Lowland Susiana in the Fourth Millennium BCE

Excavations at KS-04, KS-59, and KS-108

By (author) Abbas Alizadeh

Image coming soon

Extent: 26 pages

Publisher: Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures

Subjects: Ancient Near East

Series: ISAC Publications

Series volume number: 2

Language: English

Hardback (Forthcoming)

(June 2026)

ISBN: 9781614911517

9 x 11.5 inches

Price: $139.95

In stock

This is the final report on ISAC’s 2004-2006 excavations at three major prehistoric population centers in northern Susiana: KS-04 (Chogha Do Sar), KS-59 (Abu Fanduweh), and KS-108 (Beladieh). ISAC’s stratified excavations at these three sites have revealed important contextual evidence for the processes underlying sociopolitical and economic complexity in prehistoric lowland Susiana.


During two seasons in 2004-2006, the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures excavated three major prehistoric population centers in northern Susiana, in the modern-day province of Khuzestan, Iran: KS-04 (Chogha Do Sar), KS-59 (Abu Fanduweh), and KS-108 (Beladieh). The three sites were chosen because of their large size and the prominent role they have played in analyses of the pottery typology, chronology, and politics of fourth-millennium BCE Susiana. Most researchers consider the fourth millennium to be a pivotal period in the development of state-level organization in southwestern Iran. During this time, KS-04, KS-59, and KS-108, along with Chogha Mish and Susa, constituted the region’s major polities. Whereas much of the theoretical framework concerning the local origins of sociopolitical complexity has been based on excavated materials from Susa and Chogha Mish, interpretations of KS-04, KS-59, and KS-108 have largely been derived from surface surveys. ISAC’s stratified excavations at these three population centers have now provided important contextual evidence for the processes underlying sociopolitical and economic complexity in prehistoric lowland Susiana.

Foreword
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Plates
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Introduction
1. Khuzestan’s Environment
2. Lowland Susiana in the Fourth and Early Third Millennia BCE
3. Surveys and Excavations
4. Pottery
5. Administrative Technology
6. Small Objects
Appendix A. Robert McCormick Adams’s 1960–61 Survey of Khuzestan
Appendix B. Faunal Remains of KS-59 (Abu Fanduweh)
Appendix C. Existing Fauna of Northern Khuzestan
Appendix D. Existing Flora of Northern Khuzestan
Plates

  • By (author) Abbas Alizadeh