Archaeologists have discovered the richest 4,000-year-old tomb ever found at the site of Tepe Chalow in Iran, which belongs to a teenage girl from the Bronze Age.
The discovery opened doors to offer new insights into the previously overlooked “Greater Khorasan Civilisation.”
The tomb contains the remains of an 18-year-old girl buried in a couched position with her right side facing southeast. It was a common practice at the Tepe Chalow site.
“Grave 12” has 34 valuable objects. This is what makes the tomb so special. It is the most luxurious burial found ever from this civilisation.
She was buried with bronze pins and bracelets, as well as gold rings and earrings. One of the bronze pins was carved into the shape of a hand holding a rosette.
The most surprising find was three containers from a special black stone called chlorite. One was like a rectangular box decorated with carvings of scorpions and snakes.
The tomb also had several seals, like ancient stamps, symbolising authority and ownership. One of these seals was engraved with a pair of human feet.
The large number of valuable items shows that this girl came from a wealthy and powerful family. Her status was inherited; it was not something she earned herself.
This discovery made it evident that women in the Greater Khorasan Civilisation may have had very important social positions, as female burials at Tepe Chalow are often more lavish than those of men.
The archaeological work at Tepe Chalow is a joint effort between Italian and Iranian researchers. The study on this particular tomb, Grave 12, was led by archaeologist Ali Vahdati.
He said about the discovery that: “The presence of such wealth in the grave of an adolescent remains unique within the Greater Khorasan Civilisation archaeological record.”
He also noted that the seals found in the tomb suggest the young woman and her family held “high status” and they would have been used to “conduct commerce.”
Greater Khorasan was a Bronze Age culture that existed 4,000 years ago. Its core area includes modern-day northeast Iran.
