May 30, 2005, 4:56 PM

Ancient gold and silver earrings discovered at Mazandaran’s Lafurak cemetery

TEHRAN, May 30 (MNA) -- The team of Iranian archaeologists working at the newly discovered Iron Age cemetery in Lafurak village near Savadkuh in Mazandaran Province has recently discovered one gold and one silver earring beside the skeleton of a 25-year-old individual buried in Lafurak cemetery.

The young man was buried wearing a gold earring on his right ear and a silver one on his left ear, indicating he was a prominent person in his time, archaeologist Mehdi Abedini said on Monday.

 

The recent discovery was a big surprise for the archaeologists, since in the previous excavations only bronze and iron earrings were found, he added.

 

Of the fifteen graves excavated in the 2800-year old cemetery, three were different, in that they contained three skeletons with dolichocephalic (long-headed) skulls, and the gold earring was found in one of these three graves, Abedini explained.

 

The skeletons were covered with a layer of earthenware, and their walls were reinforced by earthenware, too, he added.

 

Experts have surmised that the three people belonged to a non-indigenous nation, since the inhabitants of Mazandaran at that time were a round-headed nation.

 

Excavations at the site will have to be carried out at a hurried pace because the cemetery and village of Lafurak, as well as eleven other villages, will be devoured by the reservoir of the Alborz Dam when it becomes operational.

 

RM/ML/HG

END

 

MNA

News ID 11492

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