Revisiting the Panj Angosht Paleolithic Open- air Site, Khash, Iranian Baluchestan: Preliminary Report of the First Phase

During the second session of the Marucheck survey in 1975 on the Khash Valley, Iranian Baluchestan, several Lithic artifacts had been collected from ten points in the slope of the Panj Angosht Mountain that compared with the Ladizian Industries. A fresh small scale non-probabilistic survey was conducted during June-July 2020 in the northeastern thisarea slope of the Panj Angosht Mountain, which is located in the west of the city of Khash. The first area of this Study is located exactly in the southern part of 08 Barrack of Khash. Panj Angosht is the only non-volcanic major peak in the area; it is a large Eocene limestone outcrop that lies southwest of Taftan Mountain. On the other hand, it is composedof grey, compact nummulitic Eocene limestone. During this survey, a number of Lithic artifacts were collected around outcrop of raw material including flake cores, core-choppers, flakes, elongated flake and blades, retouched flakes and scrapers. There is also a few evidence of the existence of the prepared core that in one case indicates some familiaritywith Levallois technique in this area, which not been directly mentioned in the Marucheck report. The presence of primary and secondary debitages in this assemblage and proximity of them to the raw material outcrop indicate that a part of raw material procurement and the first steps of chain opèratoire has been carried out in this place. The discovered evidence indicates the presence of late Lower Paleolithic and Middle Paleolithic in this part of the Panj Angosht Mountain that is comparable with Ladizian Industries along with some possible evidence of Levallois technique. It is hoped that the continuation of this program will lead to a better understanding of the Lithic Industries and Pleistocene occupations in this region

Keywords:

Pleistocene archaeology , lithic industries , Lower Paleolithic , Middle Paleolithic , Iranian Baluchestan