نشریه باستان شناسی
سال سوم شماره 1 (بهار 1398)

The central question and the difficult problem in archaeology as an academic discipline are rational bridging between material and immaterial aspects of subject matters which are addressed by archaeologists. In a general sense, a fundamental dilemma in any process of archaeological studies and historical discipline that are involved with human past is a dichotomy between present and past, and between material and immaterial aspects of their subject matters. Archaeological excavation can only be conducted once as it is an unrepeatable experiment. Conceptualization of archaeological data and adoption of texts are likewise inevitable in any archaeological fieldwork. All topics addressed in this article, from top to down, are about clarifying the same issue.

Recent stratigraphic excavations at Haft Tappeh have allowed us to identify four Elamite building levels, the first one (level I) from the Sukkalmakh era and other three (levels II-IV) dated to the Middle Elamite period. In order to check the determined relative chronology and obtain more information regarding the absolute dating of different levels, a series of samples have been dated by radiocarbon method. The samples were chosen in such manner as to gain a precise dating and, moreover, to examine the radiocarbon method. In this regard we generally selected short life samples such as grains and fruit seeds. Furthermore, several samples were divided in two or three parts and dated separately. This method provided the opportunity to evaluate the correctness of the radiocarbon dating, which transpired that the same sample could be dated 10- 70 years differently. In addition, the samples of all building levels were generally dated rather older than their real age and the results point to a deviation between calibrated radiocarbon and historical dates in the order of 50 -100 years. Although radiocarbon method does not offer a very precise dating, it can be used to determine the relative chronology of findings. The dated samples of different building levels confirmed their stratigraphic sequence.

Most part of the lowland Susiana has been the object of numerous archaeological surveys and excavations for more than 100 years. However, the overwhelming majority of the archaeological studies have been concentrated on the upper Khuzestan plains, the area between the Karkheh River in the west and the Karun River in the east. Surprisingly, the vast region on the west bank of the Karkheh River has never been systematically surveyed.In 2004 and 2005, a four-month intensive survey was conducted in this part which resulted in the discovery of 81 settlements ranging from prehistoric to Islamic times. This data, not only evolve the existing Susiana survey database, but offer new insights into the long-term cultural changes and continuity in the region. It also provides a deeper understanding of the nature of the relationship between Susiana and its periphery, buffer zone of the Deh Luran plain.Analysis of settlement patterns from fifth to the early third millennium BC on the west bank of the Karkheh River forms the scope of this article. Moreover, based on the survey results of the west Karkheh, the Terminal Susa A period (periods between Susa I and II) will be reviewed and re-examined.

First season of archaeological excavation at the pre- and proto-historic site of Tepe Chalow in Northern Khorasan Province, NE Iran, was carried out by a joint Irano-Italian expedition in the autumn of 2011. The joint team opened 9 trenches in the core zone plus 28 small test pits in the periphery of the site to evaluate the accumulation and extent of archaeological layers. Archaeological analysis of the material and data gathered through excavation show influence of different cultural areas including Damghan (Hissar I-II) and Gorgan plains (Shah Tepe III-II) to the south and north of Alborz Mountain, respectively, as well as piedmont zone of the northern Kopet Dagh in southern Turkmenistan (Namazga III, VI). One of the most important results of the first campaign was the discovery of a large mid-late Bronze Age necropolis with the material culture of Namazga VI, the so called‘ Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex’ (BMAC). A total of 6 graves with BMAC materials were excavated in the first season which yielded not only the luxury objects but also the ordinary, household objects and the pottery identical to the contemporary assemblages from Bactria and Margiana. The bio-archaeological studies conducted during the first season of excavation at Chalow show that agriculture and herding were important components of the economic activities of the site all through the occupational sequence.

The crescent-shaped guard daggers are known in Iran from the middle of the 2nd millennium to the first centuries of the 1st millennium BCE. They first appeared in the mid-2nd millennium and have mostly been discovered from Elamite sites in the Khuzestan Plain. Their presence continued through the last quarter of the 2nd millennium and expanded over a wide geographical area, from north and northwest of the Iranian Plateau to the south of the Persian Gulf. By the first centuries of the 1st millennium, the geographical extent of the daggers was again limited, this time chiefly to northwest Iran.The guard on these daggers alternate between a functional and non-functional attribute through time. In the first phase, it had a functional role that changed to a decorative one in the second phase, and with the gradual development of iron blade in the third phase, the guard transformed back to its functional trait.By looking at the crescent-shaped guard as a technological style that reflects both technological changes and cultural traditions, this article attempts to understand the temporal and spatial distribution of the daggers, and to examine social aspects of the style such as imitation, communication and social boundaries.

known. In 1971, while constructing water transport pipelines from the Dālakī River to the city of Bushehr, several column bases were unearthed amidst the date palm orchards located north of Borazjan. Subsequent to the accidental discovery of the column bases, the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR) conducted archaeological salvage excavations at the site under the direction of Ali-Akbar Kārgar Sarfarāz. For almost three weeks, he and the present author, as a team member, investigated Charkhāb where the column bases were discovered. According to Sarfarāz, this monument is an uncompleted palace dating back to the time of Cyrus. Through the assistance of David Stronach, he dated the palace to 529 BC. While excavations at the Charkhāb palace were in progress, the expedition was informed by the locals of the palaces of Sang-i Sīāh and Bardak Sīāh located on the other side of the Dālakī River, close to the village of Jatūt. Excavations at Charkhāb revealed that this site is neither a large palace nor a vast settlement. It is merely an abode like Jenjān that was completely plundered and devastated by the troops of Alexander. Also, the seasonal floods destroyed the remaining parts of the very same ruins which once survived from Alexander's troops. Findings from the excavations in the Sang-i Sīāh palace are as follows: a central hall, four porticos surrounded four sides of the hall and four doors that connect the hall to the porticos. At the first glance, the Sang-i Sīāh palace resembles Cyrus’ Audience Palace in Pasargadae. The structural features of these two Achaemenid constructions are identical. Although the entire palace has not been yet excavated and nine tenth of the building left untouched beneath the ground, one can work on its dating and resemblance. We rightfully know that one of the characteristic features of the Achaemenid buildings is that they are symmetric in design. This fact allows us to reconstruct the unearthed part of the building with high degree of certainty. This paper attempts to explain how this palace was discovered and examines the results of archaeological excavations at the Achaemenid palace in Sang-i Sīāh.

The historical complex of Qal'eh-i Yazdgird is located in the Ban Zardeh basin in the district of Dalaho in Kermanshah Province, western Iran. The whole monumental complex is mentioned under the name of Qal'eh-i Yazdgird, which is one of the defensive forts of the complex. The other significant sites of the complex include Jay-e Dar and Gach Gumbad (Maydan).Prior to archaeological excavations conducted by Edward J. Keall, two Orientalists, Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson and Colonel E. I. Tchirikov, made visits to the site. Keall initially suggested the Sasanian date 5th A.D, for the entire complex; however, subsequent to the first season of excavations he came to realize that the complex contains archaeological sites from Parthian, Sasanian and Islamic periods. Keall’s excavations, which will be referred to as “Joint Expedition” in this paper, were abruptly terminated following the Iranian Islamic revolution in 1979. Given the significance of the excavated materials within Parthian Iran, the Iranian expedition resumed the archaeological excavations at the site in 1386/2007.This article sets out to explore the results of the excavations conducted at Gach Gumbad West. It also provides a full description and analyses of the architectural characteristics of the building, as well as its tentative reconstruction. In addition, the article aims to compare the form and layout of architectural units 1 to 8.

The historical buildings from the late Qajar and early Pahlavi periods of Darreh Shahr are the evidence based on which, one can understand the military, social and economic developments of these periods. The main objectives of this research are: first, to describe the architectural structures of each of these buildings, and second, to examine the reasons for their construction and, third, to study their distribution patterns in the region. Accordingly, the main questions of the study are: 1. What pattern does the layout of these buildings follow? 2. How explainable is, on the basis of historical studies, the reasons for the construction of these buildings in Darreh Shahr County? 3. What factors did their distribution pattern follow?The results of the study show that the historical buildings belonging to Qajar and early Pahlavi eras in Darreh Shahr County include Pour Ashraf Castle from the late Qajar period (date of construction or repair backs to 1335 AH), and houses of Mir Gholam Hashemi and Jahangir Abad from the Pahlavi period. The latter is assumed to be belonged to the second wife of Mir Gholam Hashemi. The initial reason for the construction of these buildings was the military conflicts between the regional rebellions and the military forces of the central government under the command of Seyd Mohammad Khan Pour Ashraf. Having the rebellions suppressed and with the accession of Mir Gholam Hashemi to power, the buildings of this type including Qal'eh-i Pour Ashraf and newly constructed buildings (Qal'eh-i Mir Gholam Hashemi and Qal'eh-i Jahangir Abad) served as places for tax collection and tackling socio-economic affairs. Finally, the increased importance of taxation on agricultural affairs, good-weathered, fertile-soil and water-filled areas such as Jahangir Abad and Sheikh Makan were the factors that advocated the construction of these buildings at these positions. They provided proper supervision of tax collection among nearby peasants and farmers. The methodology of this research is descriptive-analytic and has been conducted based on field and library studies.