The rescue excavation of the Velem site in the area of Golvard Neka Dam in Behshahr city led to the discovery of a collection of 25 burial remains and lavish burial gifts in Parthian Grave, including burial remains and gifts for a lady aged 25 to 30.
According to ISNA, quoting the public relations of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute, Rahmat Abbasnejad Sorsti, the head of the rescue excavation at Behlam city, explained the details of the Parthian Grave:
In November 2020, during road construction and bridge building near the village of Salem, a Parthian Grave was found. Golord, this ancient site was created by the contractors of Mazandaran Regional Water Company and Golord Neka Dam. Preliminary studies have shown that this area belongs to the Late Iron Age (800 to 550 BC) and the Parthian period (250 BC to 225 AD).
Associate Professor, Department of Archeology, University of Mazandaran, added: “After stopping the road construction project, the site rescue and excavation program was presented to the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Institute through the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism and emergency excavation of the Parthian Grave began with the permission of the director.”
Abbasnejad Sorsti continued: “To excavate the Parthian Grave, the board formed a 12-member delegation consisting of archaeologists and anthropologists from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts and the universities of Mazandaran, Tehran, and Kashan. After geophysical surveys, aerial photography, and surveying, another season of excavating this Parthian Grave will take place.
The head of the excavation board of Behlam city said: “So far, during archeological excavations in Behlam city, the evidence of different periods, including pottery and stone tools from the ages of copper, stone, bronze, and iron, has been obtained. It indicates the cultural connections of this region with the southern parts of Alborz in the central plateau of Iran from at least the fifth millennium BC.