TEHRAN -- Archaeologists have recently discovered signs of habitation dating back to the Neolithic era in the Darestan region 30 kilometers northeast of Bam, in Kerman Province.

The signs has been found in over 100 mounds spread across an area of 30x40 kilometers in the region, archaeological team director Omran Garagian told the Persian service of CHN on Monday.
According to Garagian, Tall-e Atashi was the only prehistoric site discovered in Darestan over the past few years, but the studies carried out by archaeologist Shahriar Adl, who had previously worked on the region, showed that the area could have additional prehistoric sites.
“Such a number of prehistoric sites is unique in the eastern half of the Near East,” Garagian said.
“Our studies show that habitation was suddenly destroyed at its zenith during the neo-Bronze Age (2100-1900 BC) and Darestan turned into an abandoned region,” he explained.
Garagian believes that bioenvironmental changes could be one of the factors that caused the abandonment of the region.
The team also plans to organize a series of interdisciplinary studies in the region. They have invited experts on archaeobotany, archaeozoology, and archaeogeology from universities in England, France, and the United States to complete the region’s study project.
“The studies will shed light on the causes of the abandonment of the region,” Garagian noted.
He called for the cultural officials’ continued financial support of the studies until they reach their conclusion.