TEHRAN -- For the first time ever, systematic field investigations into the Paleolithic era have been initiated in North Khorasan Province, promising to rewrite the prehistoric timeline of human occupation in this pivotal region of the Iranian Plateau.
Supported by the National Institute of Archaeology and the Provincial Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, the study targets the Esfarayen Plain along with the Bam and Safiabad areas—zones largely untouched by previous Paleolithic exploration.
Preliminary surveys have revealed multiple open-air sites that span a remarkable chronological range from Lower to Middle and even Upper Paleolithic periods. These findings fill a critical gap in the archaeological record of the southern slopes of the Aladagh Mountains, an eastern segment of the vast Alborz range.
According to Mahya Azar, head of the Paleolithic studies team in North Khorasan, the strategic significance of the region as a corridor connecting the central Iranian Plateau to the expansive Central Asian steppes, potentially serving as a vital route for hunter-gatherer populations during the Pleistocene.
Artifacts recovered so far include a diverse toolkit—from heavy-duty hand axes typical of Lower Paleolithic industries to the more refined Levallois techniques characteristic of Middle Paleolithic cultures. The discoveries constitute the earliest direct evidence of Paleolithic human presence in North Khorasan, spotlighting the area’s role in prehistoric human dispersal and adaptation.