Analyzing and Dating in North-East Iran: Proposed Parthian City Shahr-Tappeh, Chapeshlou Township Dargaz

Shahr Tappeh is one of the Parthian sites in the district of Darreh Gaz, near the Iran-Turkmenistan border. Data from archaeological surveys shows that the site is one of the largest Parthian sites in the northeast region of the Iranian Plateau. In addition, archaeological excavations indicate that Shahr Tappeh was one of the most important Parthian sites in the region. The site is limited on two sides by riverbeds, while on the south and north was protected by massive ramparts, probably made of sun-dried bricks and chineh. There are also traces of a moat behind the fortifications. In somewhere near the center of the site, there is a 7m high mound, evidently remains of a monument of some sort. It is possible that this mound represents the acropolis of the site, seat of the high rank chief or governor of the city. Our investigation at the site including a surface systematic sampling. The most frequent finds were ceramic fragments, in addition to some kiln wasters, gypsum plaster and impressed designs bricks. The designs are heavily weathered so the original motifs could not be identified. Similar bricks with impressed designs have been discovered at the type site of Nisa in Turkmenistan. The high frequency of kiln wasters in a quadrant indicated that this point of the site would be industrial quarter of the ancient town. Testing this hypothesis, we opened three small trenches. Although we could not reach the lower strata, due to have efficiency of time and the budget, we could recover numerous kiln wasters and deformed pieces of glass, evidently related to glass workshop, which strongly indicate that our hypothesis on the industrial character of the quadrant could be right. The recovered finds through excavations show close resemblance to those from Nisa, the initial capital and homeland of the Arsacids, which is 80 km to the northeast. The size of Shahr Tappeh and the materials from excavations well represent the importance of the site in early Parthian time in the northeastern Iranian Plateau. Because of such important features, some scholars suggest that the site could be the ancient Dara of the early Arsacid era. In this article we analyzed and discuss the materials and data from Shahr Tappeh excavations, trying to throw light on the importance of the city during the early Arsacid period, and evaluate its position among the contemporary sites in the northeastern Iranian Plateau. We also trying to the answer whether the site could be the same ancient Dara we know from the early Arsacid period; or, otherwise, could the important city of Dara be sought in the modern area of Darreh Gaz in northeast Iran?