# Teppe Zagheh

Teppe Zagheh (Persian: تپه زاغه) was an early urban settlement located in Qazvin, Iran. In Persian, Tappeh means "tell, mound". It was first excavated by a team from the University of Tehran under the direction of Ezzat Negahban in the early 1970s

## Important finds

- Discovery of a shrine with interior decoration.
- 23 graves of adults and infants with local and imported goods.
- Administrative artifacts such as tokens.
- Residential dwellings.
It is suggested that the Painted Building was a special place for women to give birth

## Chronology

After the re-excavation of Zagheh in 2001, new radiocarbon dates were obtained. The radiocarbon estimations for the settlement of Zagheh was c. 5370–5070 BC and abandoned c. 4460–4240 BC. Thus, it may belong to Transitional Chalcolithic.
There were also many small clay 'tokens', used as counting objects, that were found at Zagheh; these are variously shaped, and are similar to such tokens at other Neolithic sites. These Zagheh tokens are dated typologically to c. 6000 BC. Thus, there were probably two periods of occupation.
Zagheh archaic painted ware (ca. 6000-5500 BC) was found in Tepe Sialk I, sub-levels 1–2. This is the early painted ware, that was first excavated at Teppe Zagheh.
Clay figurines found in Mehrgarh, an important precursor to the Indus Valley civilization, resemble those discovered at Teppe Zagheh, and at Jeitun in Turkmenistan (6th millennium BCE). The faunal remains from the site were studied by Marjan Mashkour who identified Sheep, goats, wild goats, cattle, Gazelles, boars, dogs, and foxes.

## Relative chronology

vteChronology of the Neolithic period :
Pre-Pottery Neolithic   Pottery Neolithic :
BC
Europe
Egypt
Syria Levant
Anatolia
Khabur
Sinjar Mountains Assyria
Middle Tigris
Low Mesopotamia
Iran (Khuzistan)
Iran
Indus/ India
China
11000
Early Pottery (18,000 BC)
10000
Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Gesher Mureybet (10,500 BC)
9000
Jericho Tell Abu Hureyra
8000
Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Jericho Tell Aswad
Göbekli Tepe Çayönü Aşıklı Höyük
Initial Neolithic (Pottery) Nanzhuangtou (8500–8000 BC)
7000
Egyptian Neolithic Nabta Playa (7500 BC)
Çatalhöyük (7500–5500) Hacilar (7000 BC)
Tell Sabi Abyad Bouqras
Jarmo
Ganj Dareh Chia Jani Ali Kosh
Mehrgarh I
6500
Neolithic Europe Franchthi Sesklo
Pre-Pottery Neolithic C ('Ain Ghazal)
Pottery Neolithic Tell Sabi Abyad Bouqras
Pottery Neolithic Jarmo
Chogha Bonut
Teppe Zagheh
Pottery Neolithic Peiligang (7000–5000 BC)
6000
Pottery Neolithic Sesklo Dimini
Pottery Neolithic Yarmukian (Sha'ar HaGolan)
Pottery Neolithic Ubaid 0 (Tell el-'Oueili)
Pottery Neolithic Chogha Mish
Pottery Neolithic Sang-i Chakmak
Pottery Neolithic Lahuradewa Mehrgarh II Mehrgarh III
5600
Faiyum A
Amuq A
Halaf Halaf-Ubaid
Umm Dabaghiya
Samarra (6000–4800 BC)
Tepe Muhammad Djafar
Tepe Sialk
5200
Linear Pottery culture (5500–4500 BC)
Amuq B
Hacilar Mersin 24–22  
Hassuna
Ubaid 1 (Eridu 19–15) Ubaid 2 (Hadji Muhammed) (Eridu 14–12)
Susiana A
Yarim Tepe Hajji Firuz Tepe
4800
Pottery Neolithic Merimde
Amuq C
Hacilar Mersin 22–20
Hassuna Late Gawra 20
Tepe Sabz
Kul Tepe Jolfa
4500
Amuq D
Gian Hasan Mersin 19–17
Ubaid 3
Ubaid 3 (Gawra) 19–18
Ubaid 3
Khazineh Susiana B
3800
Badarian Naqada
Ubaid 4
Succeeded by: Historical Ancient Near East :