Book on Godin Tepe Published in Persian

An account of archaeological researches conducted at the ancient site of Godin Tepe in western Iran has been published in a work titled ‘On the High Road.’

Edited by Canadian expert in Near Eastern Studies Hilary Gopnik and American author and anthropologist Mitchell S. Rothman, the book has been published in Persian, according to the website of Written Heritage Research Center (mirasmaktoob.ir).

Gopnik’s doctoral research centered on Godin Tepe, located in the southeastern corner of the Kangavar valley in Kermanshah Province, western Iran. With Rothman, she co-authored the final publication of the site in the book titled: On the High Road: The History of Godin Tepe, Iran.

Excavated by a Canadian expedition under the auspices of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) from 1965 to 1973, Godin Tepe has seen the longest continuous research among archaeological sites in western Iran.

The book traces the 4,000-year history of this unique settlement and demonstrates how the people of Godin fared at the crossroads of cultures.

The 2011 publication constitutes a major contribution to archaeology of the Near East and provides a fitting culmination to one of the most important projects in Iranian archaeology in the second half of the 20th century.

The book also serves as a record of the lifework of former ROM director and internationally respected archaeologist and scholar of early Iranian history, the late T. Cuyler Young Jr. who headed the Canadian expedition at Godin Tepe.

Iranian archaeologist and author Mohammad Amin Mirqaderi and translator Hadi Sabouri have translated the book into Persian.

  Unveiling at Book Fair

The Persian edition has been published by the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia, a major research institute based in Tehran. It is planned to be unveiled at the upcoming Tehran International Book Fair slated for May 3-13 at the ‘Shahr-e-Aftab’ (Sun City) in south Tehran.

‘On the High Road’ is the first major publication of artifacts that remain at Godin, including over 10,000 pottery sherds (fragments) and elaborately painted vessels, about 700 unique objects of stone, ceramic, bone and metal, including jewelry, bronze drinking bowls, and clay animal figurines.

Among the artifacts are some of the earliest clay tablets and seals.

The authors have woven a narrative of Godin’s history, while explaining how archaeological remains have been used to reconstruct the past.

The book demonstrates how artifacts can offer clues into social, economic, and spiritual lives of the people that used them.