26 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Madagascar’s Enigmatic Rock-Cut Architecture may have been of Zoroastrian origin

An international team of researchers found an enigmatic rock-cut architecture at Teniky, a site in the remote Isalo Massif in southern Madagascar, that has no parallels on the island or the East African coast.

The research was initiated under Guido Schreurs, associate professor at the Institute of Geological Sciences at the University of Bern in Switzerland.

Researchers have documented many newly discovered archaeological structures, including terraces, stone walls, stone basins, and rock-cut structures in various sizes, shapes, and forms constructed in the late first/early second millennia AD.

Archaeological excavations and field prospecting at Teniky reveal a much larger and more important archaeological landscape than previously known.

Surprisingly, the closest stylistic parallels to this architecture can be found thousands of kilometers away, in present-day Iran, specifically in the Fars region. The rock-cut niches at Teniky show similarities to those known from various sites throughout Iran, dated to the first millennium or older and related to Zoroastrian funerary practices.

A series of four circular rock-cut niches. Photo: G. Schreurs et al.

The recently discovered rock-cut niches and carved sandstone walls were constructed in the late first millennium/early second millennium, roughly the tenth to twelfth century AD, according to radiocarbon dating of charcoal found during excavations. This dating coincides with the presence of sherds of Chinese and Southeast Asian pottery, generally dating to the 11th to 14th centuries.

Despite being more than 200 kilometers from the closest coast, this finding is especially intriguing because it demonstrates that Teniky’s residents were a part of Indian Ocean trade networks during the medieval era.

The researchers interpreted the rock-carved architecture at Teniky as part of a former necropolis made by settlers with Zoroastrian origins. However, they note that further archaeological research is needed to test this hypothesis and address general questions.

Teniky: images of the niches: a–b) quadrangular rock-cut niches; c–d) the presence of tool marks in the niches. These are absent in the underlying brown-reddish layer in (d), which is friable and erodes more easily. Photo: G. Schreurs et al.

Researchers have not excluded the possibility that the archaeological structures at Teniky were the work of a group of people whose specific rites and beliefs developed and evolved after their arrival on the island and whose rock-cut structures show, by chance, formal similarities to Zoroastrian ones in Iran.

However, they believe that the people who came to the coast of Madagascar and eventually settled on Teniky brought their rituals and beliefs from outside the island and continued to practice them in a similar way while there.

Dr. Schreurs and his colleagues emphasize independent of the origin, religion, and funerary rites of Teniky’s former inhabitants, further archaeological studies are required to fully situate it within Madagascar and the western Indian Ocean.

Photograph of rock-cut niches N2–N8 at the rock shelter in Zone 1 with a stone basin (ST18) in the foreground. Photo: G. Schreurs et al.

Schreurs, G., Allegro, T., Rouvinez, M., Radimilahy, C., Raharinoro, J., Fanny Sabe, N., … Szidat, S. (2024). Teniky: enigmatic architecture at an archaeological site in southern Madagascar. Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa, 1–44.

https://doi.org/10.1080/0067270X.2024.2380619

Cover Image: G. Schreurs et al.

Related Articles

Remains of a 3,700-year-old domed oven were discovered in the ancient city of Troy

10 September 2022

10 September 2022

Remains of a 3,700-year-old domed oven were found in the ancient city of Troy, located in the Tevfikiye district of Çanakkale...

Seven Roman altars multicolored in the Great Northern Museum

12 November 2021

12 November 2021

We know that the ancient world is now very colorful. But these colors weren’t just limited to robes and other...

Thousand-year-old bone skate discovered in Czech Republic

20 March 2024

20 March 2024

Archaeologists from the central Moravian city of Přerov, Czech Republic have announced a unique discovery. While carrying out excavations in...

Archaeologists Discovered One of the Earliest Christian Buildings in Bahrain

14 July 2024

14 July 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered one of the earliest known Christian buildings in the Arabian Gulf, located in Samahij, Bahrain, and providing...

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of the poet Aratos in the Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City

13 August 2021

13 August 2021

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of Aratos, the famous poet and astronomer of the...

Iron Age and Roman Skeletons Discovered on Alderney

19 May 2021

19 May 2021

Well-preserved skeletons from the late Iron Age and Roman periods were found in Alderney, one of the channel islands. The...

Researchers found evidence of the use of medicinal herbs in the Grotte des Pigeons Cave in Morocco dating back 15,000 years

5 November 2024

5 November 2024

Morocco’s National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage has announced an important discovery that will enhance our understanding of ancient healing...

4500-year-old tiger-patterned ritual weapon uncover in east China

4 April 2023

4 April 2023

Archaeologists discovered an extremely rare stone relic, an axe-shaped weapon used for rituals in ancient China, engraved with a tiger...

DNA from human remains found in medieval well shines new light into a significant historical crime and into Ashkenazi Jewish history

30 November 2022

30 November 2022

An analysis of DNA from 12th-century human remains has provided new insights into a significant historical crime and into Ashkenazi...

Roman gilded silver fragment uncovered in Norfolk baffles researchers

27 March 2023

27 March 2023

In Norfolk, a metal detector uncovered an ancient Roman fragment made of gilded silver. The piece was clearly a part...

5,000-Year-Old Fortress Discovered in Romania Using LiDAR Technology

22 March 2025

22 March 2025

Archaeologists have unveiled a 5,000-year-old fortress hidden deep within the forests of Neamț County, Romania. This remarkable find, made possible...

Rare bronze hand discovered in Roman Vindolanda, England

11 July 2023

11 July 2023

One of Europe’s most important Roman archeological sites is the Fort of Vindolanda, one of the earliest Roman garrisons built...

An imitation Arabic dinar discovered in Norfolk may have been made by Vikings

6 April 2023

6 April 2023

A gold disc struck with a fake inscription imitating an Arabic dinar found near Morston, Norfolk in April 2021 may...

Researchers measure the impact of Population Pressure on Prehistoric Violence in Japan’s Yayoi Period

23 August 2021

23 August 2021

Are wars part of human nature? Do people tend to fight instinctively or do they war as a result of...

Archaeologists discovered medieval Bury St Edmunds Abbey ‘Bishop Boy’ token in Norfolk

19 December 2023

19 December 2023

Archaeologists have discovered token in Norfolk in the East of England, dating from between 1470 and 1560, given to the...