Saturday, September 06, 2008

Off-topic: Research into the origins of food production in Iran

MEHRNEWS

It's a slow news day so in case it is of interest to some visitors here's some news about research into plant and animal domestication in the central Zagros region of Iran (from last week).

A joint Iranian and British archaeological team is currently working in Sheikiabad Tepe in the Dinvar region of Kermanshah Province.

Iranian Professor Yaqub Mohammadifar of Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamedan and Professor Roger Matthews of the University College London are leading the team, which aims to study the process of producing food and domestication of animals and plants in the central Zagros region.

“Sheikiabad Tepe in the Dinvar region is one of the important sites (of the central Zagros region), which will likely yield information for us in this field,” Mohammadifar told the Persian service of the Mehr News Agency on Thursday.

Sarab, Asiab, Gordan, and Ganj-Darreh are other sites in the central Zagros region where there can be studies seeking this type of information, he added.

According to Mohammadifar, they have found ruins of some caves in the Sheikiabad Tepe nearby as well as the fossils of seeds of wild lentil and barley and the bones of wild animals.

He described the discovery as important for Iran and the world, adding, “The findings indicate that the process of domestication of lentil and barley was first experienced in the area.”

The initial studies show that the Sheikiabad Tepe dates back to the beginning of the 8th millennium BC, Matthews said.

No comments: