مجله مطالعات باستان شناسی پارسه
پیاپی 1 (پاییز 1396)

Qalakamandbeg is one of the most important sites accrued to the Neolithic period and without pottery at the Hersin - in the west of Iran – this site has formed in the proximity a silex outcrop (mine) and at the bank of GamasiAov River. Identification of a site accrued to the middle Paleolithic in the recent surveys in the proximity of Qalakamandbeg clearly shows that forming these ancient sites and presence of the humans after Paleolithic period at this part has two reasons: firstly, availability to these silex outcrops to produce the applicable tools, and secondly a permanent water source in the name of GamasiAov River. The large number of dispersed stony manufactures and also numerous collected samples indicate that this site could be called as a camp site accrued to the middle Paleolithic, a site that has been formed to produce the various tools by the silex outcrop at the bank of GamasiAov River.

Central Zagros as one of the significant Iranian archeological perspectives has attracted the attention of many archeologists during the recent century and especially from the 1950s. It seems that the rugged lands of this near east region have been the cradle of many cultural evolutions during the history and the prehistoric periods. Although central Zagros due to its adjacency to the central Iranian plateau, Mesopotamian and southwest of Iran lowlands, and also the northwest mountains of Iran has been of concern mostly for the cultural remnants of the prehistoric societies, yet it has been a strategic and important region during the historical and even Islamic period. Among them we can mention the complex of Taq-e Bostan on the north of Kermanshah located on the ancient path of “The great Khorasan road”. This complex is on the hillsides of Parkuh and surrounded by thickets and a lake which cause it a particular situation throughout the history. This complex owes its fame to the Sassanid rock relief which has been visited by Abeh Pushan in 1792 for the first time. However, Herzfeld studies are the first scientific investigations on the historical complex of Taq-e Bostan. On the other hand, the conducted excavations by Mr.Kambakhshfard in 1969 led by the accidental discovery of some pithos graves by municipality workers, resulted in achieving the evidences of a Parthian cemetery with more than 50 pithos graves and also remains of a village related to Parthian period. According the archeological investigations and studies on the ancient paths of the western Iran, or the surveys have been done in the region and ninety years background of archeological studies about this area, no report regarding the prehistoric existence of this complex has been presented. Morad Hasel site is the closest prehistoric site to this complex which has been identified and surveyed by Mr. Hassan Rezvani and it is related to the chalcolithic and Bronze Age. During the surveys and visits of Ali Hozhabri in the summer of 2013, some evidences of a chalcolithic site have been identified in the western park of Taq-e Bostan complex. This site was surveyed and its surface findings were transferred to the C.H.H.T organization for filing and documenting. Regarding the nature of the findings which were collected during the field survey, the aim of the present study is to introduce this significant site and to present a relative history for the site’s artifacts. In the following, the overall image of cultural structure of this site is recon structed with an analytical view and with regard to the chronology and the location of this site.

In this paper, research was performed on cultural materials from Bard Panir, which morphologically is located on southern Central Zagros at mountainsides of Lorestan, close to the Khuzestan Plain and is geopolitically a part of Khuzestan Province. However, this region is similar to Lorestan Province with regard to its average rainfall, its mild temperature is neither similar to freezing winters of Lorestan, nor like torrid summers of Khuzestan. In addition, this region had traditionally been fertile because of being near Bala Roud, Dez and Karkhe (Hole, 1994). Regarding Cultural-Historical parameters, this region seems to be at least contemptuous with cultural materials from cultural periods such as Shoush II or Uruk in Mesopotamia. Shoush II Period in Khuzestan is known based on what is found in Acropolis I, especially layers 17-22. Moreover, materials from Apadana are analogous to those from Acropolis1, layers 19-22 (Dittmann, 1986: 76). Therefore, this time horizon seems to be related to a network of societies that connect Central Zagros to Khuzestan, and from there to Mesopotamia, within which is especially located the key deployment called Uruk, which is divided into three periods: Early Uruk, Mid Uruk, and Late Uruk. Hence, based on cultural materials excavated by authors and some samples from this site which were kept in Andimeshk Cultural Heritage, the morphology and location of this Tappeh, as a special physiographical region, were determined.

The site, Gand-Ab was archaeologically excavated during three seasons in 2002, 2003, 2006. During the first season, more than 25 graves were discovered, some of which were illegally excavated. In this excavation, we tried to use the excavated graves for completing our information about the funeral customs and architectural features of Gand-Ab Graves. The second season continued archaeological, anthropological studies; in addition to geological, topographical and networking studies of Gand-Ab Site. Seventeen graves were excavated during this season. In the third season in 1385, settlement sites were excavated as well as the graves, and this was an excavation of Gand-Ab settlements for the first time. During the first season, two hypotheses were proposed about the non-proportionality of architectural remnants and the settlements in Gand-Ab compared to the extent of the grave. This site is about 51 km northern Semnan City, 26 km northern Shahmirzad City, and 3 km west of Shahmirzad-Sari Road. This site is located 53/28/23 eastern longitude and 35/54/21 northern latitude. The Gand-Ab Site is about 2280 m above the sea level (Image 1 & 2).

One of the controversial architectural monuments in Iran historical era is a building that today, is known to Anahita temple. In summary, three expeditions excavated in Kangavar terrace that all of them conducted by Iranian experts. The first expedition conducted by Seifollah Kambakhshfard, from 1968 to 1975. He concluded that kangavar terrace was Anahita temple, and it is Where that Isidore of Charax so called Artmis temple. He reported that it had constructed in from fourth and fifth century B.C and it used until end of the Sassanids era. The second expedition conducted by M.Azarnoush, from 1976 to 1977. He believed that the historical monument of kangavar is Ghasr-e lesus, which has been reported in resources of Islamic historian. He supposed Kangavar terrace is a palace from second Khosro era. Azarnoush published a design that it be on basis of design of Alexander verika, but he added some crenation’s to the covering upside of columns.
The third expedition conducted by Mohammad Mehryar and have begun their excavations and repair operation from 1988 until 2000. He reported that the columns which were on the perimeter terrace wall, had been uncovered. Mehryar have presented a design which have shown three uncovered terraces and have shown uncovered columns of external façade wall of perimeter terrace against of other group opinions.
At present, the reasons which proved that Kangavar terrace is a cult that had been belonged to Second Khosro era are as follow:A-The form of building plan which had been composed of three uncovered terrace and it is obvious that no royal palace or residential building had been constructed uncovered.
B-The form of Sassanid places which had been composed of a Ivan which led to the yard. On the other hand, Sassanid palaces usually contained numerous decorations of stucco; however, it is not found any small slice in excavations.
C-It found some engraved capital in Taq-e Bostan that it belongs to the Second Khosro probably, also historical resources reported that some monuments of Khosro consist of: palace, kitchen and so on in Kermanshah district.

Sistan is a plain land in east of Iran and today an extensive part of it is located in Afghanistan. In Parthian period, the region was an important natural, economic and religious zone and the homestead of one of the greatest Parthian families, Soren Pahlav. In Sassanid period, Sistan was called Sakestan and due to its special region, it was ruled by the Sassanian prince Sakan shah who ruled upon vast Koost of Nimrooz. Sassanians not only centralized the political power but also they used Zoroastrianism as the official religion of the country and severely defended it so that state and religion became two inseparable brothers which support and uphold each other. At the commence of the new period, Sistan was attended by the Sassanian monarchies because of the new religious basements of it. In the few texts remained of Sassanid period Sistan is introduced as a very significant region. In Khorde Avesta, Atashbahram, in the twentieth paragraph, after three magnificent fires, fire of Karkooy is alluded (Doostkhah, 1375: 607). In Bondahesh also fire of Karkooy is mentioned related to the three magnificent fires (Faranbaghdadegi, 1369). In Islamic narratives Karkooyeh is known as a private temple of Garshasb and the author of “The History of Sistan” writes: Zoroastrians know it as a holy place and believe that Garshasb left his divine spirit there and made it a holy place by it.

The composition of music and poem has leaded both of them to poetical growth and deep thinking. Sasanid civilization had penetrated in to the pillars of the society in Abbasid period, and music found an important place as one of the symbols of Sasanid civilization. Poets in Abbasid period have created lovely images by musical instruments. In this way, Abu Nawas was a poet who showed his power in creating poetical images by musical instruments. He was able to mix music with human feeling. He knew music as a doleful tune and delightful melody which rises up of the soul of musician, it did not come from a strict string, or a lifeless wood (stick). In his poems, he mentioned some of the instruments; Lute and Flute and Harp, Tambourine and Tanbur and Mizmar were the most important among them.

The mineralogical and chemical investigation of ancient slag is of high importance for economic mineralogist and archaeometalurgist. These investigations reveal information, which is of general historical and mineralogical interest. Over than 95% of metallic reservoirs have proved antiquity evidences. By using mineralogical-petrographical studies on metallurgical slag as an object from the ancient world, it could be enhance to understanding about the major and trace elements via metal extraction.
The basin of Halil Rood (Halil River) is privileged to have a rich civilization. Many objects as well as metallurgical evidences belonging to the third millennium BC have been discovered in this district during the archeological excavations. Kerman – Rabor – Jiroft district is of great interest due to the archaeometallurgical signs in south-west Iranian desert and belong to the Halil Rood region. This district is important according to the enrichment of polymetallic hydrothermal ore reservoir such as Cu, Pb, Zn, Sn, Ag and Au in south and south-west of Zagros orogeny. Several scientists have been focused on this region, as one of the born place of metallurgy in the ancient World [1]. The primary aim of this study was the characterization of extracted metals and the methods of smelting. The objects to be discussed here are mostly copper slag as well as ores. 20 local mining- and metallurgical places have been found through recently archaeometallurgical expedition. These places are mainly consisted of slag-heap, fireplaces and ore deposition, which are remarked possibly as passage-metallurgy along south Iranian desert.