The pictographs of Chel-Dokhtaroon in the Southern Zagros Mountains, Fars, Central Southern Iran

Abstract

This paper reports and discusses a new collection of pictographs situated in a rock shelter called Chel-Dokhtaroon in the southern Zagros Mountains in Jahrom, Fars province in southern Iran. Chel-Dokhtaroon contains one of the largest collections of pictographs identified in this part of the country so far. The use of Dstretch application recovered the faded depictions, which were not visible to the naked eye. The rock paintings of Chel-Dokhtaroon show stylistic similarities to some other pictographs previously identified in the southern Zagros Mountains. It is proposed that the Chel-Dokhtaroon and Abdozu pictographs show the highest degree of stylistic similarity together compared to the other sites in the area. Relative dating methods have been attempted to reach a primary understanding of the relative age of the pictographs. Using a semiotic approach, the paper discusses that some representations may show social spaces occupied by anthropomorphic depictions.