Examining the Dalma culture in the northern Zagros of Iran: Insights from the excavation of the Belachak site

Abstract

From the late 6th millennium BCEE to the 5th millennium BCEE, the emergence of occupational specialization and social complexities can be traced in Southwest Asia. During this transformative period, the Dalma culture expanded significantly, encompassing vast regions that included northwest and western Iran, western Mesopotamia, and the southern Caucasus. Despite extensive research on this period, critical questions concerning its chronology, origins, patterns of expansion, and socio-economic structures remain uncleared. Research indicates that, alongside rural settlements, nomadic communities also existed during this time, likely playing a significant role in intra- and interregional cultural interactions. The site of Belachak 3, located southwest of Lake Urmia, was excavated by the first author of this paper to study the cultures of this region during the Chalcolithic period. This paper aims to analyze the Dalma period based on the findings from this site and other sites of the same period. The results of the excavation reveal that Belachak 3 was a temporary settlement used during the first half of the 5th millennium BCE by nomadic communities. The study of pottery from this site, along with the analysis of pottery from other Dalma sites, clearly shows that pottery production in Dalma communities was household. The absence of prestige goods or Communal Architecture indicates that, unlike contemporary societies such as Bakun or Cheshmeh Ali, the Dalma society was egalitarian. However, the presence of obsidian suggests that Dalma communities-maintained trade connections with other regions.