An international team of researchers has uncovered enigmatic stone tombs in a remote area on the island of Madagascar, suggesting they may have Zoroastrian origins.
According to Euronews, these rock structures are located in the Teniki region in southern Madagascar. To date, no similar structures have been identified on this island or along the east coast of Africa.
The newly discovered archaeological features include terraces, stone walls, stone ponds, and stone-carved structures of various sizes and shapes. These structures are believed to date from the end of the first millennium and the beginning of the second millennium AD.
The research team, led by Professor Guido Shrouz of the Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of Bern, Switzerland, has noted that the closest stylistic parallels to this type of rock architecture are found thousands of kilometers away in present-day Iran, particularly in the Fars region.
The stone carving ledges found in Teniki, Madagascar, closely resemble Zoroastrian burial practices observed in various locations throughout Iran, dating back to the first millennium AD or earlier. These tombs are believed to be of the “astodan” type—a place where the bones of the deceased were stored. The term “astodan” is derived from “astu,” meaning bone, and “dan,” meaning place.
In Zoroastrian tradition, astodans were simple rock cavities used to store the bones of the deceased after the flesh had decomposed or been consumed by scavengers. Similar structures from the Sassanid period in Iran can be found in cities such as Kazeroon, Shushtar, and Marvdasht, where some feature religious inscriptions and names of the deceased.
Radiocarbon dating of charcoal found at the Madagascar site indicates that the hewn stone ledges and carved sandstone walls date from approximately the 10th to 12th centuries AD. These new findings are particularly significant as they suggest that despite the 200-kilometer distance from the nearest coast of Madagascar, the inhabitants of Teniki were likely connected to the Indian Ocean trade networks during the Middle Ages.
Researchers have interpreted the stone-carved architecture in Teniki, Madagascar, as part of a cemetery established by immigrants with Zoroastrian origins. They believe that the settlers who arrived on the coast of Madagascar and eventually established themselves in Teniki brought their rituals and beliefs from outside the island, continuing their practices there.
However, researchers have not ruled out the possibility that the archaeological structures in Teniki may be the work of a group whose rituals and beliefs evolved after arriving on the island. There is a suspicion that these stone-carved structures share similarities with Zoroastrian practices in Iran.
Further archaeological studies are needed to explore the hypothesis of “religious origins and funerary customs” among the former inhabitants of Teniki and their connections to the western Indian Ocean region. The results of these new findings have been published in the scientific journal Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa.