World’s largest collection of tusks discovered in 5,000-year-old tomb of ‘Ivory Lady’ in Spain

More than 270,000 delicate shell beads recovered from the nearly 5,000-year-old “Ivory Lady” tomb in Spain represent the largest collection of beads ever found in the world, according to archaeologists. The beads were part of elaborate dresses made out of linen and adorned with ivory and amber pendants, suggesting they were made for a select group of high-status women.

Archaeologists excavated a large tomb, known as the Montelirio tholos burial, between 2010 and 2011 at the Valencina mega-site, located 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) from Seville. Valencina is a large Copper Age settlement, and the tholos tomb was used from about 2800 to 2600 B.C. Within the tomb, archaeologists discovered eight skeletons, seven of which were female.

“This type of tomb is not common in Iberia,” Samuel Ramírez-Cruzado, a geoarchaeologist at the University of Seville in Spain, told Live Science in an email, and “it is not normal in Iberia that the majority of human bodies inhumated in a single place are female.”

By Dr. kaveh Farrokh

The article below “Impact of Iranian Culture on East Asia” published in The Iranian (Sept 10, 2017) is by Dr. Mohammad Ala, the recipient of the 2013 Grand Prix Film Italia Award for his documentary Immortality.

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There are many examples of Iranian cultural influence on East Asia. In this article, several examples of this influence in Japan and China will be listed.

Iran is located in West Asia (wrongly known as the Middle East, even among Iranians). It has influenced many cultures throughout its rich history from music to food preparation, and even some imperial traditions were borrowed from the Iranian system of government.

According to the “Shiji”, a historical book written by Sima Qian, Iranians were known in China as An-XiAn-Xi means Arsak/Ashkanian and the Parthian Empire extended into to the Chinese language, including Pacoros and Emperor Zhangs letters. An-Xi (Parthia/Iran) Gao means high (i.e., from a noble background). Thus An-Xi Gao refers to a Parthian with noble background. Sima Qian and his associate An Xuan wrote about Wudi and Mihrdat and how they knew each other. Qian was the first person to translate Buddhist texts into Mandarin which had a major impact on Chinese history.

In countries across East Asia (not just China!), including Korea, Vietnam and Japan, these two individuals are considered holy. They were instrumental in Buddhism gaining popularity.

History teaches us that the Chinese were well informed about Iran. For example, after the overthrow of the Parthian Empire, they stopped calling Iran An-Xi and they started to call it Po-ssi or Bo-ssi which means Parsi in Chinese.

The Tang-Dynasty were close allies with the Sasanids. Some historians believe China tried to free Iran from the Arabs and some Iranians left to live in East Asia by way of the silk road.

An interesting story is that of An-Lu Shan a Sogdian-Iranian who became the Emperor of China. Iran was a part of the Chinese history, and later during the Islamic Period, many Hui-Chinese like Zheng He were of Iranian-Khwarezmian ancestry. Also the Barmakiyan-Family, a mixed Zoroastrian-Buddhist Iranian family, had important positions in India and East Asia.

The first mention of Iranians (Persians) coming to Japan can be found in the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan). One of the earliest Japanese historical sources, completed in 720 C.E. It records that in 654 C.E. several people arrived in Japan from Tokhārā (Aston, pp. 246, 251, 259). Though there is some controversy about the location of Tokhārā, some scholars have claimed the name to be a shortened version of Toḵārestān, which was part of the territory of Sasanian Persia (Itō, 1980, pp. 5-10).

Iranian people of Central Asia were the link between West and East Asia as a whole and the civilizations of ancient Iran, notably Sassanian and post-Sassanian culture(s). Open and tolerant, the Soghdians, Kushans, Tocharians, etc. established a sophisticated literature and urban culture (Lecture slide from Kaveh Farrokh’s lectures from the course “The Silk Route: origins & History“).

Elsewhere in the Nihon Shoki, it is mentioned that in 660, when an Iranian (Persian), whose name was Dārā, returned to his country. He left his wife in Japan and promised the Emperor that he would come back and work for him again (Aston, p. 266; Imoto, 2002, pp. 58-60).

In the 7th to the 9th centuries, foreigners—then known in Japanese as toraijin—were coming to Japan mainly from Korea and China, bringing with them technology, culture, religion (Buddhism), and ideas. Eastern Asia, especially the Tang Dynasty of China (618-907), had socio-economic networks with many regions of the world, including southern and western Asia.

Chang’an (present-day Xi’an), the capital of the Tang Dynasty, was an international city with people from various countries, including Iranians (Persians). It should be noted that some even traveled further to Japan. Iranian names are to be met with in historical documents, and one can find some influence of Persian culture in the architecture, sculptures, and also in the customs and old East Asian rituals at that time. For example, some scholars have claimed that there is some influence of Persian culture in the Omizutori ritual held every February at Tōdaiji temple in Nara (Itō, 1980, pp. 125-33).

The oldest document in Parsi, which is preserved in Japan, was procured by the Japanese priest named Kyōsei (1189-1268) from Iranians (Persians) during his trip to southern Asia in 1217. Thinking they were Indians, the priest asked them to write something for him as a keepsake. However, after his return to Japan he found out that they were not Indians, because no one could understand what the writing meant. This document was discovered in the late 20th century, when it was established that it is written in Parsi and contains a line from Ferdowsi’s Šāh-nāma (qq.v.), a line from Faḵr-al-Din Gorgāni’s Vis o Rāmin (qq.v.), and a quatrain of unknown authorship (Okada, 1989).

Music has no boundaries, words from one language can be combined with musical tradition of another. The following is a beautiful singing.

Footnotes:

In addition to public domain sources, the data were obtained from, “Japan and Ancient Iran” , “Christopher I. Beckwith: Empires of the Silk Road” and Kaveh Farrokh’s lectures at USC and UBC were reviewed.

Mazda = Ahoora Mazda (God of light), the name Mazda came into being with the production of the company’s first trucks.

Nissan Qashqai: This name came from Qashqai tribe who live mostly in mountainous Southwestern region of Iran.  (Qashqai means “a horse with a white forehead”)

Related posts:

1. 1. An Overview of Iranians in Japan during Earlier Times

1. 1. Toyoko Morita: Iranian arrivals to ancient Japan

1. 1. Japan and Ancient Iran

1. 1. Dr. Masato Tojo: Zen Buddhism and Persian Culture

1. 1. Ancient Persia: Influences on Ancient Chinese and Japanese Calendars

1. 1. Farroukh Jorat: Iranian Elements in the Culture of the Ancient Slavs

1. 1. Recommended Book: Iranian Culture before Islam and its Influence on Islam and Arabian Literature

1. 1. New Link for Iran, China and Asia

1. 1. Chinese-Iranian Relations in Pre-Islamic Times

1. 1. The “Middle East”: A 20th Century Neologism that has Run its Time?

By Dr. Kaveh Farrokh|September 17th, 2017|Central Asia, China, Heritage, India and Asia, Iran and Central Asia, Iran and Japan|Comments Off

Extraordinary discovery during the construction of a New Power Line: Archaeologists unearth a cemetery from the Copper Age with Three Warrior Graves. One of the deceased even wore part of his armor.

Archaeologists have discovered an approximately 4,500-year-old cemetery with ten graves from the Bell Beaker culture near Förderstedt, located in the Salzlandkreis district of Germany.

Currently, three particularly well-preserved burials have been uncovered. The deceased, buried in a hunched position facing east, were interred under a common burial mound. Women were laid on the right side, while men were on the left side of the body.

“A common burial mound covered all three deceased,” said project leader Susanne Friederich from the State Office for Heritage Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt.

In the Bell Beaker culture, the dead were always buried in a hunched position facing east. The name comes from the bell-shaped ceramic vessels that were filled with food and placed in the grave for the journey to the afterlife.

Among the most striking discoveries are the grave goods found within the tombs. In one grave, archaeologists unearthed a bell-shaped ceramic vessel, approximately 15 centimeters in diameter, filled with food to accompany the deceased on their journey to the afterlife.

At the time of burial, the deceased was still wearing his arm guard, which helps archers avoid injuring themselves with the bowstring. Photo: Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dpa

Extraordinary discovery during the construction of a New Power Line: Archaeologists unearth a cemetery from the Copper Age with Three Warrior Graves. One of the deceased even wore part of his armor.

Archaeologists have discovered an approximately 4,500-year-old cemetery with ten graves from the Bell Beaker culture near Förderstedt, located in the Salzlandkreis district of Germany.

Currently, three particularly well-preserved burials have been uncovered. The deceased, buried in a hunched position facing east, were interred under a common burial mound. Women were laid on the right side, while men were on the left side of the body.

“A common burial mound covered all three deceased,” said project leader Susanne Friederich from the State Office for Heritage Preservation and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt.

In the Bell Beaker culture, the dead were always buried in a hunched position facing east. The name comes from the bell-shaped ceramic vessels that were filled with food and placed in the grave for the journey to the afterlife.

Among the most striking discoveries are the grave goods found within the tombs. In one grave, archaeologists unearthed a bell-shaped ceramic vessel, approximately 15 centimeters in diameter, filled with food to accompany the deceased on their journey to the afterlife.

Harriet Strahl, a Ph.D. student in the Durham University history department, has shed new light on the emotional and societal repercussions of the 1120 White Ship disaster in an article published in the Journal of Medieval History.

Through her detailed analysis of contemporary accounts, including the extensive writings of the monk Orderic Vitalis, Harriet uncovers how this maritime tragedy reverberated through 12th-century Anglo-Norman society.

Her research reveals not just the historical facts of the shipwreck but also its profound emotional and commemorative significance.

Harriet’s findings center on the events of 25 November 1120, when the White Ship struck a rock near Barfleur, Normandy, drowning nearly all aboard, including King Henry I’s heir, William Adelin, as well as many young nobles, knights, and sailors, altogether around 300 people.

Drawing on Orderic Vitalis’ Ecclesiastical History, Harriet highlights how this loss devastated the English royal family and destabilized the succession.

Harriet notes that Orderic’s harrowing and detailed narrative—unique among eight contemporary accounts—reflected a blend of grief, moral reflection, and monastic duty.

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-historian-reveals-emotional-impact-white.html

Once the crown jewel of the ancient Assyrian empire, the archaeological site was ravaged by Islamic State fighters after they seized large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014.

January 09, 2025 10:09 am IST – Nimrud

A decade after jihadists ransacked Iraq’s famed Nimrud site, archaeologists have been painstakingly putting together its ancient treasures, shattered into tens of thousands of tiny fragments.

Once the crown jewel of the ancient Assyrian empire, the archaeological site was ravaged by Islamic State (IS) fighters after they seized large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in 2014.

The precious pre-Islamic artefacts destroyed by the jihadists are now in pieces, but the archaeologists working in Nimrud are undaunted by the colossal task they face.

“Every time we find a piece and bring it to its original place, it’s like a new discovery,” Abdel Ghani Ghadi, a 47-year-old expert working on the site, said.

More than 500 artefacts were found shattered at the site, located about 30 km from Mosul, the city in northern Iraq where IS established the capital of their self-declared “caliphate”.

Meticulous excavation work by Iraqi archaeologists has already yielded more than 35,000 fragments.

The archaeologists have been carefully reassembling bas-reliefs, sculptures and decorated slabs depicting mythical creatures, which had all graced the palace of Assyrian King Ashurnasirpal II nearly 3,000 years ago.

Seen from above, the pieces of the puzzle gradually come together. Shards of what just several years ago was a single artefact are placed side by side, protected by sheets of green tarpaulin.

Bit by bit, the image of Ashurnasirpal II appears on one bas-relief alongside a winged, bearded figure with curly hair and a flower on its wrist, as the restoration brings back to life rich details carved in stone millennia ago.

Another artefact shows handcuffed prisoners from territories that rebelled against the mighty Assyrian army.

Partially reconstructed lamassus — depictions of an Assyrian deity with a human head, the body of a bull or a lion and the wings of a bird — lay on their side, not far from tablets bearing ancient cuneiform text.

“These sculptures are the treasures of Mesopotamia,” said Mr. Ghadi.

“Nimrud is the heritage of all of humanity, a history that goes back 3,000 years.”

‘Complex operation’

Founded in the 13th century BC as Kalhu, Nimrud reached its peak in the ninth century BC and was the second capital of the Assyrian empire.

Propaganda videos released by IS in 2015 showed jihadists destroying monuments with bulldozers, hacking away at them with pickaxes or exploding them.

One of those monuments was the 2,800-year-old temple of Nabu, the Mesopotamian god of wisdom and writing.

IS fighters wreaked havoc at other sites too, like the once-celebrated Mosul Museum and ancient Palmyra in neighbouring Syria.

The jihadist group was defeated in Iraq in 2017, and the restoration project in Nimrud began a year later, only to be interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and restart in 2023.

Mohamed Kassim of the Academic Research Institute in Iraq said that “until now, it has been a process of collection, classification and identification.”

About 70% of the collection work has been completed at the Assyrian palace site, with about a year’s worth of fieldwork left before restoration can begin in full force, said Mr. Kassim, noting it was a “complex operation”.

His organisation has been working closely with Iraqi archaeologists, supporting their drive to “save” Nimrud and preserve its cultural riches, through training sessions provided by the Smithsonian Institution with financial support from the United States.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/iraqi-archaeologists-piece-together-ancient-treasures-ravaged-by-islamic-state/article69077129.ece

The 4,100-year-old tomb of a doctor who “treated the pharaoh himself” has been discovered at the site of Saqqara in Egypt.

The burial belongs to a doctor named “Tetinebefou,” the Swiss-French team that made the discovery reported in a translated blog post. Although the artifacts in the tomb had been plundered, archaeologists were able to study the site’s wall paintings and hieroglyphic inscriptions, which describe the doctor’s position and depict a variety of objects that may have been used in his medical treatments..

A 14-kilogram cache of Roman mail armor, unearthed in 2012 during excavations in a civilian settlement (vicus) near the Roman legionary fortress in Bonn, Germany, has been studied using advanced imaging techniques, revealing how soldiers maintained and recycled their equipment far from supply hubs.

The find consists of at least four mail garments—two nearly complete and two fragmentary—corroded into a single mass over time. Unlike other metal objects, which could be melted down, mail armor comprised small, interconnected rings that necessitated alternative recycling methods. Damaged armor pieces served as “donors” to patch other garments, similar to mending textiles in antiquity.

Researchers from the LVR-Amt für Bodendenkmalpflege im Rheinland, the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, and the Czech Academy of Sciences collaborated to analyze the armor using high-resolution computed tomography (CT) scans. “X-ray technology allows us to see what cannot be seen with the naked eye,” explained Holger Becker of the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. The scans uncovered details about the intricate construction of the armor, including rings of varying sizes, arranged in patterns typical of Roman chainmail.

Experts believe the cache was a stockpile intended for armor repair. Found in a pit outside a vicus house, it likely served as a resource for local craftspeople who worked closely with the Roman army. Dr. Martijn Wijnhoven of the Czech Academy of Sciences emphasized the significance of this find, stating, “This is the first clear evidence that mail armor was being repaired outside a Roman military installation.”

The vicus, an extramural settlement tied to the Bonn fortress, played a vital role in supporting the military. Local artisans are thought to have processed military waste, including scrap metal, to patch armor. The discovery highlights the symbiotic relationship between Roman soldiers and civilian communities, particularly in frontier regions where the army depended on local support to maintain readiness.

https://archaeologymag.com/2024/12/14-kilogram-roman-chainmail-found-near-bonn/#:~:text=A%2014%2Dkilogram%20cache%20of,equipment%20far%20from%20supply%20hubs.

The Ancient Sassanian City of Bishapur
By  Dr. Kaveh Farrokh
The article “Ancient City of Bishapur” written by Baback Khademi was published on the Iran Marco Polo venue on February 6, 2019. It is notable that Bishapur is registered as a UNESCO world heritage site.
The version printed below has been slightly edited from the original version posted in the Iran Marco Polo venue. Kindly note that the map of the Sassanian Empire printed below does not appear in the original Iran Marco Polo venue. For more on the topic of Sassanian architecture see: The Sassanians
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Between two ancient cities of Persepolis and Susa, linking two Sassanian (224-651 CE) capitals of Estakhr and Ctesiphon, founded or better saying rebuilt on an older city, Bishapur became a dazzling jewel of its era. The city is named after Shapur I (241-272 CE) as Bishapur by the size of 2*1 kilometers. The city has a square plan with two main streets crossing each other, and reaching the main gates, unlike other Iranian cities that have a circular plan.

A map of the Sassanian Empire in 230-450 CE drafted by Kaveh Farrokh on page 187 (2007) for the book Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War-Персы: Армия великих царей-سایه‌های صحرا-:
There are different assumptions about how the city was built; like being built by captured Roman soldiers or by Roman and Iranian architects and artists, but they are all based on the same facts. The city has a structure quite like the Roman cities of that time with the same micro mosaic decorations in the royal palace. Though it is popularly believed that King Shapur ordered building the city after his great victory over the Roman Emperor, Valerian, which led to his captire along with his entire legion. As a result it can be dated back to 260 CE. There is also an inscription over two 9 meter high columns in the city which shows year 24 after the reign of Shapur, so 264 or 266 CE as Shapur was assigned as King before his father’s death in 242.

Bishapur Royal Hall (Source: Iran Marco Polo).
The city of Bishapur is near a river also called Shapur, which flows through Tang-e Chaogan gorge. This gorge is believed to be used for playing polo (Chogan in Persian) by the Sassanid kings and contains six bas reliefs and the giant statue of Shapur in a cave high in the mountain. Tang-e Chogan gorge, together with the city of Bishapur form a great historical attraction amusing those interested in visiting monuments of the ancient Iran. Back to the city, we can find different things to visit. The defense towers were protecting the city and the royal citadel. Going further we reach the royal citadel that includes the ceremony hall, mosaic portico (ivan), Anahita temple, Valerian Palace, and the Islamic era school.

Bishapur mosque of the Islamic era (Source: Iran Marco Polo).
The palace which is attributed to Valerian is still a mystery to the historians as there is not yet enough information available about it. As stories say that Valerian, the Roman emperor, lived here after being captivated by Shapur. However, by having such a special structure with big square shape rock-bricks, it is obvious it used to be an important element of the royal citadel.

Valerian Halls of Bishapur (Source: Iran Marco Polo).
The ceremonial hall is the first time in Sassanian era the cross plan with for facing ivans (porticos) were utilized in such buildings, which later became a common style for fire temples and even mosques and Islamic schools. This hall had a huge dome (25 meters high) in the center, one of the first of its kind, still survived partial until 19th century as seen in European travelers’ drawings. The square hall had 64 decorated niches, presenting the creativity of the Iranian artists.

Bishapur Ceremonial Hall (Source: Iran Marco Polo).
The roofless mosaic ivan was home to several Roman style micro mosaic motifs, covered the ground. These precious mosaics are now kept in Louvre and Iran national museum.

Bishapur mosaic hall, now in Louvre museum (Source: Iran Marco Polo).
One of the most unique buildings in Bishapur is the Temple of Anahita. Not only architecturally fabulous, but also really impressive by the means of controlling and dividing water in the building without hearing the the water flowing in the temple. This temple of water (as Anahita was the goddess of water or the protector angel of water), is a square of 14 by 14 meters, built 6 meters under the ground level to have the water of the river flowing inside it and let it out through a well hidden well. There were two symmetric bull capitals, imitated the ones in Persepolis, over the walls of the temple.

Bishapur Anahita Temple (of water) (Source: Iran Marco Polo).
Another highlight of the complex is the so called devotion place (or memorial columns) in front of the two high columns. Originally, there was a big statue of Shapur on the platform as written on two inscriptions on one of the columns; the one indicating the construction date. These memorial columns were in the city center, surrounded by the living places of normal people and later structures such as bazaars, caravanserais, bathhouses (hammams), bridge and even a jame mosque of the Islamic era in the southern side. There is also remnants of a fire temple in the city and the ruins of a once huge fortress on a hill to the north of Bishapur.

Bishapur memorial columns (Source: Iran Marco Polo).
City of Bishapur is around 130 km to the west of Shiraz and a great option for travelers who go from Shiraz to Ahvaz or vice versa.

More views of the Bishapur Anahita Temple (of water) (Source: Iran Marco Polo).
Related posts:
1. UNESCO: Sassanian Archaeological Landscape of the Fars Region
2. Sassanian Relief at Salmas (ancient Shapur)
3. UNESCO: Citadel, Ancient City and Fortress Buildings of Derbent
4. Sassanian Inscription Unearthed in Ancient Iran Necropolis Being Deciphered
5. Sandstorm in Southern Iran exposed Lost Ancient City and Relics
6. The Ancient Ruler of the Burnt City
7. The Ancient Site of Takhte Sulaiman
8. UNESCO celebrates 1,750th anniversary of Iran’s Gundi-Shapur University
9. The Great Wall of Gorgan: Longest Ancient Barrier between Central Europe and China
10. Italian AGON Journal article: Ties of Greco-Roman civilization with ancient Iran
By Dr. Kaveh Farrokh|October 18th, 2021|Ancient: Prehistory – 651 A.D., Archaeology, Architecture, Europa and Eire-An (Ancient Iran/Persia), Iran and Europe, Sassanians, UNESCO|Comments Offon The Ancient Sassanian City of Bishapur
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