Shahdad (archaeological site)

The Shahdad ancient Near East archeological site lies in the north-western edge of the Lut Desert of Kerman Province of southeastern Iran roughly 65 kilometers east of modern Kerman. Initially called "Chale Takab" it has come to be generally known as Shahdad due to the proximity, about five kilometers to the west, of the modern town of Shahdad. Begun on a small scale in the 5th millennium BC the site was primarily occupied in the 3rd millennium BC, Early Bronze Age, and included a large cemetery from the second half of the 3rd millennium BC. Some occupation at the site continued into the early 2nd millennium BC. A single pottery sherd excavated from Shahdad in 1971 had what is thought to be a 6 sign Linear Elamite inscription. The site was a major center of metal extraction and processing in the 3rd millennium BC over a peripheral area covering about 9 square kilometers. A single hollow clay envelope containing clay tokens was found at the site. It has been suggested that the Mesopotamian water god Enki was worshiped at the site. Early on it was suggested that Shahdad was the location of 3rd millennium BC city of Šimaški.

Two other sites on the Shahdad Plain, Tepe Dehno and Tepe East Dehno, have also been excavated.