Kenacheh Cave
Maro Kenachi | |
Location in Iran | |
| Location | Kurdistan Province, Iran |
|---|---|
| Region | Hawraman |
| Coordinates | 35°09′47″N 46°22′01″E / 35.16306°N 46.36694°E |
| Altitude | 760 m (2,493 ft) |
| Type | cave |
| History | |
| Founded | ca. 35,000 BP |
| Abandoned | ca. 12,000 BP |
| Periods | Upper Paleolithic, Epipalaeolithic |
| Cultures | Baradostian, Zarzian |
| Associated with | Homo Sapiens |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 2015 |
| Archaeologists | Sonia Shidrang, Fereidoun Biglari |
| Condition | inundated |
| Ownership | Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, Iran |
Kenacheh Cave (Persian: کناچه, Kurdish:مرو کناچی) is an archaeological site in the southwest of Kurdistan Province, in west Iran. It is located in the Sirwan River valley, between Naw and Asparez villages, in the Hawraman region.[1] It faces NNW at an altitude of 770m a.s.l.The cave was discovered during Darian Dam Archaeological Salvage Program in 2015, excavated in 2015, and it was subsequently submerged in 2016.[2]
The Darian Dam Archaeological Salvage Program (DDASP) was initiated by the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research before the impoundment of the Darian Dam reservoir. Directed by Fereidoun Biglari, the program undertook multiple seasons of systematic surveys and excavations across the endangered reservoir area. These efforts resulted in the discovery of numerous significant sites, including key Paleolithic caves and rock shelters, and settlements from later periods.[3]
Archaeology
Excavations at Kenacheh Cave uncovered a 2.5-meter archaeological sequence spanning Late Upper Paleolithic (UP) and Epipaleolithic (EP) occupations. Analysis of recovered materials indicates intensive site activities including butchering, cooking, and consumption of predominantly wild caprines (goat/sheep), plant processing, and the manufacture and maintenance of stone tools.
Typo-technological studies of Kenacheh's lithic assemblages reveal strong parallels with UP-EP industries documented across the Zagros region. The cave's Upper Paleolithic industry is characterized by small twisted bladelet production primarily from carinated burins, with toolkits dominated by small Dufour bladelets and end scrapers.
Recent research on Yafteh Cave assemblages further contextualizes these findings, identifying at least two major phases within the Zagros's Baradostian tradition. The Early Baradostian phase features assemblages oriented toward Arjeneh point production and relatively large, straight or slightly curved Dufour bladelets. The Late Baradostian phase—closely resembling Kenacheh's industry—shows dominance of carinated burins used to detach small twisted bladelets, which were subsequently retouched into small twisted Dufour bladelets via inverse or alternate techniques.[4]
References
- ^ Biglari, F., S. Shidrang et al. (2017) Survey and salvage excavations at the Darian Dam Reservoir, Hawraman, Kurdistan and Kermanshah, Proceedings of the 15th annual archaeological Symposium of Iran, pp. 49–54, Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR), Research Institute of Cultural Heritage & Tourism (RICHT), Tehran
- ^ Biglari, Fereidoun; Shidrang, Sonia (2019-12-01). "Rescuing the Paleolithic Heritage of Hawraman, Kurdistan, Iranian Zagros". Near Eastern Archaeology. 82 (4): 226–235. doi:10.1086/706536. ISSN 1094-2076. S2CID 212851965.
- ^ Biglari, F., (2021) Construction de barrage et archéologie de sauvetage dans le Zagros, ARCHÉOLOGIA 595: 10-11.
- ^ Shidrang S, (2018). The Middle to Upper Paleolithic Transition in the Zagros: The Appearance and Evolution of the Baradostian, In The Middle and Upper Paleolithic Archeology of the Levant and Beyond, Y. Nishiaki, T. Akazawa (eds.), pp. 133-156, Replacement of Neanderthals by Modern Humans Series, Tokyo.