July 2005

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