Darband Cave

File:Darband cave, Gilan.jpg

Entrance of the Darband Cave.

Darband Cave is a Lower Paleolithic site in the Gilan Province in northern Iran, located on the north side of a deep tributary canyon of the Siahrud River, a tributary of the Sefīd-Rūd River that flows into the Caspian Sea.

The cave contains the first known evidence for Lower Paleolithic cave occupation in Iran. A collection of stone artifacts and animal remains was collected by a group of Iranian archaeologists from the Center for Paleolithic Research of the National Museum of Iran and ICHTO of Gilan. The site dates back to the late Middle Pleistocene period.

Showcase containing two recent discovered stone tools from 2012 excavations at the Lower Paleolithic cave site of Darband, National Museum of Iran January 2013

The presence of large numbers of cave bear and brown bear remains and sparse stone artifacts at the site indicates that Darband primarily represents a bear den. The co-occurrence of artifacts and bear bones does not imply human predation or scavenging. Because there are no clear cut marks, except a few burning signs on the bear bones, they probably accumulated through natural mortality.