The Burnt City and the Golden Eye
In a Bronze Age city in Iran, archaeologists found a woman with an artificial eye made 5,000 years ago.
What was reported
Shahr-e Sukhteh, 'the Burnt City', is a large Bronze Age settlement in south-eastern Iran, lived in from about 3200 to 2350 BC and burned several times. It was a centre of trade and craft.
In 2006 archaeologists found the skeleton of a woman with an artificial eyeball, apparently made of a light paste, coated in gold and engraved with lines like an iris. Other finds include an early board game and a pottery cup that seems to show a goat leaping in stages, like an animation.
Explanations offered
The artificial eye is thought to be the oldest known. Why the city was finally abandoned is debated; changes in rivers and climate are likely factors. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- When
- Lived in from about 3200 BC
- Where
- Shahr-e Sukhteh, Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran
- Witnesses
- Archaeologists
- Status
- Partly explained
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