Name
Qal’eh Kūti (Ghalekūti), Deylamān قلعه کوتی دیلمان
Map
Historical Period
Bronze Age, Iron Age, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sasanian
History and description
Qal'eh Kūti (Ghalekūti) is the name of a locality that includes four natural hills or outcrops to the northwest of the small village of Kuh-Pass, 5 km to the east of the village of Deylamān.
Twenty-seven tombs were excavated at Qal'eh Kūti. The tombs belong to the end of the Bronze Age/the beginning of the Iron Age.
At Qal'eh Kūti II, two stone chambers and five pit graves were excavated; the date of the tombs ranges from the late Iron Age to the Achaemenid period.
Qal'eh Kūti III is situated east of Qal'eh Kūti II. The existence of a ruined wall at the foot of the hill suggests that it was a protected site. On the slopes of the hill there were several looted tombs.
Qal'eh Kūti IV is located to the west of Qal'eh Kūti I and seems to be of the same period.
The tombs excavated at Qal'eh Kūti have been dated based on their content and grave goods. Chronologically, they range from the early Iron Age period (late 2nd millennium B.C.) to the late Achaemenid through the Sasanian period.
Archaeological Exploration
A wave of clandestine diggings revealed the presence of tombs in the early 1960s in the region, and, subsequently, drew the attention of archaeologists to the area. The graveyard at Qal'eh Kūti was the object of three seasons of excavations, between 1962 and 1964, by a team from the University of Tokyo, under the direction of Namio Egami, Shinji Fukai, and Seiji Masuda. The excavations were carried out in four different areas of the site known as Qal'eh Kūti I, II, III, and IV.
Finds
Finds consist of objects of domestic use (pottery vessels and utensils) without reference to their material (i.e. including objects in precious metals); objects of rank (mostly weapons, pieces of harness, cylinders seals, and stamp seals); jewelry and ornaments in bronze, copper, and silver; symbolic objects (figurines, statuettes, standards).
Bibliography
Egami, N., Sh. Fukai and S. Masuda, Dailaman I, Excavations at Ghalekuti and Lasulkan 1960, Tokyo, 1965.
Egami, N., Dailaman II, Tokyo, 1966.
J. Ikeda, Human Remains from the Tombs in Dailaman 2, Tokyo, 1968.
Fukai, Sh. and J. Ikeda, Dailaman IV. The Excavations at Ghalekuti II and I, 1964, Tokyo, 1971.
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