Bitumen trade in Tepe Farukhabad, Deh Luran

bitumen seep of Ain Gir is one of the important natural resources of this plain. Archeological findings show that bitumen has been extracted and produced on a large scale in the Deh Luran plain due to its many useful features. Bitumen in Tepe Farukhabad has been one of the important items that was produced from the Farukh to Early Dynastic Phases. The process of bitumen production in Farukhabad can be divided into two stages: the first includes Farukh to Middle Uruk Phases, where bitumen production is at a low level and a small amount of it was exported, and an important part of it was consumed had a local. The second phase of the Late Uruk, Jemdet Nasr, and Early Dynastic Phases. At this stage, noticeable changes occurred in the process of production and use of bitumen. The production of bitumen and its export increased noticeably and its local consumption decreased drastically. At the same time, in the Late Uruk period, large non-native buildings were erected, which were apparently the office spaces of workshops related to the production and trade of bitumen. Also, during this period, the scope of settlement in Farukhabad reached its maximum expansion. It seems that the increase in the need for bitumen led to the establishment of new groups in Farukhabad and more efforts to produce and export it to the desired centers. Probably, in the recent stage, we are faced with non-native specialists who have settled in Farukhabad and managed bitumen export.