نشریه پیام باستان شناس
پیاپی 23 (بهار و تابستان 1394)

The occurrence of the world's largest landslides on the Kabir-Kuh anticline and on the path of Sayamareh and Kashkan river drainage network has created many wide environmental changes. The most important changes caused by the landslide include blocking the path of Saymareh and Kashkan rivers and creating two lakes which are world’s largest and most stable barrier lakes in the world. Geoarchaeological studies of this region utilizing physical and conceptual tools, laboratory methods, software tools as well as using statistical cluster analysis have led to the landslide fourstage recognition on the Kabir-Kuh anticline and the subsequent formation of four lakes within the Saymareh valley and a single-stage lake within the Kashkan valley; in addition, the results of these studies include detecting settlement patterns of archaeological sites in each periods from Epipaleolithic to Islamic in connection with the formation of the lake and the recognition of the ongoing changes in settlement patterns associated with fluctuations in the lake level. Based on the results of lake sediments dating, the occurrence of the primary Kabirkuh landslide and the formation of Seymare and Kashkan barrier lakes happened about 85000 years ago. Therefore, from the Middle Paleolithic to the Islamic era the human settlement patterns have been environmental changes caused by Kabirkuh landslide and also caused by the formation of barrier lakes.

Mian Kouh area of Ardal County due to high mountains, deep valleys, small plains and being in Nomads routes has been considered by humans from the past. Because of the importance of Elamite period in this region and since the period remains unknown in East mountainous areas of Khuzestan, knowing about settlement patterns and the impact of the environment on the formation and distribution Elamite sites is essential. During the three seasons survey in this area, in 1387 to 1390, 78 Elamite site was identified and recorded. The goal of this article is to study the environmental factors and their roles on shaping the human habitat spatial in Elamite period. For survey and statistical analysis of the effect of environmental factors on Elamite settlements we used some factors such as altitude, slope, distance from river and distance from communication routs in the area. To find the relationship of each site with another one we divided them, according to based map, into several classes and then we obtained the correlation of sites with each class.On this basis, for each environmental factor a map (GIS) was made and by outputs of this map, statistical analysis of each environmental factor and its role in understanding the settlement patterns in this area was done. Distance from water sources is one of the most important environmental factors in formation of Elamite settlement in the area, almost always all the sites had a suitable distance from the water sources. Other iimportant factors are distance from the path and slope direction.

Identifying a large number of Parthian Archaeological sites in Marivan County, has turned this area into one of the most important regions of Kurdistan province suitable for Parthian Period studies. Obviously, Tepe Kalin Kaboud with its considerable measurements, geopolitical position inside the plain and surface findings like clinky potsherds, Parthian jars, and brick fragments is one of the most important Parthian sites not only in Marivan but in Kurdistan province. This mentioned factors show that this sit is not an ordinary rural settlement.

The region in Kuhe-e Khwaja located in Sistan, and the one in Doura-Europos located in modern Syria are outstanding regions from the painting point of view in Parthian Empire period; the art was never seen in Iran before the Parthian Empire. This paper tends to provide a comparative study of the wall paintings in Kuhe-e Khwaja and the ones in Doura-Europos focusing on the artistic methods, motifs and the contents utilized in the wall paintings in the two regions while also comparing with the other archeological objects belonging to Parthian Empire. The results showed that despite differences, especially the ones concerning characters and religious contents in Doura paintings, similarities could be found between the paintings in the two regions in artistic methods like full-faced pictures, outlining, perspective, and in painting contents such as using older styles and models like hunting and levee all having their roots in Iranian local arts.

Through investigation, identification and preparation of the registration dossier of ancient sites, a rock relief called Darvish Ahmad was discovered in Andika city in 1394. This relief which belongs to Elymaean base reliefs portrays a banquet scene in which a person who has lounged has a cup in his hand. An object which is probably a sword, mace or axe along with a tree has been carved behind him. The rock relief is reminiscent of the Statue of Hercules. The Stylistics of this rock relief is comparable with rock reliefs of Bard-e Bot Kohe Tina, tang-e Sarvak II and IV, Tang-e Zir of Izeh, Sheyvand, Bard-e Gori Jangeh, Sang-e Mahi and Bard e Chozeh. The rock relief is the 9th Elymaean rock relief with a banquet scene in Elymaean territory. Numerous similarities among these rock reliefs, which have been carved on the single rocks near migration routes, distinguish them from other Elymaean rock reliefs.

Kordian distrct is located in the east and south east of Jahrom region, Fars, Iran. The archaeological survey of Kordian district was conducted in 2014, led to identifying 57 sites. The all identified sites are divided in 12 groups: Cave-sites, watchtowers, castles, Chahar taqi, Carvanserais, Tappeh-sites, bridge and dams, mills, cemeteries, cisterns, holly shrines and an old route. No prehistoric Tepes were found in the survey. Nonetheless, the first extensive settlements in the region were revealed in the Sassanid period. It seems that, control of water resources by dams, cultivating fertile lands and trading through the Persian Gulf, were the factors of rising settlements in this period. Some dispersal Islamic settlements were also identified. It is likely that, the main subsistence economy in this period was horticulture and agriculture and the main resource of water was Qantas. With prosper of trade in the Safavid period, through the southern Persian Gulf harbors, the trading routes, which were passed from the Kordian district, were so dynamic. The existence of different Caravanserais and description of tourists indicate the dynamic of these routes. In sum, it seems that, easy access to the water resources, fertile lands and trading and traveling routes were the main factors in the distribution of sites.

Historical texts and Archaeological data have an important role in clarifying the economic condition of a region in the ancient times. Today's economic position of Kohgiluye and Buyer Ahmad in Islamic periods is less known due to small number of historical and archaeological researches. In this current study, three factors related to Kohgiluye and Buyer Ahmad's economy in the Islamic era have been considered. This three factors include ecological and livelihood system of nomads, cities as commercial centers, and intra and extera-roads as infrastructure of trade development and commercial prosperity of this region. In this study, besides investigating the three mentioned cases, it has been tried to combine those with results of archaeological investigations and researches. Because of having diversity of acclimation, being mountainous, numerous rivers, diversity of vegetation, and rich ecosystem in general, Kohgiluye and Buyer Ahmad has prepared favorite condition for nomad life during history. The livelihood system of nomad life of Kohgiluye and Buyer Ahmad's people who lived in latest Islamic centuries mainly had been based on animal husbandry that has supplied its products to neighboring cities (Behbahan, Ardakan, Shahreza, and daylam and Ganaveh ports) and supplied some of their needs from those towns, in addition to selfsufficient in supplying their essential needs. According to remained historical texts, this region witnessed commence and prosperity of cities such as Ziz, Gonbadmolghan, and Dehdasht and also two extra-regional roads consist of Fars to Khuzestan and Khuzestan to Esfahan which archaeological investigations also endorse their existence. Rich ecosystem also had duplicated the importance of extra-regional roads and cities of this region so that in addition to exporting this region's products to neighbor cities, this product also has been sent to the far distant countries.

With the help of ethnologic and linguistic researches and archeological discoveries in the last century, our knowledge today about shamans and shaman’s rituals are relatively more comprehensive and inclusive than before. Researcher’s attribute the precedence of such cults to prehistoric and even Paleolithic times. Most scholars believe that Central Asian region and its surrounding areas have been the origin of the shamans. Mongol tribes are one of the most wellknown inhabitants of these regions which have had a culture mixed with shaman beliefs for long times. After Mongol’s conquest of Iran in the seventh century, despite their trend to Islam, there was seen some gradual return to their ancestral beliefs the traces of which is evidenced in remaining materials related to them. In this paper, we analyze the symbols and traces of shamanism in Soltanieh, one of the most important capitals of Mongol’s Ilkhans, and show evidences of such beliefs reflected in Soltanieh dome and other areas of this city.