A Chronological Explanation of The First Millennium BC Cultures of Nir County, Ardebil

This study uses background data collectd from a field work carried out in Boiniyoghon castle. Three seasons of excavations (2004-2007) revealed valuable remains from the Middle Bronze Age to the Safavid period. This paper at first describes briefly the process of excavation in the trench A of work place1 and then explains the appearance of the first millennium BC Painted Wares according their stratigraphic locations. At the end the distribution of the Wares caracterized here as Ardebil style were discussed. The relationships between Ardebil painted ware and triangular pottery of Hasanlu III is another issue which is addressed by present paper. Results obtained by this research shows that although in the lower lyers of trenches there have been many forms and types of pottery reflecting cultural continuity of Iron III, but ceramic samples of upper lyers indicate a gradual changes from Iron III to the late Achaemenid and to the early Parthian.