Dalma culture

Dalma culture was a prehistoric archaeological culture of north-western Iran dating to early fifth millennium B.C. Later, it spread into the central Zagros region and elsewhere in adjacent areas. Its widespread ceramic remains were excavated in central and northern valleys of the Zagros Mountains in north-western Iran.^[1] Dalma assemblages were initially discovered by the excavations carried out at Dalma Tepe and Hasanlu Tepe in south-western parts of Lake Urmia, in the valley of Solduz.^[2][3]

Further excavations in Dalma Tepe as part of the Hasanlu Project of the University of Pennsylvania in 1961 uncovered more Dalma assemblages.^[2][4] The excavated materials included architectural, burial, and ceramic remains, clay, bones, artifacts, ground stones, and chipped stones.^[5] They indicated that Dalma culture dated back to the fifth millennium B.C.^[2] As stated by Akbar Abedi, an Iranian archaeologist, Dalma is one of the famous type sites located in north-western Iran.^[6]

Excavated ceramics are the most prominent aspect of this culture that has been uncovered so far, and there is less information available about other aspects.^[7][8] The excavated materials do not provide sufficient details about Dalma people and their lifestyles.^[7]

Dalma material tradition was spread across a wide area in the region with analogues technical and stylistic characteristics.^[1] Excavated evidence indicates that this culture dispersed across central Zagros Mountains, northern Luristan, Urmia basin in Azerbaijan, and some parts of Mesopotamia such as Kirkuk.^[9][10] Traces of Dalma culture have been discovered in north-western parts of the Iranian Plateau.^[9] The widespread dispersal of Dalma tradition in this region argues that nomadic people were involved in the spread of this culture.^[11]