Preliminary study of pottery characteristics and introduction of settlement centers in the Early and middle Bronze Age of Northeast of IranCase study: Mashhad plain(Kashafrud Basin)

Due to irrigating the Mashhad plain, Kashafrud River has created a fertile bed and suitable ecosystem during the past, which has been the basis for the absorption and formation of prehistoric settlements in Khorasan. Also due to little and limited of archaeological excavations in Khorasan, our knowledge of the prehistoric cultures of this region is not the same in all parts. Understanding the cultural Characteristic and introducing the Bronze Age settlements as a statistical community for future supplementary researches, is one of the aim and necessities of archaeological studies in the region. At this research the most important questions are understanding the cultural aspects, especially pottery traditions, evaluating the internal and external communications with the perspective of this period in Kashafrud zone. The basis of the this research is the introduction of settlement centers, understanding of pottery traditions and denotation the cultural rather than geographical landscape of the Kashafrud Basin (Mashhad plain) in the Bronze Age in a comparative approach. The results indicate the heterogeneous pottery characteristics in the Early Bronze Age with the surrounding areas as well as similar species in the Middle Bronze Age with neighboring areas. Also, the study of settlement centers indicates that in the early and middle bronze age, sites has gradual growth and continuity of settlement in addition to the increasing population. In addition, unlike other regions of Northeast Iran and Turkmenistan, Middle Bronze Age settlements (simultaneously with the Namazga V) not been abandoned or diminished in the region, but settlements in the Mashhad plain have continued in the Late Bronze Age. The potteries also homogeneous with neighboring areas and in most cases has local property that can be dated only by construction techniques.