Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Iran.
2
Director of the Anahita Temple National Site, Kangavar, Kermanshah , Iran.
3
,PhD student in Archaeology at the Tehran University, Tehran. Iran
4
Cultural Heritage Expert at the Chogha Zanbil World Heritage Site, Khuzestan , Iran.
5
PhD Graduate in Archaeology. University of Tehran. Tehran, Iran.
6
M.A student in Archaeology, University of Tehran. Tehran, Iran.
7
PhD student in Archaeology, Tarbiat Modares University. Tehran, Iran.
8
Bachelor's graduate in Archaeology, Tehran University . Tehran, Iran.
9
Bachelor's graduate in Archaeology, Tehran University. Tehran, Iran.
10
M.A. graduate in Archaeometry, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran.
11
Graduate in the Conservation of Cultural and Historical Objects, of Art University of Isfahan . Isfahan, Iran.
12
Master's Student in Archaeology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/hsaj.2026.588927.1054
Abstract
Archaeological excavations of the 2024 season (1403 SH) at the so-called Anahita Temple complex in Kangavar were initiated after a hiatus of more than two decades. The primary objectives included resuming field research, clarifying functional and chronological ambiguities of the structure, and establishing conservation management. This season employed an integrated approach, combining extensive excavations in two main trenches with geophysical imaging (geomagnetometry). Key findings from this season underscore the complexity and multilayered occupational sequence of the site. In Trench 1, excavated based on geophysical anomalies, a complex of seven architectural spaces belonging to the contemporary period (likely Pahlavi) was unearthed. The presence of six clay ovens (tannurs), architectural evidence, and cultural finds indicate that this complex served as an industrial workshop—most likely for baking local bread or cookies—rather than a residential unit. In Trench 2, located at the summit of the site, a complex stratigraphy was revealed, comprising at least two distinct phases: an earlier phase consisting of a massive stone platform and stone walls (Parthian-Sassanian?), and a later phase characterized by residential mud-brick architecture with gypsum plaster (late Qajar to Pahlavi), featuring a central hearth built atop the ancient remains. These findings reveal at least three independent architectural phases in the upper section of the site. Overall, the 2024 excavations demonstrated that the so-called Anahita Temple complex was repurposed for residential and industrial functions during the Islamic and contemporary periods. Consequently, the site transitioned from an ancient monument (either a temple or a royal pavilion) into a domestic settlement and small-scale industrial workshops.
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