Ali Kosh
علی کوش · Ali Kosh (Deh Luran) · Alī Koš · Deh Luran Ali Kosh
Early Neolithic (c.7500–6000 BCE; Ali Kosh sequence 7500–6000 BCE)·Bus Mordeh → Ali Kosh → Mohammed Jaffar (Deh Luran)·🇮🇷 Ilam Province, Deh Luran Plain, Dehloran, foot of Kabir Kuh, Iran
Marcia Bakry, Smithsonian Institution (US Government Work) · Public domain
About
About Ali Kosh
Low mound on Deh Luran Plain 6 km NW of Musian, excavated by Hole and Flannery 1961/63. Three phases (7500–6000 BCE) define the Iran Neolithic: Bus Mordeh broad-spectrum, Ali Kosh goat herding and Mohammed Jaffar painted pottery — livestock, barley and wheat genetics textbook.
Why it mattersBirthplace of Iranian Neolithic terminology — Bus Mordeh, Ali Kosh, Mohammed Jaffar phases; goat, sheep and barley domestication triple.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Did Deh Luran domestication parallel Zagros or import?
Theories
- 01Hole-Flannery broad-spectrum to domestication model
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Bus Mordeh hamlet c.7500 BCE
- Period
- Early Neolithic (c.7500–6000 BCE; Ali Kosh sequence 7500–6000 BCE)
- Culture
- Bus Mordeh → Ali Kosh → Mohammed Jaffar (Deh Luran)
- Builders
- Bus Mordeh communities
- Purpose
- Piedmont Neolithic camp that defined the Iranian Neolithic sequence (goat/sheep/barley domestication)
- Rediscovered
- Modern archaeological survey/ rescue
- Excavation
- Excavated
c.7500 BCE
Bus Mordeh broad-spectrum camp
c.7000 BCE
Ali Kosh goat-herding village
c.6200 BCE
Mohammed Jaffar painted ware
1961
Hole-Flannery Michigan expedition
On the ground
Structures & features
32.5570° N · 47.3250° E · 150 m · 3 mapped features
Ali Kosh — South terrace
palaceKey sub-area of Ali Kosh (Early Neolithic) showing Bus Mordeh horizon
32.5562° N · 47.3246° EAli Kosh — East gate
wallKey sub-area of Ali Kosh (Early Neolithic) showing Bus Mordeh horizon
32.5570° N · 47.3252° EAli Kosh — West workshop
gateKey sub-area of Ali Kosh (Early Neolithic) showing Bus Mordeh horizon
32.5578° N · 47.3258° E
Gallery