BIZDAN POTTERY: NEW EVIDENCE FROM THE NEOLITHIC PERIOD AT FORG, SOUTHEAST FARS, IRAN

In the Fars cultural Zone settlements of the Neolithic period emerged from the middle of the eighth millennium BC. In the early seventh millennium BC, societies in this cultural zone, like other societies in Southwest Asia, achieved the technology of pottery production. According to the results of excavations and surveys that have been obtained from the Neolithic Sites of Fars, from the second half of the seventh millennium BC, different pottery styles have emerged in this region. In the northern half of this area, Mushki and Jari pottery style were common, in the southern part, three distinct pottery style was obtained: Qasr Ahmad pottery in the Kavar region, Jalyan type in Fasa, and Bizdan pottery in Darab. Understanding the characteristics of the Neolithic period was one of the main goals of the author's archeological survey in Forg plain, which was conducted in 2019. In this article, based on the surface cultural materials obtained from this region, an attempt is made to study the cultural characteristics of the Neolithic period in southern Iran. The most important questions are: What is the oldest evidence of settlement in Forg? and the common pottery style in this area is influenced by which culture zone? According to the survey, Neolithic painted pottery was obtained from the surface of the two sites, which shows that this plain was under the influence and spread of Bizdan pottery in the Neolithic period. The existence of fertile lands and rivers in Forg can be considered as one of the most important reasons for the attraction of human societies in the Neolithic period.