Hajji Firuz Tepe

Hajji Firuz Tepe, located in the Zagros Mountains' Gadar River valley of northwest Iran, is a significant archaeological site that unveiled a Neolithic village occupied during the second half of the sixth millennium BCE. The site is renowned for providing some of the earliest evidence of grape-based winemaking, with the discovery of tartaric acid residues in pottery jars dating from 5400 to 5000 BCE. These findings suggest organized winemaking practices, possibly utilizing wild grapes from the region. The site also displays a sequence of occupations, including evidence from the Chalcolithic, Late Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, and Islamic periods, highlighting its long-term habitation and cultural evolution. The archaeological significance of Hajji Firuz Tepe lies in its contribution to understanding early subsistence strategies and the development of viticulture.