Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier
Late Bronze Age (1500-1100 BCE)·Elamite·🇮🇷 Khuzestan, Haft Tappeh, Iran
About
About Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier
Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier in Khuzestan, Haft Tappeh, Iran is a Late Bronze Age (1500-1100 BCE) temple complex attributed to Elamite. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal necropolis 4 × 6 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 31.9905N 48.5206E controls access to Khuzestan, Haft Tappeh resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey temple-complex for Khuzestan, Haft Tappeh, illustrating Elamite construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Scale of population vs agricultural catchment
- 02Ritual vs domestic use
Theories
- 01Ancestral burial reuse over centuries
- 02Astronomical alignment hypothesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1250 BCE
- Period
- Late Bronze Age (1500-1100 BCE)
- Culture
- Elamite
- Purpose
- Ceremonial centre and pilgrimage focus with stratified deposits
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c. 1250 BCE
Initial construction of Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier main structure
c. 1050 BCE
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically at Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier
1968–2022
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
31.9905° N · 48.5206° E · 45 m · 3 mapped features
Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier — Main Temple-Complex Feature
rock artPrimary rock art at Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier — burial gallery with stratified deposits
31.9922° N · 48.5210° EChogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier — Secondary Enclosure
hydraulicAncillary hydraulic at Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier — enclosure wall with stratified deposits
31.9887° N · 48.5210° EChogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier — Outlier Rock Art Panel
necropolisOutlier necropolis panel linked to Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat Outer Court Annex — Eastern Outlier ceremonial landscape
31.9912° N · 48.5217° E