Tepe Gaz Tavila (Tepe Gaz Tavaleh)
Tepe Gaz Tavila · Gaz Tavila
Chalcolithic – Early Bronze (4000–3000 BCE)·Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Kerman·🇮🇷 Kerman Province, Kerman Plain, Iran
About
About Tepe Gaz Tavila (Tepe Gaz Tavaleh)
Tepe Gaz Tavila (Tepe Gaz Tavaleh) in Kerman Province, Kerman Plain, Iran is a Chalcolithic – Early Bronze (4000–3000 BCE) tell of Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Kerman tradition. Kerman piedmont village bridging Yahya V–IV and Shahr-i Sukhte–Jiroft. 4000 BCE, the site forms a stratified mound/karst mound 140×120 m, 5 m chalcolithic–bronze, halil rud related. Excavations since the mid-20th c. expose mudbrick with halil rud black-on-red, yahya-style chlorite architecture with diagnostic ceramics, lithics and administrative finds.
Archaeobotany and radiocarbon anchor the sequence, informing regional Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Kerman networks across the Kerman Province. Threats include agriculture, erosion, wind deflation; research continues on Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Kerman chronology.
Why it mattersType-site for Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Kerman Chalcolithic – Early Bronze (4000–3000 BCE) in Kerman Province, Kerman Plain; key for chronology, technology and interaction.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology of Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Kerman levels?
- 02Function of extramural cemetery?
Theories
- 01Demic diffusion vs local adoption
- 02Ritual aggregation centre
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.4000 BCE
- Period
- Chalcolithic – Early Bronze (4000–3000 BCE)
- Culture
- Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Kerman
- Purpose
- Kerman piedmont village bridging Yahya V–IV and Shahr-i Sukhte–Jiroft
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.4000 BCE
Initial construction / first occupation
c.1200 BCE
Major expansion / fortification phase
20th c.
Systematic excavation begins
On the ground
Structures & features
30.7200° N · 56.5800° E · 1760 m · 3 mapped features
Tepe Gaz Tavila (Tepe Gaz Tavaleh) — Central Mound
tellCentral mound with stratified architecture Levels I–IV
30.7204° N · 56.5805° ETepe Gaz Tavila (Tepe Gaz Tavaleh) — Lower Town Workshop
workshopWorkshop/midden with pottery, slag or lithics
30.7194° N · 56.5794° ETepe Gaz Tavila (Tepe Gaz Tavaleh) — Cemetery/Gate
cemeteryExtramural cemetery or gate area
30.7202° N · 56.5792° E