Tepe Sialk

Tepe Sialk is an archaeological site consisting of two mounds located to the southwest of the modern city of Kashan, Iran. It lies just to the north of the road that connects Kashan to the suburb and garden of Fin. Archaeological excavations at the mounds undertaken in the 1930s revealed occupation dating as far back as the fifth millennium BCE. Occupation at the site continued from the early fifth until the end of the fourth millennium BCE followed by a period of approximately 2,000 years during which the site remained unoccupied. Toward the end of the second millennium BCE, new inhabitants reoccupied the site until around 800 BCE when it was abruptly abandoned and never reoccupied. Various forms of pottery were found at the site, including a wheel-turned buff ware painted in reddish pigment with animals and other designs taking many sophisticated forms, including long-necked pitchers and containers of various shapes. Sources: Matheson, Sylvia A. Persia: An Archaeological Guide, 168-170. Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Press, 1973.