A joint team of Iranian and Japanese Archaeologists working in the northern province of Gilan (Iran) have discovered a Neolithic site, which is the first of the period and the most ancient of the province to be found so far. According to  Hamid Fahimi, an archaeologist with the joint team of Iranian and Japanese archaeologists, the team is now in its fifth season of work, aiming mainly at identification of the historical sites of the province dating farther back than the Iron Age.
     The site which is the oldest so far unearthed in Gilan has been called Arg-e Dasht and should undergo yet more excavations to provide more information on the life of different ethnic groups living in Gilan before Iron Age. Information on life before Iron Age in Gilan is meager, and besides the newly discovered site, only two more have been found in the province. One is located on the southern side of Shahroud River and dates back to the Bronze Age, and the other with pottery remains in Dirjan which has moved the history of the province back to 5000 years ago.

Source: CHN (7 May 2005)