The Tradition of Sacrifice in the First Millennium B.C. Based on Evidence the Burial Obtained from the Gohar Tepe

Burial of animals along with their owners is a tradition that is common in the late second millennium and early first millennium BC in different parts of the Iranian plateau, especially in the north and northwest of Iran. In this study, human burial studied along with the burial of a dog, which obtained from Gohar Tepe site located in Behshahr city of Mazandaran province. The dog in squatted form, buried inside a jar, which placed at the bottom of the skeleton. The purpose of this study is to explain the tradition of animal sacrifice to high-level individuals in the Iron Age society because little research has done on the tradition of the sacrificial Iron age in the North of Iran. The questions that can express in this research are why the dog was beheaded, and it was buried in the form of human burial and buried inside a jar with burial vessels? The current research hypothesis is that the dog’s head was cut off during the burial, indicating a sacrificial tradition. Also, the burial of a dog in a jar and fetal posture shows that the owner has a high value in society. In this research, dog burial discovered from Gohar Tepe site investigated using a field study method. The results show that the dog placed in a jar without a head, and according to the available evidence, can be said that the dog was sacrificed and buried within its owner, this unique burial shows the type of sacrifice tradition in the first millennium BC in the North of Iran. In this research, using fieldwork and objective observations, the dog’s burial has been studied and compared with other animal burials in this area. The results show that this burial is a kind of sacrificial tradition in the first millennium B.C.
Keywords: Sacrifice Tradition, Animal’s Burial, Gohar Tepe.
 
Introduction
According to archaeological studies, in the late second millennium BC, due to the migration from the Caucasus to the Iranian plateau, various developments are formed. such as a cemetery tradition, metalworking, and pottery in the Iron Age sites, especially in the North and Northwest of Iran, which one of these developments is the burial tradition (Negahban, 1341: 31-41). “Based on studies and excavations carried out in the Iron Age sites in the Northern and Northwestern regions of Iran, some graves and Gurkan (a type of grave) founded, in which the high-level members of the society buried with their animals, most of the animals are horses”(Parzinger, 2006: 20-23). Based on studies and excavations carried out in the Iron Age sites in the Northwest of Iran, especially in Khorramabad Ardabil Cemetery, some graves and Gurkan have been found skeleton belongs to the rich people of the community, and their animals buried beside them. Among the dog burial tradition, we can mention Narges Tepe in Gorgan, Gohar Tepe, and Taleghani Tepe in Mazandaran and Khorramabad Ardabil Cemetery provinces. These burials the main point is that dog corpses buried either alone or next to the human skeleton (owner) found entirely. In none of these cases, dog corpses were in the jar and Not available with funeral gifts for dogs. However, the unique burial found in the Gohar Tepe of Behshahr, in Mazandaran province, shows a kind of sacrificial tradition. The main issue is the dog’s burial style, which has buried with its head cut off and squatted in a jar next to its owner. Like this burial has not found in other Iron Age sites of Iran, and the primary purpose in this regard, in addition to introducing it to the archaeological community, is to determine the current sacrifice traditions in the Iron Age sites in the North of Iran. The lack of knowledge in this research is the little research that has done on the animal sacrifice tradition in the Iron Age. The purpose of this study is to explain the tradition of animal sacrifice to high-level individuals in the Iron Age society because little research has done on the tradition of the sacrificial Iron age in the North of Iran. The questions that can express in this research are why the dog was beheaded, and it was buried in the form of human burial and buried inside a jar with burial vessels? The current research hypothesis is that the dog’s head was cut off during the burial, indicating a sacrificial tradition. Also, the burial of a dog in a jar and fetal posture shows that the owner has a high value in society.
 
The Tradition of Burial Animals in the Northern and Northwestern of Iran in the Iron Age
“One of the oldest excavations and investigations in this regard is the Hasanlu site in West Azerbaijan. Following the excavations carried out in 1334 by Robert Dyson, some tombs from the Iron Age founded inside Remains of a horse skeleton were found buried next to the owner of the tomb” (Dyson, Muscarella, 1989: 1-27). Subsequent studies on animal burial in Iron Age tombs were carried out by Mehdi Churi in 1382 at Yasan Cemetery in Deilaman. In 1386, some Gurkan depended to the Iron Age were found in Larijan Cemetery near Khodaafarin. According to many archaeologists, the main reason for these developments is the Scythians arrival in the Northwestern of Iran. The Scythians, as one of the most important tribes in the late second millennium and early first millennium BC, are of great importance in historical and archaeological studies of Iran. According to the burials and Gurkan graves that have been obtained, especially in the Northwestern region of Iran, it can be said that the Northwest region is the main origin of this type of burial and extends from this region to the North and other regions of the Iranian plateau. These discoveries show that Herodotus’ remarks about the glorious Scythian burial rite were also common in Iran. It also shows the dominance of the Scythians over West Asia, so the results of these discoveries can be compared with the results of other discoveries of the Scythian burial ceremonies in different parts of the world” (Rezalu, 1394: 26-24).
 
Conclusion
As mentioned, at the end of the second millennium and the beginning of the first millennium BC, the tradition of burying animals as victims along with their owners became very popular. Undoubtedly, this tradition was a Scythian tradition, that becoming popular based on migrations from the Caucasus to the Iranian plateau, especially in the North and Northwest. According to the content mentioned, can be concluded that burying horse’s tradition in graves with the dead in the Iron Age is one of the features of the grave of some sites in this period, which is similar to Saka cemeteries. Moreover, it has a Scythian origin. However, the remarkable thing is that burying the horse with the saddle and their harness or burying the horse with the owner of the grave, which discovered from different areas, is entirely different from burying the dog that founded in Gohar Tepe. Because in most graves, horses buried with saddles and harnesses, which means that they are buried with horses to be used by their owner in another world. Also, most of the skeletons of the discovered horses were buried as usual. However, dog’s burial, which founded in Gohar Tepe, was buried in a jar in fetal posture, including two pottery vessels were placed next to the dog as burial gifts. However, the dog’s head has cut off, and it is possible that the animal’s head treated according to special rituals in animal sacrifices, and the reason for the low number of this type of burial may be due to the small size of the excavation. Second, animal sacrifice has been made possible for a small number of individuals in a particular society or the highest individual in a society in terms of social status.