INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
reported on Wednesday.A survey and identification of Paleolithic sites along the Shotoran-Paskuh corridor are currently being undertaken for
long-term planning and purposeful studies in the field of tracing human populations of the Pleistocene era in the east of the Iranian
plateau, said Ali Sadrai, who presides over the project.In Paleolithic studies, the east of the Iranian plateau, with its ecological and
geological potential, has long been considered a pioneering area by numerous researchers and archaeologists, he added.However, these studies
thorough or as helpful as they should have been, he explained.Recent studies uncovered a significant number of Paleolithic sites, confirming
the high potential of this region for Paleolithic research, he noted.In an article published in the International Research Journal of
Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science (IRJMETS) in April 2021, Iranian researchers concluded that the Iranian plateau served
as a human migratory pathway in the Pleistocene.The study reinforces a hypothesis that the Iranian plateau was like a bridge between East
Paleolithic finds in this region and neighboring countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) reinforces the hypothesis that the Iranian Plateau has
emphasized the great potential and the importance of south-eastern Iran in general and southern margins of Lut Desert in particular, for the
framework of a Paleolithic survey in the southern margins of the Lut Desert, one of the authors collected a series of surface stone
artifacts and as a result of this, 12 new Paleolithic localities were identified.The surveyed area with a semi-arid to the arid climate has
a mean elevation of 700 meters above sea level and is limited to the northwest, south, west, and east by volcanic mountains
Alluvial sedimentary deposits of Quaternary origin have covered the region between these mountains
All of the recorded sites are located either along the low-height hills of Quaternary river terraces or flat alluvial deposits.The survey
zone also included part of the volcanic band of south-eastern Iran which is contained mainly of igneous rock formations
Therefore, according to the authors, as the results of the geology of the region, except for a few examples, various types of igneous rocks
have been used for the production of chipped stone artifacts.The researchers found that the abundance and relatively large size of the
available raw material blocks in the region demonstrate easy access to primary and secondary sources of raw material.Among collected stone
artifacts, core-tool/core-chopper and Levallois core and flakes are the most frequent types
A large unifacial point and heavily retouched flake are between the collected pieces.All of the stone artifacts that the researchers studied
were covered with a natural post-depositional surface alteration called gloss patina, which caused smoothness, pronounced luster, and,
reduction of surface topography of stone artifacts.This type of patination is considered to be typical of desert areas
However, striking platforms, core removals, bulbs of percussion, and, flake negative removals are obviously visible on many stone
mainly applied for making cores and stone tools
Therefore, it is possible to propose both Lower and especially Middle Paleolithic dates at least for five localities
However, these are the first Lower and Middle Paleolithic finds reported from the systematic survey of southern margins of Lut Desert and
as one of the major hominin dispersal corridors during the Pleistocene connecting East and West.Since the early 20th century, the Iranian
plateau has undergone several Paleolithic-based research
The German geologist Reinhold von Huckriede discovered a late Mesolithic site near Kuhbanan in Kerman in the framework of his geological
investigations.In 1964, Gary W
Hume at the request of Joseph R
Caldwell, director of the Kerman project explored the potential for Paleolithic sites in Bardsir valley near Kerman
Moreover, a later archaeological investigation in the Bam-Narmashir region of Kerman province revealed several archaeological sites dating
from the Neolithic period to the Iron Age.ABU/MG
