سیدمنصور سیدسجادی

Shahdad is one of the prehistoric sites in southeastern Iran, where the discovery of a large number of objects related to daily life, especially ceremonial objects, from a cemetery indicate that the city had an important place in the interregional exchange during the Bronze Age. A group of stone objects from Shahdad are objects made of chlorite stones. Chlorite stone objects are scattered almost throughout the eastern and northeastern regions of Iran, and these examples in Susa, Tepe Yahya, various sites on the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia, and the north of the Arabian Peninsula led to the invention of the term “intercultural” for them, but with the discovery of their main production center in the Jiroft Plain, this theory was rejected and archaeologists applied the new term “Jiroftian” to this group of objects. Chlorite stone is found in dark green, black, and gray colors, and its mines are found in several places in Kerman, including the Orzueeyeh Garden Tower. All three colors of chlorite are seen among Shahdad objects which this article deals with.

Here are presented the preliminary results of excavations in buildings Nos. 1 and 20. The first one is large, with tens of rooms/ spaces and 6 structural levels (Levels A-F) of periods II and III. Level A is the oldest and most structures of this level are storage rooms, containing seals, seal impressions and other administrative objects. Level B is not well-documented, although changes are seen in the use of the architectural complex. Level C is somehow similar to the previous one. In Level D the Building becomes a large structure, perhaps attesting growing social complexity in Sistan. The main entrances are on the southern side, living spaces are on the central axis and storage spaces on the eastern and western margins. About 50 Spaces were excavated in Level E, but the main part of the structures of this level consists in 10 rooms. Level F is the last one, later on this part of the settlement was abandoned. Building 20 lies northwest of Building 1. Excavations lasted only 25 days and are not complete. The complex has 12 spaces disposed in a northsouth direction with a coherent architecture of mud bricks. Rooms have right angles and walls approximately 70 - 80 cm thick. The main entrances of building were generally painted with two layers of red and white plaster. In spaces 4 and 5 were found two very large fireplaces, filled with a large amount of ash and charcoal. The exterior of the fireplaces were coated with white clay plaster. According to the very few materials, mainly pottery, this building can be dated to period IV.