Keshik, Nikshahr: Archaeological Findings from the Third Millennium BC in South Makran

Southern Makran is a less known region in the archaeology of southeastern Iran. During the recent years, archaeological filed studies have led to the identification of a significant number of Bronze Age sites in the region. In 2013, during the civil activities related to water supply, a small part of an ancient site that was named as Keshik, was accidentally,uncovered. The site borrows its name from a village of the same name located in the north of the site. The geographical location of the region, where Keshik village is located, demonstrates its strategic-intermediation importance. The main aim of this study, while introducing archaeological evidence discovered from the first season of field work in thearea, is to understand the possible relationship between this part of Iranian Baluchistan and Kech Makran in Pakistani Baluchestan during the Miri Qalat IIIb and IIIc periods This is mostly based on pottery typological comparisons, especially relief pottery. In fact, to have a better understanding of the possible communications, the data discoveredby the province›s cultural heritage experts was also very useful. The evidence documented from the site, including the different structures of the tombs, the stone architecture, and the pottery workshop (as one of the centers for the production of fine gray pottery), also gives us an understanding of the connections in the Indo-Iranian borderlands.