Human remains from 25th Zolfaqar Street, Kashan, Iran, 2017

The archaeological site of Tepe Sialk, one of the most significant prehistoric sites in Iran and the most important in the Central Iranian Plateau, was excavated by Roman Ghirshman on behalf of the Louvre Museum in 1933, 1934, and 1937(Ghirshman 1938, 1939).The site includes four principal components used in different periods: the northern mound (c.6000-4800 BCE), the southern mound (c.4300-2900 BCE), Cemetery A (c. 1500-1000 BCE), and Cemetery B (c. 1000-700 BCE).Together, they cover an area of approximately 40 hectares (Figure 1).Fifteen graves were excavated from Cemetery A, located southeast of the southern mound, while a total of 217 graves were uncovered from Cemetery B, to the west of the southern mound, divided into two sectors: B1 and B2 (Ghirshman 1939).According to Ghirshman's description, the graves in Cemetery A consisted of simple pit burials, typically containing a single individual placed in a flexed or squatted position (Ghirshman 1939:3-5).The bodies were usually laid on their left or right side with the head oriented towards the north or south.After the deposition of grave goods, the pits were filled with soil, and no surface markers were erected.However, the limited extent of excavation and the small number of graves uncovered from Cemetery A render these observations only tentatively representative.In contrast, Cemetery B has yielded a larger sample of graves, allowing for more reliable interpretations of burial practices.Here, rectangular pits were first excavated, and after the placement of the body and associated offerings, the graves were sealed with square stone slabs or large brick or mudbrick covers (measuring approximately 8080cm or 6060cm) arranged in a reverse V-shaped configuration and then filled with soil (Ghirshman 1939:26-28).Although most graves, as in Cemetery A, contained single burials, a small number of double or multiple burials were also recorded.Some graves appear to have been reused, with earlier human remains and associated

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