Niskabad Tepe of Sardasht, a Parthian Settlement on the Banks of the Small Zab River

Niskabad tepe is located 5.5 km southeast of Sardasht city, 5 km south of Rabat city And 1 km north of Niskabad village along the west bank of the small Zab River. The excavation of this tepe was carried out in 2015 for two months in line with the rescue project behind Sardasht Dam and also the study of the archaeological landscape of the region, especially in prehistoric and historical periods. A total of four trenches were created in Niskabad Tepe. Excavations in these trenches have led to the identification of architectural remains (Chinese stone walls of the river type), numerous pieces of pottery and stone tools. The study of architectural remains and samples of pottery in Niskabad Tepe has shown that the site is single-period and short-term residence of human groups in this Tepe. According to studies, the pottery form of the yard consists of a variety of bowls, cups, jars, pots and jars. The decorations created on the pottery include added patterns (rope-shaped), carved patterns and stamped patterns. In addition to ordinary pottery, a limited number of glazing pottery have been identified. One of the main questions raised in the present study is that the form and technical characteristics of Parthian pottery in Niskabad tepe are comparable to which areas? In this regard, it seems that the Parthian pottery of the Tepe, in addition to being comparable to areas such as Yazdgerd Castle, Qorveh Kurdistan, areas of Hamadan, Lorestan and northwestern Iran, also have some local and indigenous characteristics. According to the comparisons, it seems that the settlement in this Tepe was in the early and middle of the Parthian period. It seems that the study, evaluation and study of cultural data of Niskabad Tepe can identify some of the hidden angles of the Parthian period in the region.