The Dalma Culture in the Hamedan Plain Stratigraphic Excavation at Tappeh Taze-Kand

Tepe Taze-Kand near the Hesam-Abad village has excavated stratigraphically by 5 test trenches. Despite the 65 percent of destructions in the site by the residents, the richness of Dalma wares indicates the significant existence of Dalma traces. The Dalma belongs to the Early Middle Chalcolithic and its name has been driven from a site in the south western of Urmia Lake, 5 km. away from south western of Hasanlu (Solduz valley) and some meters away of a village with the same name Numerous field studies indicate the existence of Dalma traces in a wide range of western Iran to Central Zagros and Northern Mesopotamia which is seen as a mingle of local trends in which Taze-Kand Tepe has the same trend with a lengthy sedentism approaches. Most of the evidences in layers are related to red slipped wares, handmade and a large volume is Dalma Impressed wares form that is comparable with Dalma wares of Godin X. It doesn’t mean that the mentioned phase has been the only culture of this site. For example, potteries of middle and Late Bronze Age (Godin III) and late Islamic period and also a mingle of Godin VI and VII potteries (Late Chalcolithic) were excavated from the upper layers of the main Test trenches and the northern side of sit . Due to abundant movements and excessive destructions of surface layers of Tepe, there is no feasibility to distinct among them. The main corpus of the site includes traces of middle chalcolithic period including distinct phases of Godin X, IX in which its upper layers possess accumulations that is an integrative of Dalma and Seh-Gabi Painted wares. This section is formed fillings having debris like accumulations and a number of its thermal formations like oven sand ash holes were disclosed by clearance. Though in the last phase, Dalma phase, the remaining of characteristic wares such as Impress Dalma ware, clay walls were identified as well as sediments. These wares possess impress drawings and have been decorated with variant methods on the surface. the entire exterior surface is manipulated in a wide variety of impressions, excision and the like in a very dense and random pattern and usually all the potteries are handmade and most common form is a wide-mouth pot with a short vertical neck and ledge just below the neck. The existence of such site in Hamedan plain along with other identified sites can define Hamedan plain as a cultural landscape of Dalma period. We should consider the issue that the steppe region of Hamedan is vulnerable to the excessive utilities and abundant population of herds through periods and today and despite possessing the power of reconstruction, the possibility of destruction is rather high accordingly by the increase of dryness. We should consider the issue that the steppe region of Hamedan is vulnerable to the excessive utilities and abundant population of herds through eras and today. And despite possessing the power of reconstruction, the possibility of destruction is rather high accordingly by the increase of dryness. Therefore, the abundance of settlement of this period is further possible by the inter-region seasonal movements which are yet common in the region. The nomadic populations are yet having their inter-regional and seasonal movements. For instance, a photo of these people was taken during the excavation of Taze-kand Tepe which reside in the surroundings of Tepe or are passing through this region. Considering the existing traces such as pottery architecture and the driven instruments of a semi-centered economy such as spindles in Taze-kand Tepe and also the environmental features of Hamedan plain, we can assign the Dalma settlement of Hamedan plain as a type if half perpetual settlement which has preserved some of its capacities so far.