Zarzian culture

The Mesolithic;
	↑ Upper Paleolithic
	Mesolithic Europe Fosna–Hensbacka culture Komsa culture Maglemosian culture Lepenski Vir culture Kunda culture Narva culture Komornica culture Swiderian culture Epipaleolithic Transylvania Mesolithic Transylvania Tardenoisian Schela Cladovei culture Mesolithic Southeastern Europe Epipaleolithic (Levant) Levantine corridor Natufian Khiamian Caucasus Trialetian Zagros Zarzian culture
	↓ Neolithic;

Zarzian culture
Period	Mesolithic
Dates	c. 20,000 – c. 10,000 BP
Preceded by	Baradostian culture
Followed by	M'lefaatian culture

Zarzian culture is an archaeological culture of late Paleolithic and Mesolithic in Southwest Asia.

The period of the culture is estimated to have existed about 18,000–8,000 BCE. It was preceded by the Baradostian culture in the same region and was related to the Imereti culture of the Caucasus.

The culture was named and recognised of the cave of Zarzi in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Here were found plenty of microliths (up to 20% finds). Their forms are short and asymmetric trapezoids, and triangles with hollows.

Andy Burns states "The Zarzian of the Zagros region of Iran is contemporary with the Natufian but different from it. The only dates for the entire Zarzian come from Palegawra Cave, and date to 17,300-17,000BP, but it is clear that it is broadly contemporary with the Levantine Kebaran, with which it shares features. It seems to have evolved from the Upper Palaeolithic Baradostian."

There are only a few Zarzian sites and the area appears to have been quite sparsely populated during the Epipalaeolithic. Faunal remains from the Zarzian indicate that the temporary form of structures indicate a hunter-gatherer subsistence strategy, focused on onager, red deer and caprines. Better known sites include Palegawra Cave, Shanidar B2 and Zarzi."[1] The Zarzian culture seems to have participated in the early stages of what Kent Flannery has called the broad spectrum revolution.

Small lunates from Epipaleolithic site of Mar Dalan, Rawansar , Kermanshah, Zagros

The Zarzian culture is found associated with remains of the domesticated dog and with the introduction of the bow and arrow. It seems to have extended north into the Gobustan (Kobystan, Qobustan) region and into Eastern Iran as a forerunner of the Hissar and related cultures.[2]

References

Burns Andy "Epipaleolithic Archived April 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
Mellaart, James (1976) "The Neolithic of the Near East" (MacMillan)

Deborah I. Olszewski: "The Zarzian in the Context of the Epipaleolithic Middle East", in: Humanities 19 (2012) 1-20, hier: S. 2.

Prehistoric Asia
Paleolithic	Homo erectus georgicus Japanese Paleolithic Java Man List of Paleolithic sites in China Paleolithic Mesopotamia Natufian culture Peking Man Riwat Soanian Sangiran South Asian Stone Age Ubeidiya Xiaochangliang
Neolithic	Fertile Crescent Early Neolithic settlements Khiamian culture Trialetian culture Nemrikian culture Zarzian culture Neolithic China Neolithic Tibet Neolithic Korea Neolithic Revolution Neolithic South Asia Ohalo Pre-Pottery Neolithic A (Mesopotamia) Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Mesopotamia)
Chalcolithic	Daimabad Halaf culture Uruk period
Bronze Age	Andronovo culture Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex Bronze Age Anatolia Bronze Age Caucasus Bronze Age China Bronze Age India Bronze Age Korea Bronze Age Levant List of Bronze Age sites in China Seima-Turbino phenomenon
Archaeological periods Time periods

Zarzian culture

References

See also