Local and Regional Styles of Parthian – Sassanian Pottery in the East of Iran Based on the Pottery Sherds from the Nehbandan County (Khorasan-e Jonoubi Province)

From the archaeological point of view, pottery contains valuable information about living conditions and economic, social and cultural interactions between peoples who live in a region or beyond in past. Identifying the pottery characteristics and its common styles in the region are the first steps for extracting and analyzing this information. Parthian-Sassanian pottery in the east of Iran consists of prominent features that show transregional interactions along with the persistence of local traditions. The collection of pottery sherds newly found in the Neh plain and the Chaharfarsakh Valley of the Nehbandan county provide indicative properties of the traditional pottery styles in eastern Iran during the Parthian and Sassanian periods. Comparative study of the diagnostic Parthian-Sasanian potteries of Sisatn and southern Khorasan demonstrates a close relationship between the pottery traditions of these two regions. Accordingly, the materials wich used as temper and the style of decorations bear an equal resemblance. This resemblance can be detected also in the form of the ceramics from Nehbandan with those from the historical sites of Sistan. Moreover, almost all of the potteries were manufactured using the wheel and only the sherds belonged to the handles, lids, or spouts are handmade. The study of potteries from the Nehbandan county shows that the historical processes in the Parthian and Sassanian periods and passing important roads such as the ancient Khorasan–Sistan route through the region have had a profound impact on the making and processing methods in the manufacturing of the potteries. This study shows that some styles in the Nehbandan region have indigenous and local traits, following the common pottery patterns in the east of Iran. A considerable number of studied cases are influenced by the prevalent designs in Iran which are comparable to the Parthian–Sassanian cultural centres. This is understandable in the context of historical events and cultural trends during the Parthian–Sassanian period