A stalagmite from Hsārok Cave in the Zagros Mountains of Kurdistan provides a detailed climate record from 18,000 to 7,500 years ago, revealing rainfall fluctuations that correspond with the timing of early agriculture and the rise of civilization in the Fertile Crescent.
Archaeologists have uncovered evidence of 11,000-year-old feasting rituals in western Iran, involving wild animals transported from distances up to 70 kilometers. The findings, centered around the site of Asiab, suggest complex social practices and the deliberate effort to gather animals for communal events, potentially even sacrifice, predating agriculture.
This study uses ecological niche modeling to reconstruct the palaeodistribution of Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans during Marine Isotope Stage 5, identifying the Zagros Mountains as a potential contact and interbreeding zone.
