Chogha Bonut (PersianChoghā bonut) is an archaeological site in south-westernIran, located in theKhuzistan Province. The site is about 20 km southeast ofDezful, and 5 km west ofChogha Mish, another ancient site. It is believed that the site was settled as early as 7200 BCE, making it the oldest lowland village in south-western Iran.[1][2]
This settlement on the Susiana Plain played a big role in the earlyElam civilization. Later, this area became dominated bySusa. The site is important because it preserves a record of preceramic period settlement in Iran.
The site has an area about 50 meters in diameter and about 5 meters in height.[3] It was accidentally discovered in 1976 when the mound was being leveled foragribusiness development.Helene Kantor, then working atChogha Mish nearby, hurried to the site and received a permit to investigate it.[4]
Kantor remained for two seasons (1976/77 and 1977/78), but was unable to return in 1979 due to theIranian Revolution.[2][5][6][7][8]Abbas Alizadeh continued investigations at the site in 1996.[2] His findings were published in 2003.[1] It is one of the fewNeolithic sites excavated since the Iranian revolution.[9]
^abc[1] Alizadeh, Abbas., "EXCAVATIONS AT CHOGHA BONUT: THE EARLIEST VILLAGE IN SUSIANA, IRAN", The Oriental Institute News and Notes, No. 153, Spring 1997
^Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh, and St. John Simpson. “Archaeological News from Iran: Second Report.” Iran, vol. 36, 1998, pp. 185–94
^[2] Helene J. Kantor, "Excavations at Chogha Mish and Chogha Bonut", Oriental Institute 1976-1977 Annual Report, 1977
^[3] Helene J. Kantor, "Chogha Mish and Chogha Bonut", Oriental Institute 1977-1978 Annual Report, 1978
^[4] Helene J. Kantor, "Chogha Mish and Chogha Bonut", Oriental Institute 1978-1979 Annual Report, 1979
^[5] Helene J. Kantor, "Chogha Mish and Chogha Bonut", Oriental Institute 1979-1980 Annual Report, 1980
^Hole, Frank. Neolithic Age in Iran],The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies, Retrieved July 21, 2010
^Overmann, Karenleigh A.,The Material Origin of Numbers: Insights from the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East, Piscataway, NJ, USA: Gorgias Press, Table 9.2, pp. 169-170, 2019
^BERNBECK, Reinhard. “MIGRATORY PATTERNS IN EARLY NOMADISM: A RECONSIDERATION OF TEPE TULA’I.” Paléorient, vol. 18, no. 1, 1992, pp. 77–88
^Abbas Alizadeh, "Excavations at Chogha Bonut, an Aceramic Neolithic Site in Lowland Susiana, Southwestern Iran", Neo-Lithics: A Newsletter of Southwest Asian Lithics Research, 1997
