Darband Cave is a
Lower Paleolithic site in the
Gilan Province in northern
Iran, located on the north side of a deep tributary canyon of the Siahrud River, a tributary of the
Sefīd-Rūd River that flows into the
Caspian Sea.
The cave contains evidence for the earliest prehistoric human cave occupation during the Lower Paleolithic in Iran. Stone artifacts and animal
fossils were discovered by a group of Iranian archaeologists of the Department of Paleolithic of the
National Museum of Iran and ICHTO of
Gilan. The site dates back to the late
Middle Pleistocene period.
Bear remains
The presence of large numbers of
cave bear and
brown bear remains and sparse stone artifacts at the site indicates that Darband primarily represents a bear den. The co-occurrence of artifacts and bear bones does not imply human predation or scavenging. Because there are no clear cut marks, except a few burning signs on the bear bones, they probably accumulated through natural processes [citation needed]
Biglari, F.; Jahani, V.; Mashkour, M.; Argant, A.; Shidrang, S.; Taheri, K. (2007). "Darband Cave: New Evidence for Lower Paleolithic occupation at Western Alborz Range, Gilan". Paper Presented at the 11th Symposium of the Geological Society of Iran, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad.
Biglari, F.; S. Shidrang (2006). "The Lower Paleolithic Occupation of Iran". Near Eastern Archaeology. 69 (3–4): 160–168.
doi:
10.1086/NEA25067668.
S2CID166438498.