Posted on 05/17/2005 12:40:44 AM PDT by nickcarraway
TEHRAN -- Archaeologists at a dig on a farm in western Iran have uncovered a skeleton with a solid gold mask in a bronze coffin in what could be the first of a fresh wave of Parthian-era discoveries.
"This finding is without precedence in our province," said the head of the Lorestan cultural heritage organization, Sirous Ebrahimi.
"We were told by locals that some people were searching the area with metal detectors, so we rushed to the area, and sealed it off," he explained.
He said that the coffin dates back between 1,700 and 2,200 years.
The Parthian Empire occupied all of modern Iran, Iraq and Armenia and parts of modern Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan from 247 BC to AD 224.
However, archaeologists have said that little in terms of written primary sources have been uncovered, adding weight to the fresh discovery of artifacts.
Rome held the west. Parthia held the east. The dividing line was determined through years of warfare to be the Euphrates.
Parthia, the only empire that kicked Roman ass for sport. Then the muslims came and screwed up a perfectly good culture.
Actually, the Parthians were done in by the Sassanians.
Shortly after the defeat of the Parthians, the Sassanian ruler Shapur I captured the Roman emperor Valerian alive and kept him around as a footstool for the rest of his life.
"Shortly after the defeat of the Parthians, the Sassanian ruler Shapur I captured the Roman emperor Valerian alive and kept him around as a footstool for the rest of his life."
Well that's got to be an ego bruiser.
Seriously a bronze casket and a gold mask spells royalty.
This is a major find.
pong
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