Harsin city, in Kermanshah province, holds in itself an old and ever-lasting history. Every part of that expanse has traces of ancient and millennial times in its heart, and it speaks of the lives and civilizations that once thrived, built their territories, and then got hidden. Ganj Dareh is one of those places that built civilization.
Another name that the natives of Harsin have given to Ganj Dareh is “Chia Khazineh”. This area is located near a village called Qeysvand and is visible from a distance in the form of a cone. The height of Ganj Dareh Hill reaches six meters, and it may not be easy to believe that there are traces of the past hidden inside it. However, archeological excavations have proven its multiple layers of civilization.
Remains found in Ganj Dareh are 8,500 years old. The prehistoric people of Ganj Dareh had sedentary lifestyle and made efforts and used their skills to build their own civilization, for themselves and for those around them. This can be seen from the findings of Ganj Dareh. Ganj Dareh was formed between the 8th millennium and the beginning of the 7th millennium, and as we mentioned, it represents 8500 years of history.
The first excavations in Ganj Dareh began in the 1970s, and several settlement layers were found. In the lower layers, simple ovens and Neolithic walls and clays, most of which were red, appeared. In other layers spaces for living were found, which were stratified. In one of the lower settlement layers, 30 ditches were discovered, and it is believed to have been a place have rural texture.
The discovered signs prove that the people of this ancient area built the walls of their houses from raw clay and rectangular cubes and used stone for the foundation of the wall. Some are also covered with mud. These examples show the unique architecture of Ganj Dareh.
Another point archaeologists speculated in Ganj Dareh’s excavations is that the way to enter the houses was through the roof! Another discovery and conjecture is the fire that occurred in Ganj Dareh, and signs of burning and traces of that fire were left in the clay, pottery, and residential walls. The scope of the Ganj Dareh fire was vast. Pottery has also been found in this area. This is another sign of its residents’ familiarity with the art of pottery. Other tools, such as conical stones, chips, stone vessels, mortars, animal and human figures, flags, needles, and many other tools, have been found in Ganj Dareh. Arrayed shell seals are also among other findings of archaeologists and are of great importance.
To all those objects discovered, skeletons should be added; ranging from babies to older people. Adults were buried together, and babies and children were buried lying in a straight position. From the pieces of mats that have been discovered, it can be considered that at the dawn of civilization the people of Ganj Dareh wrapped their dead in rugs and buried them; but they also used clay coffins.
Current reports show that the condition of the ancient area of Ganj Dareh is “critical.” Extensive destructions will destroy in a few years, an area that has remained intact for more than 8,000 years. Another place like Ganj Dareh will never be found again like Ganj Dareh” (ISNA news agency report; 10 Khordad 1401 (31 May 2022)).
Signs of the beginning of animal farming and the domestication of goats have also been found in Ganj Dareh. Although they were hunter-gatherers, they slowly moved towards agriculture and animal husbandry, giving their lives a new color. In Khordad 1396 (May 2017), sculptures found in Ganj Dareh, which are 10 thousand years old, were displayed in the National Museum of Iran. Perhaps these statues are older than the 8500-year-old civilization of Ganj Dareh residents!
