More than four thousand clay seals dating back about 5,000 years have been found in Western Iran. The found site could have been an important administrative center, reports the Turkish archaeological news portal Arkeonews.
The find was made at Tappe Telene, an archaeological site opened in 1998. In 2003, it was added to Iran's National Heritage List. Many fragments of ceramics, clay animal figurines, and clay door locks were also discovered.
The discovery suggests that the region was an administrative center for trade during the early Elamite period. Analysis of the seals showed that the ancient Elamites had cultural and economic ties with Mesopotamia and other regions in modern Iran at the end of the fourth millennium BC.
Another notable find was a set of counting objects dating from the same period, suggesting the early development of number systems – potentially the precursors of writing.
