 excavations in 1949 | |
  Bisitun Cave location in Iran | |
| Location | Kermanshah province |
|---|---|
| Region | Iran |
| Coordinates | 34°23′26″N47°26′13″E / 34.39056°N 47.43694°E /34.39056; 47.43694 |
| History | |
| Periods | Middle Paleolithic |
| Cultures | Mousterian |
Bisitun Cave (also called "Hunter's cave", Bisotun [Farsi], Bisetoun [Kurdish], Bisitoun, or Behistoun) is anarchaeological site of prehistoric human habitation in theZagros Mountains in theKermanshah province, north-westIran. Bisitun Cave is one of five caves situated at the base of The Rock of Bisitun, a 1,300 m (4,300 ft) high cliff within the Chamchamal Plain.[1] It was first excavated in 1949 byCarlton Coon, and is notable for the discovery ofMousterian stone tools of theMiddle Paleolithic, as well as the remains of 109 identifiable species of Pleistocene mammals, and hominid remains.[2][1]Harold Dibble described the stone tools as having strongLevallois components. All artefacts are apparently from the same period.
It has not been possible to discern a geological age of the Middle Paleolithic levels at Bisitun Cave. However, the relative abundance ofCervus in the deposits suggests a nearby woodland, and such vegetation is indicative of awarmer later Pleistocene phase. In Southwestern Asia in general, the Middle Paleolithic falls between the Later Middle Pleistocene (Marine Isotope Stage 6/7) and the middle of theLast Glacial (mid Marine Isotope Stage-3). Therefore the age of Bisitun Cave is likely to fall within this period also.[1]
Coon described two hominid remains from the site, a maxilliary upper incisor and a radius shaft fragment, both from a layer designated F+. These remains were listed but never described fully for the palaeontological community. When they were finally re-examined four decades later, the incisor was found to bebovid in origin, rather than hominin.[1] The radius fragment was found to show Neanderthal affinities, as it is mediolaterally expanded at the interosseus crest.[3]
