The skeleton of a 3000-year-old artist has been found in a tomb in Espidej of Sistan-Baluchistan, 25km from Zabol in Iran.
    Archaeologists working on the site found his tools buried alongside him, including an awl, a bronze scoop, a grindstone, and a water container used for freezing copper and bronze. The finds show that metalworking was thriving in the area, and that metalwork may have been exported to other regions in Iran and even further afield.
    Alongside the skeleton was found a tiny bronze statuette of a dog, just 1cm long, showing the skill these people had to produce small, delicate artefacts in metal using precision tools.
    Although illegal excavations have destroyed many of the tombs in the area, archaeologists have uncovered two prehistoric cemeteries which have greatly increased their knowledge of Espidej, and further investigations are expected in the historically-rich area.

Source: Iranian Cultural Heritage News Agency (7 March 2005)