Iranian Bronze Age

expand_more Description

Iranian Bronze Age is represented by scattered urban and village settlements in eastern and southeastern Iran between 5000 and 3500 BP. Some cities were quite large, such as Shahr-i Sokhta, which had an estimated population of 20,000 in the 5th millennium. Inhabitants were primarily sedentary agriculturalists, others practiced a nomadic pastoral tradition. The presence of craft specialization and trade suggest possible class division. The period shows a shift from stone tools and weapons to those made of copper and bronze. The presence of cylinder and stamp seals with a form of pictographic writing called Proto-Elamite is diagnostic for this time period.

Identifier

Region

• Middle East

Subregion

• Middle East

Subsistence Type

• agro-pastoralists

Samples

• SRS

Countries

• Iran