Bestansur — Shahrizor Neolithic Tell
Pre-Pottery Neolithic (8000–7000 BCE)·Zagros Neolithic (Bestansur–Jarmo)·🇮🇶 Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq
About
About Bestansur — Shahrizor Neolithic Tell
Bestansur — Shahrizor Neolithic Tell in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq is a Pre-Pottery Neolithic (8000–7000 BCE) tell attributed to Zagros Neolithic (Bestansur–Jarmo). Neolithic tell 5 m with plastered buildings and seal impressions earliest Near East. Nieuwenhuyse Bestansur 8000 BCE with stamped seals and plaster architecture.
Why it mattersKey Zagros Neolithic (Bestansur–Jarmo) site informing Central Asian prehistory
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology refinement
- 02Metallurgy evidence
Theories
- 01Long-distance trade route
- 02Urbanism genesis
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 8000 BCE
- Period
- Pre-Pottery Neolithic (8000–7000 BCE)
- Culture
- Zagros Neolithic (Bestansur–Jarmo)
- Purpose
- Neolithic tell 5 m with plastered buildings and seal impressions earliest Near East
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 8000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1960 CE
Modern excavation
On the ground
Structures & features
35.3600° N · 45.6400° E · 620 m · 4 mapped features
- Bestansur — Shahrizor Neolithic Tell — High Citadel MoundcitadelCitadel or high mound35.3601° N · 45.6401° E
- Bestansur — Shahrizor Neolithic Tell — Lower TerraceterraceLower settlement terrace35.3598° N · 45.6402° E
- Bestansur — Shahrizor Neolithic Tell — Fortification CircuitwallsEnclosing wall35.3604° N · 45.6398° E
- Bestansur — Shahrizor Neolithic Tell — Storage AnnexstorageStorage building35.3596° N · 45.6399° E
Gallery