One gold and one silver earring were found by a  team of archaeologists near a man’s skeleton at a recently discovered Iron Age cemetery in Lafurak village near Savadkuh in Mazandaran Province, Iran.
     Archaeologist Mehdi Abedini said the man was buried with a gold earring in his right ear and a silver earring in his left ear, indicating he was a prominent person. In previous excavations only bronze earrings have been found.
     Three of the fifteen graves uncovered in the 2800 year old cemetery were very different in that they contained skeletons of long headed individuals, or individuals with dolichocephalic skulls. The graves were lined with earthenware and the skeletons were covered with a layer of earthenware. The gold earring was found in one of these three graves.
     Experts believe the three skeletons were from a non-indigenous tribe because the inhabitants of Mazandaran were round-headed.
     Excavations at the cemetery have to be rushed because the site and the village of Lafurak, as well as eleven other villages, will be devoured by the reservoir of the Alborz Dam when it becomes operational.

Source: Tehran Times, (31 May 2005)