Shahr-i Sokhta
Šahr-e Soḵta
Iran · Sistan and Baluchestan
In brief
The city's residential, production and cemetery areas were separate from one another. The chronological boundaries remain unsettled because a 2023 radiocarbon study proposed an earlier beginning and an earlier collapse for the settlement, which UNESCO dates to approximately 3200–1800 BC.
What was found?
- 1Mudbrick houses
The remains of houses comprising rooms, corridors, and courtyards were uncovered. The well-preserved buildings provide insight into the spaces of early urban life.
- 2Production areas
Production zones separate from the houses and cemetery were identified in the city. They show that different activities were concentrated in separate areas within the city.
- 3Proto-Elamite seal impressions
Seal impressions from the early layers bear stylistic similarities to those from Proto-Elamite centers in the west. They enable research into the spread of practices used to control goods and containers.
- 4Proto-Elamite tablet
The tablet found in an early settlement context documents the city's connection with the Proto-Elamite recordkeeping tradition. Together with the seal impressions, it provides important evidence of administrative practices.
- 5Extensive cemetery
The cemetery, which formed a separate section of the city, was investigated through excavation. Preserved burials enable the study of the community's life and burial practices.
What does it point to?
Şehr-i Suhte suggests a complex urban society with separate residential, production, and burial areas. According to researchers, the tablet and seal impressions show that administrative traditions from the west met local practices.
What did it teach us?
- It documented the development of early complex societies in Eastern Iran through tangible urban remains.
- It showed that separate zones were established for different activities within the city.
- It revealed the eastern connections of Proto-Elamite recordkeeping and sealing traditions.
Images
Latest news / selected archive
A new radiocarbon assessment published in 2023 placed the foundation at approximately 3550 BC, the collapse of the main settlement at approximately 2300 BC and subsequent sparse use at 2100–2000 BC.
Record
- Culture
- Prehistoric urban culture of Sistan
- Team / historical
- Iranian archaeological mission and the University of Salento; Enrico Ascalone
- Coordinates
- 30.5939°, 61.3278°
Sources
- whc.unesco.org
- iranicaonline.org
- iris.unisalento.it
- UNESCO Dünya Mirası Merkezi
- Iran — Who Holds the Keys? Identifying Female Administrators at Shahr-i Sokhta
Nearby excavations
- Konar Sandal 418 km
- Tepe Yahya 500 km
- Altyn-Depe 701 km
- Mohenjo-daro 755 km
- Pasargadae 784 km
- Ancient Merv 790 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- 2,600-year-old mudbrick structure identified beneath the city of Buto in Egypt
The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - Lead seal of a bishop named Stefan found in Croatia
Excavations on the islet of Lukovac uncovered a document seal bearing the name Stefan and the title of bishop in Latin. According to the researchers, the seal, tentatively dated to the 6th–7th centuries, offers rare evidence of early church administration in a region with limited written sources.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Roman-period sarcophagus of a child buried with toys found in Romania
A wheeled toy horse, a rooster-shaped rattle, jewelry and organic remains were recovered from a sealed child’s sarcophagus dating back approximately 1,800 years in the ancient city of Tomis. The preservation of wooden coffin fragments and the shroud also offers a rare opportunity to study child burials in Roman times.
HeritageDaily ↗ - Roman-period grave found in the seating area of the ancient theater in Gölyazı
A tile-covered grave dating to the 1st century AD and containing cremated human remains was uncovered in the theater of Apollonia ad Rhyndacum. Why the burial took place in the theater despite the city having a separate cemetery remains unknown; the find raises new questions about the use of public spaces.
Arkeofili ↗ - Marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions found at Teos
A marble portrait of Antinoos and 13 inscriptions on reused stone blocks were found around the Temple of Roma and Augustus at Teos. The inscriptions shed light on the city’s political and legal relations, while researchers say the portrait and inscription fragments show that the temple was also connected to the cult of Antinoos.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook - New prehistoric settlement identified on the shore of the Dardanelles
A newly published study presented Yaylatepe Höyük, identified during surface surveys in 2024, and its pottery spanning the end of the Late Chalcolithic to the beginning of the Late Bronze Age for the first time. According to the researcher, the settlement, which has a visual connection with Asartepe on the opposite shore, contributes to understanding prehistoric coastal connections along the strait.
Arkeoloji Dergisi ↗
All excavation sites (385)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük
