نشریه پیام باستان شناس
پیاپی 5 (بهار و تابستان 1385)

The area around Lake Urmia is one of the most important areas in the archaeological studies of Iran. The existence of archaeological sites from the Paleolithic period to the late period shows the attention of humans to this area, and suitable environmental conditions can be considered as the reason for this tendency to settle in this area. In the past few years, several Lower paleolithic sites were discovered in this geographical zone during various and scattered surveys. These areas, which are deliberately located in the south of the lake and on the terraces of the rivers in this area, illustrate the existence of settlements from the Lower Paleolithic period and the Acheulean tool making industry. According to the technology used to make the artefacts and the typology of the pieces, the Shahrikand area can be related to the Lower Paleolithic period.

Pottery is one of the arts that has remained among human societies until today. In the written sources left from the Islamic era, there are many references to sieving clay in the pottery industry. These sources indicate that the potters were familiar with sieving the soil through experience and knew that access to suitable mud for making pottery and for It is not possible to make glaze without sifting the soil. In this article, we discuss the importance of sieving in the prehistoric pottery industry and, referring to the results obtained from spectroscopic experiments on prehistoric pottery, we explain how sieving clay played an essential role in making and firing high-quality pottery.

Intermountain plains are very suitable places to settle in mountainous areas. One of these plains is located in the northern region of Fars province, named Dasht-e Bakian/Bakian Plain. In this plain, a relatively large ancient hill is located near Bakian village. According to the surface pottery, it seems that there were settlements from the Early and the Late Fars periods. In this article, while introducing the pottery of this site, the importance of the Early Fars phase in the northern Fars region is investigated.

It is no secret that the Iron Age has a very important place in Iranian archeology studies. In this period, we witness the emergence of significant cultural, economic, social and political changes in the plateau of Iran. In the archeology of Iran, important cultural indicators of this period, especially pottery, architecture and burial, have been comprehensively and extensively studied and researched. However, in the studies related to this period in Iran, the process of iron metallurgy has not been discussed in detail. From this point of view, no comprehensive and independent research has been conducted that includes various aspects of iron metallurgy in the ancient period. Meanwhile, by using the sciences related to the metallurgical industry, it is possible to clarify many issues and ambiguities about the cultural developments of this period. This article aims to present the results of studies on iron metallurgy in ancient times.

With the formation of the Urartu state in the first half of the first millennium BC, which has ruled in northwestern Iran and eastern Anatolia and a part of today's Caucasus region, very significant changes in the way of managing water resources emerged and Many irrigation systems were built with highly advanced scientific and technical principles to provide water for drinking and agriculture. The main reason for all this progress should be seen in the features of natural geography and human factors that have led the rulers of Urartu government to build water supply facilities such as dams, artificial lakes, water storage and canals. Over time, the way they were built has gone through an evolutionary process to the point where archeological findings related to the water structures of Urartu have caused that state to be referred to as "the greatest hydraulic civilization of the ancient world".

Cyrus the Great after his victory over Astyages in the Median Garrison of Paizgada (Pasargad) and in honor of this great success, he ordered the foundation of a complex of magnificent palaces, which was unparalleled in Iran until that time. The magnificent buildings of Pasargad are divided into 5 groups from north to south: 1-Tel Takht, 2-Complex of palaces, 3-Prison building, 4-Tomb of Cyrus, and 5-Holy place. One of these buildings is the building known as the prison, which Darius ordered to build a similar one in front of his tomb in Naghsh-e Rostam. However, the magnificent palaces that were built by Cyrus the Great in Pasargad, the first center of the Achaemenid Empire, flourished in Susa and reached perfection in Persepolis.