Ghalā Bāng Cemetery and Site, Seven Thousand Years of Human Residence in Bijar-e Garous

The findings gathered from the surface of Ghalā Bāng site contain several materials which belong to different periods and no full data about them in the said region are available for example potteries dating back to the Chalcolithic and Bronze Ages. This site is located at Bijar, Kurdistan province of Iran. From the viewpoint of scheduling, our data about when the site was active and when abandoned is scarce and roughly unreliable. It seems that this site covers a relatively complete sequence of cultural relics from the pre-history (Neolithic and Bronze ages), historical (Parthian and Sassanian) up to the Islamic period (middle centuries) and it means a treasure for the region. From the other side, an essential part of the site has been ruined due to illegal diggings, inconsiderate urban constructions as well as other developmental activities. There exists a high risk if any immediate action is done, we may never be able to acquire and extract the remaining data. Even if any danger did not threaten the site, its survey and excavation were of pressing need. Now that its destruction and surrounding developmental activities are speedily going on, urgent implementation of such a project is a must. We hope this report functions as an introduction for a more thorough study in future. Accordingly, three focal objectives are targeted in this report: 1- Rescuing the site before full destruction; 2- Gathering archaeological data for removing or reducing existing ambiguities and inadequacies in cultural-historical sequences of the region and its relation with neighboring areas in deferent periods; 3- Site stratigraphy for providing more data about the chronology of the region. Archaeological excavations, especially the urban archaeology in this site can introduce this property and the region’s historical and natural attractions.