TEHRAN -- The Archaeological Research Center of Iran (ARCI) plans to hold a three-day international conference in late autumn in Qom in which experts will study Iran during the Iron Age, an ARCI official told the Persian service of CHN on Wednesday.

“The idea for holding the International Conference on Iran in the Iron Age was brought up in a conference studying the archaeological discoveries in northern and northeastern Iran held last year in Golestan Province,” Hamid Fahimi added.

According to the original plan, the conference was to be held in Tehran, but the ARCI director decided to hold the event in Qom due to the many Iron Age sites located near the city, he explained.

“Many excavations carried out near Qom over the past few years have resulted in discoveries of Iron Age sites. Qom Province has sites from the three ages and these excavations show that Qom was one of the main human settlements during the Iron Age,” Fahimi said.

Shamshirgah, Qoli Darvish Tepe, and Serm Tepe are the most important Iron Age settlements in the region.

The Iron Age in Iran is one of the brilliant prehistoric eras, which is known as the period of grey pottery.

In archaeology, the Iron Age is the stage in the development of any people where the use of iron implements as tools and weapons is prominent. The adoption of this new material coincided with other changes in some past societies often including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles, although this was not always the case.

The Iron Age is the last principal period in the three-age system for classifying prehistoric societies and its meaning varies depending on the country or geographical region.