[MSN] Illicit excavations by smugglers at the 3000-year-old Babajian mound in Lorestan Province have drawn a team of archaeologists to the site to save the rest of the artifacts, if anything remains!

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Tehran: 15:48 ,  2006/10/20  Print version    Email this to a friend  

 
Smugglers entice archaeologists to excavate Babajian ancient mound 

TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (MNA) -- Illicit excavations by smugglers at the
3000-year-old Babajian mound in Lorestan Province have drawn a team of
archaeologists to the site to save the rest of the artifacts, if anything
remains! 
 

"The safeguarding of the Babajian mound faces many problems due to the fact
that the site is located in a mountainous region. The path leading to the
site is difficult to tread, but the smugglers, most of whom are locals, can
easily overcome the challenge," archaeologist Ata Hassanpur of the Lorestan
Cultural Heritage and Tourism Department told the Persian service of CHN on
Friday.

The smugglers have almost completely excavated the cemetery of the site.

"The site has been seriously damaged by the numerous illicit excavations,
but the team hopes they can save some intact graves," Hassanpur said.
Babajian mound has not been excavated before, but initial studies indicate
that the site dates back to about 1300 BC.
 
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