Analysis of Neolithic Chipped Stones of South Lut and their Comparative Study with Southern Zagros Industries

Artifacts recovered from the Bam surface survey and Tal Atashi excavations, as well as Kerman's discoveries, have sometimes been compared to the Neolithic industries of Balochistan, Pakistan, and have sometimes been described as having local characteristics. In this article, we analyze the artifacts mentioned with the samples found in the South Zagros according to the three variables of raw material, technology and typology. The ancient sites of the South Lut and the South Zagros have followed the same pattern in choosing the type of raw material and how to access it, from the beginning of the Neolithic (aceramic) to the pottery Neolithic. The raw materials were generally local. According to studies, chert and flint were the most important and andesite, sandstone and limestone were the least used raw materials. Bullet cores have been documented in most areas. These cores are few at Tal Atashi, Darestan and Ashkaft Haji Bahrami (Aceramic Neolithic), but at Rahmatabad, Mushki and Hormangan they are relatively numerous. Bullet cores became insignificant from the middle of the Mushki Period, and their numbers declined during the Jari Period. The frequency of geometrics in the Fars region, from the beginning of the Neolithic to the Jari period, has fluctuations in shapes such as backed crescent and trapezoid. Crescent geometrics were one of the most important tools at Tepe Yahya and Tal Atashi across all phases of Neolithic in Fars province. The production process of sickle blades in Yahya was increasing whereas at Tal Atashi, it decreased over the same interval. The frequency of these tools was high at Rahmatabad, and low during the Mushki and Jari periods. This trend may be related to the technological developments of stone artifacts and changes in the type of economy during the Neolithic.