Excavations at the Prehistoric Sites of Tepe Dehno and Tepe East Dehno, Shahdad, South-eastern Iran

Recent excavations at the prehistoric sites of Tepe Dehno and Tepe East Dehno, located on the western edge of Iran's Lut Desert, have challenged established chronologies for southeastern Iran. Radiocarbon dating of 10 charcoal samples from these sites revealed occupation levels spanning from the early 5th to the early 3rd millennium BCE, providing new insights into the region's prehistoric timeline. The study, part of a multi-season project initiated in 2012, combined extensive archaeological surveys with stratigraphic excavations and systematic surface analyses to investigate Shahdad's urban center and its broader context. This research not only sheds light on the complex settlement patterns of the Lut Desert but also raises questions about the traditional understanding of prehistoric chronology in this area.

Eskandari, N. (2017). Excavations at the Prehistoric Sites of Tepe Dehno and Tepe East Dehno, Shahdad, South-eastern Iran. Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.22111/ijas.2017.3945