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Do-Ashkaft cave

location in Iran
Location	north of Kermanshah, western Iran
Region	Kermanshah Province, Iranian Kurdistan
Coordinates	34°24′3.4″N 47°7′50″E / 34.400944°N 47.13056°E / 34.400944; 47.13056
Type	Cave
Part of	Kermanshah Plain
History
Material	limestone
Periods	Middle Paleolithic
Associated with	Neanderthals
Site notes
Excavation dates	1996
Archaeologists	F. Biglari, S. Heydari

The Do-Ashkaft Cave, being a Middle Paleolithic cave site, is located north of Kermanshah, near Taq-e Bostan, Iran about 1,600 m (5,200 ft) above sea level. Its entrance faces south of Meywala Mount, overlooking the national park of Kuhestan. The site was first visited in 1996 by Iranian researchers F. Biglari and S. Heydari-Guran and during the following four years a series of surface surveys were made at one-month intervals, which resulted in a rich collection of Middle Paleolithic lithic artifacts.

The main chamber of the cave is 23 m (75 ft) deep and 15 m (49 ft) wide. Large areas of breccia sediments indicate lateral percolation of water into the cave sediments as a substantial amount of the cave sediments may have been washed away. The sediments at the entrance yielded numerous animal bones, charcoal and flint tools, Middle Paleolithic artifacts, such as side-scrapers and a Mousterian point. Animal bones show signs of human involvement in their accumulation during the Mousterian occupation. They include a fragment of a right mandible of an adult specimen and an upper third right molar of a sub-adult ruminant, both allocated to wild Caprinae.

In 1999 an area of about 7 km (2.7 sq mi) including 14 caves and rock-shelters was surveyed, where Upper Palaeolithic and later lithic assemblages came to light. Records and samples made by S. Heydari provide a paleo-environmental sequence for the region from the late Middle Pleistocene to the Holocene. The Neanderthal occupants of the cave made tools from local raw material outcrops around the cave, which classify as to be Mousterian.

References

1. Biglari, Fereidoun; Heydari, Saman (2001). "Do-Ashkaft: A recently discovered Mousterian cave site in the Kermanshah Plain, Iran". Antiquity. 75 (289): 487–488. doi:10.1017/S0003598X00088578. S2CID 162813291.
2. Biglari, F. (2004) Preliminary Observations on Middle Paleolithic Raw Material Procurement and Usage in the Kermanshah Plain, the Case of Do-Ashkaft Cave. In T. Stollner, R. Slotta, and A. Vatandoust (eds), Persian Antiques Splendor, mining crafts and archaeology in ancient Iran, vol. I, Pp. 130–138, Deutsches Bergbau-Museum Bochum, Bochum
3. Biglari, F., (2007) Approvisionnement et utilisation des matières premières au Paléolithique moyen dans la plaine de Kermanshah (Iran) : le cas de la Grotte Do-Ashkaft, Aires d'approvisionnement en matières premières et aires d'approvisionnement en ressources alimentaires, Approche intégrée des comportements. Proceedings of the XV UISPP World Congress (Lisbon, 4–9 September 2006) Vol. 5, pp. 227-239. Edited by Marie-Hélène Moncel, Anne-Marie Moigne, Marta Arzarello and Carlo Peretto. BAR International Series 1725

Bibliography

1. Fereidoun Biglari and Saman Heydari (2001) Do-Ashkaft: a recently discovered Mousterian cave site in the Kermanshah Plain, Iran, Antiquity, Vol 75, No: 289, Page: 487–488
2. Biglari, F.(2007) Approvisionnement et utilisation des matières premières au Paléolithique moyen dans la plaine de Kermanshah Iran) : le cas de la Grotte Do-Ashkaft, M. H. Moncel, A. Moigne, M. Arzarello, C. Peretto (eds), Aires 'approvisionnement en matières premières et aires d'approvisionnement en resources alimentaires Approche intégrée des comportements, Workshop 23, XV Congrès UISPP, Lisbonne, Vol. 5, BAR International Series 172

External links

1. Kermanshah Cultural Heritage Organization web site
2. Do-Ashkaft Cave
3. Lithic raw material use in Do-Ashkaft
4. Discover Neanderthal footprints at Iran’s Do-Ashkaft Cave

Gallery

• big cave
• on top of small cave
• small Cave floor due to rain water from roof to cool wrought
• inside the cave. in the end of the cave we can see tunnel
• inside big cave; in front of cave is Park of Kuhestan (mountain's park)
• outside small cave
• inside small cave; in front of cave is kermanshah city
• inside small cave
• inside big cave, view of hole one wall

v t e Kermanshah province, Iran
Capital	Kermanshah
Counties and cities	Dalahu County Kerend-e Gharb Gahvareh Eslamabad-e Gharb County Eslamabad-e Gharb Homeyl Gilan-e Gharb County Gilan-e Gharb Sarmast Harsin County Harsin Bisotun Javanrud County Javanrud Kangavar County Kangavar Kermanshah County Kermanshah Halashi Kuzaran Robat Paveh County Paveh Banevreh Bayangan Nowdeshah Nowsud Qasr-e Shirin County Qasr-e Shirin Sumar Ravansar County Ravansar Shaho Sahneh County Sahneh Mian Rahan Salas-e Babajani County Tazehabad Ezgeleh Sarpol-e Zahab County Sarpol-e Zahab Sonqor County Sonqor Satar
Sights	Kohneh Bridge Behistun Inscription Taq-e Bostan Temple of Anahita The Stone cave Hossein Kuhkan Dinavar Ganj Dareh Essaqwand Rock Tombs Sorkh Deh chamber tomb Malek Tomb Hulwan Median dakhmeh(Darbad,Sahneh) Ghar Parau Do-Ashkaft Cave Tekyeh Moaven al-molk Dokan Davood Inscription,Sar Pol-e-Zahab Tagh e gara,Patagh pass Sarab Niloufar Ghoori Ghale Cave Khaja Barookh's House Chiyajani Tappe Statue of Herakles in Behistun complex Emad al doleh Mosque Tekyeh Biglarbeygi Hunters cave,Behistun_complex Jamé Mosque of Kermanshah Godin Tepe Bas relief of Gotarzes II of Parthia Anubanini rock relief
populated places	List of cities, towns and villages in Kermanshah Province

• 1996 archaeological discoveries
• Caves of Iran
• Landforms of Kermanshah province
• Archaeological sites in Iran
• Neanderthal sites
• Mousterian
• Prehistoric Iran