The Newfound Petroglyphs at Aso, Birjand, Eastern Iran

Abstract

Located only 300 meters south of the village of Aso in a mountainous landscape, the so-called Aso petroglyphs wereidentified and analyzed as part of archeological and anthropological surveys in 2013. The 71 discrete examplesrecorded at the site consist of animal motifs and human figures alongside a series of abstract designs. The carvingswere worked on igneous rocks in pecking technique, mostly as singular motifs, though a few composite themes alsoexist. The rock art was investigated via a field survey, where individual motifs were documented in photographsand drawings before comparing them to petroglyphs from around Iran through a desk research. The main aims ofthe study included introducing and examining the petroglyphs, anthropological analysis of the motifs, correlatingthe motifs with the local settings (e.g. flora and fauna), contrasting the motifs with those from other regions, andestablishing a tentative date based on the evidence at hand. Chronology represents a most prominent and at thesame time a most confusing issue while tackling rock art throughout the world. In this context, a basic strategy iscomparing the concerned motifs with related material from the same span of time. The chronological determinationof the Aso petroglyphs mainly relied on the dateable recovered tools, the involved technique, and the types oftools applied. Our results suggest that in quantity and quality the motifs parallel those attested in Jorbat, Tous andMarzbanik in eastern Iran, and in the northwest of Iran: Arasbaran (Songun), Central Zagros: Bauki (Luristan) andZarrineh (Kurdistan).

Keywords

• aso petroglyphs
• chronology
• animal motifs
• human figures
• eastern iran