Khanghah Cemetery

Khanghah Gilvan cemetery is located in Khalkhal, in the Iranian province of Ardebil. This cemetery came into light during a highway construction project in Khanghah village. Until now, three archeological excavations, under the author’s supervision, have been carried out in this cemetery that has resulted in burials from the Middle Bronze Age up to Parthian period. Among the excavated burials, four of them belong to the Parthian period. These burials are pit graves containing gifts such as potteries, bronze and iron materials, metal ornaments and beads with different forms. Grave usually containing single body had different conditions such as open or closed burials in different directions. Samples of pit graves of Parthian period, apart from Khanghah Gilvan cemetery, have also been discovered at Sad Eskandar in Gorgan, Sang Shir at Hamadan, Cheshmeh Sar at Takht-e-Jamshid and Vaskeh cemetery. The burial samples with open-pit were prevalent during Parthian period that apart from Khanghah Gilvan cemetery have also found at Sang Shir tepe at Hamadan, Kangavar, and Cemetery at Susa, Cheshmeh Sar at Takht-e-Jamshid, Sad Eskander at Gorgan, Veskeh and Mianrud in Talesh. Likewise, samples showing closed-pit burials of Parthian period, apart from Khanghah Gilvan cemetery, have also found at Sang Shir at Hamadan, Kangavar, Tagh Bostan, Germi, Vaskeh and Mianrud cemetery.

Chronology of northwestern Iran is principally based on archeological excavations of the area located around Urmia Lake. Although plain and filled with water, and the outcomes of these excavations are extended to the whole northwestern region. However, northwestern Iran despite having geographical diversities with mountainous plains and low stretches, systematic and comprehensive studies have been lacking until today. Khanghah cemetery in the province of Ardebil has been one of the important archeological enclosures in Iran from where graves of the Middle Bronze Age, Iron Age, and the Parthian period have been unearthed. The excavated Iron Age graves in this cemetery are of pit grave with generally individual form of burial, but in some cases, double burials are also seen there. It seems that direction was not observed in the burials. The form of potteries are comparable with ceramics found from places such as Marlik, Lamehzamini, Ghalekuti, Hasanlu V, Kordlore Tepe, Yanik Tepe, Sialk V, Qeytariyeh, Geoy tepe B, Dinkha III, Shahiryeri, Sagzabad, Lasulkan, Mariyan, Chir Chir, Ghabrestan, Khurvin, Haftavan V, Agh evlar, Chilakhaneh and Uzbeki.