Ziwiye (Ziviyeh)
Ziwiye · Ziviyeh · Ziwiyé
Iron Age III (900–600 BCE)·Mannaean–Scythian·🇮🇷 Kurdistan Province, Saqqez, Iran
About
About Ziwiye (Ziviyeh)
Ziwiye (Ziviyeh) in Kurdistan Province, Saqqez, Iran is a Iron Age III (900–600 BCE) fortress of Mannaean–Scythian tradition. Mannaean fortress-city famed for Ziwiye gold treasure and Aegean–Assyrian ivories. 750 BCE, the site forms a stratified mound/karst citadel 500×400 m, hill 8 ha, treasury ivories, neo-assyrian–mannaean. Excavations since the mid-20th c. expose stone socle with mudbrick, mannaean–scythian cloisonné ivories, gold hoard architecture with diagnostic ceramics, lithics and administrative finds.
Archaeobotany and radiocarbon anchor the sequence, informing regional Mannaean–Scythian networks across the Kurdistan Province. Threats include looting, agriculture, erosion; research continues on Mannaean–Scythian chronology.
Why it mattersType-site for Mannaean–Scythian Iron Age III (900–600 BCE) in Kurdistan Province, Saqqez; key for chronology, technology and interaction.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology of Mannaean–Scythian 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.750 BCE
- Period
- Iron Age III (900–600 BCE)
- Culture
- Mannaean–Scythian
- Purpose
- Mannaean fortress-city famed for Ziwiye gold treasure and Aegean–Assyrian ivories
- Excavation
- Excavation ongoing
c.750 BCE
Initial construction / first occupation
c.1200 BCE
Major expansion / fortification phase
20th c.
Systematic excavation begins
On the ground
Structures & features
36.1540° N · 46.4110° E · 1820 m · 3 mapped features
Ziwiye (Ziviyeh) — Central Mound
tellCentral mound with stratified architecture Levels I–IV
36.1544° N · 46.4115° EZiwiye (Ziviyeh) — Lower Town Workshop
workshopWorkshop/midden with pottery, slag or lithics
36.1534° N · 46.4104° EZiwiye (Ziviyeh) — Cemetery/Gate
cemeteryExtramural cemetery or gate area
36.1542° N · 46.4102° E