Rock Art at the Karaftou Cave and its Surrounding Areas, North of Kurdistan

Abstract

One of the most important obstacles in the study of rock arts in Iran is the lack of an established chronological framework. Some researchers consider these motifs to be related to late Pleistocene and early Holocene periods (Izad Panah, 1348). However, recent field studies show more recent dates for rock arts. One of these studies concerns the Karafto Cave in Kurdistan province which can serve as a chronological basis for the study of rock arts in the entire Kurdistan province. The Karafto Cave is a complex of natural caverns whose entrance and some of its natural passageways have been manipulated during the Historical (Parthian) period (Bernard 1980; Gall 1978, 2010). The existence of a Greek inscription on the frontispiece of one of the rooms of the cave demonstrates that the cave was used as a temple for the Greek god Hercules (Gall 1978). Considering the similarity between the motifs of hunting or fighting horsemen in the Karafto Cave with the motifs engraved on golden and silver vessels of Parthian and Sassanid periods along with other evidence such as the Greek inscription, the rock-cut architectural features, the pottery evidence, and other data obtained from the excavations, one can conclude that some of the motif complexes (especially those created in the man-made spaces of the cave) were probably made in the Seleucid-Parthian or Sassanid periods.