Kavehfarrokh.com was informed on Friday November 27, 2015 of the discovery of a new Parthian site in Khuzestan in 2013 by the archaeological expedition of Dr. Gholamreza Karamian (Azad University, Tehran, Iran – Central Branch; University of Warsaw, Poland) and his graduate student Farzad Astaraki. Note that Dr. Karamian had also uncovered the Sassanian site of Ramavand in 2013.
The Parthian relief was discovered in the western part of Andika located in the northern section of Masjid Suleyman, Khuzestan Province in Iran. The Andika relief shows a Parthian man (most likely a warrior and/or Azat nobleman) leaning on his left hand and holding a branch of plan (see below).
The Parthian relief at Andika discovered by Dr. Gholamreza Karamian and Farzad Astaraki. The specific location of this relief is in the northern village of Darvish Ahmad that is 50 kilometers from western Andika in Khuzestan Province. The GPS position of the site is: N 32 23 32/3 and E 49 30 21/5. The dimensions of the Andika relief are 2 meters (length) by 1.20 meters (width) (Courtesy of Dr. Gholamreza Karamian and Farzad Astaraki).
As noted by Dr. Karamian to Kavehfarrokh.com on November 27, 2015:
“There are other Parthian sites in Khuzestan that are similar to the one we uncovered in Andika. The most similar motif is Block II in Tang e Sarvak, an archaeological site in eastern Khuzestan province, located in the mountainous area, approximately 50 km north of Behbahan. The other Parthian site is located near Masjid Suleiman and was discovered by the Vanden Berghe team in 1965.”
Sketch by Dr. Gholareza Karamian of the Parthian relief at Andika (Courtesy of Dr. Gholamreza Karamian).
The full report for these findings will be published in academic journal format for publication in 2016.
