Archaeologists have uncovered more than 7,000 ancient artifacts in western Iran that point to a highly organized administrative hub dating back 5,000 years. The findings suggest that the site, known as Tapeh Tyalineh, once played a central role in recordkeeping, storage and regional trade during the Early Bronze Age.
Excavations led by Shokouh Khosravi of the University of Kurdistan uncovered thousands of clay seal impressions, clay tokens, figurines and cylinder seals used to control access to storage areas and mark goods such as jars and sacks. The team believes the site functioned as a key administrative hub in early Iran, where economic and social activity was monitored using these objects.
The study, published in the journal Antiquity, describes two seasons of rescue excavations conducted in 2023 and 2024. Researchers opened five trenches across the site, recovering artifacts from sealed trash pits and mudbrick structures.
Many of the finds had been preserved by layers of ash from ancient waste fires. Some clay items were unbaked or partially fired, suggesting the burning was accidental rather than intentional for archival purposes.
Ancient trash pits offer clues to bureaucratic life
Over 4,000 seal impressions and more than 100 clay figurines were recovered from just one trench, located in an area once used for grain storage. After the pits were abandoned, they were filled with waste, including these administrative objects that had likely served their purpose. Another 3,000 sealings were found during the second season, along with door and jar sealings that point to controlled storage systems within the site.
The seal impressions feature over 200 distinct designs. According to the research team, these designs resemble those from known proto-Elamite and Early Bronze Age sites across Iran and Mesopotamia, including Susa, Sialk, Malyan and Jemdet Nasr. The wide stylistic variety suggests that Tyalineh had long-distance connections and was part of a larger economic network.
Khosravi noted that the presence of both stamp and cylinder seals shows that goods and facilities were regulated through formal procedures. Some seals appear to have been reused across different types of containers and entryways.
Evidence of early artifacts and an administrative hub in ancient Iran
The location of Tapeh Tyalineh, on fertile land near the Mereg River, placed it in a strategic position for exchange. Researchers believe it may have served as a point of control for goods such as grain, oil and possibly wine transported in sealed vessels.
The scale and variety of the artifacts found at Tyalineh far exceed those at nearby sites from the same period. The discovery adds new insight into how early societies in western Iran developed structured administrative systems long before writing became widespread.
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