Early evidence of human occupation in Iran goes back from 10,000 to 100,000 years B.C.E. Evidence and artifacts of this period have mostly been limited to caves in the Zagros Mountains.

The early Neolithic shows burials beneath the floors of peoples' homes which were made of unbaked brick, brush or tents. Burials could also occur in an open area of the settlement, or in an abandoned home. Settlements were small, 50-100 inhabitants, and no central temple was constructed at this time.

There are many interesting prehistoric artifacts in Iran from a variety of areas and burials that have been found to go back as far as 9000 years. Tepe Sarab, or "Spring Mound", for example, was a seasonal camp site found in the Kermanshah plain in western Iran. It has yielded the baked clay figures to the left, with many dogs, sheep, goats and female fertility-mother-goddess figures found, created ca. 7000 B.C.E. Tepe Sarab is one of the first sites of planned agriculture, with the domestication of plants. Agriculture had previously begun in high areas where wild grains grew due to the proper temperature and rainfall, and a small amount of grain could be gathered without much effort by the inhabitants..