فهرست مطالب

Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies
Volume:11 Issue: 2, 2021

  • تاریخ انتشار: 1401/02/04
  • تعداد عناوین: 10
|
  • Bruno Genito Pages 1-19

    As it is well known, the tradition of studies on the post-Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian periods in general, and on the Iranian Plateau in particular, has always maintained that in that period the urbanization processes of the territory were given a great boost. This was true for both the large quantity of information given by the Alexandrian and post-Alexandrian sources on the subject, and the archaeological evidence which, albeit in a sometimes-contradictory way, would show the characteristics of a major and large urban occupation of the territory with respect to the previous times. Proper cities (very rare and most of them out of the Iranian plateau!), urban layouts, settlements, fortifications, castles, regional walls etc. have always been tenaciously sought and identified (sometimes difficultly) on the ground! However, remains of urban occupation in clear and reliable archaeological contexts have very rarely been completely recognized in the Iranian plateau. One of the cases that we want to bring to the attention here is the one of Qalʽa-ye Sam, already identified in the middle of the last century, and approached by the activities of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Sistan (Iran) between 1959 and 1961 under the direction of Umberto Scerrato. The Italian archaeologist led some surveys and excavation tests on the site, which some foreign scholars called “Qalʽa”, an Arabic-Persian term meaning “fortification”. In this case, Qalʽa-ye Sam (the fortress, or the castle of Sam, whose name derives from the homonymous prince, ancestor of Rostam of the Sistanic cycle of the Šāhnāme in the Ferdousi saga) is the toponymic solution, often used locally, as it happens many times in other cases in the popular ancient toponomastics of Iran. In the general picture of the urbanization processes during the Parthian time in the Iranian Plateau and Central Asia, the author tries to outline a series of possible plans, forms and functional comparisons in the archaeological evidence, first with an overview of the most important settlements and cities of Hellenistic and Parthian times, known also thanks to the sources, and then by outlining other less known remains which have been documented only recently through the archeological data and topographical investigations.

    Keywords: Archaeology, Post-Achaemenid time, Sistan, Qal'a-ye Sam
  • Amin Moradi Pages 21-29

    Almost 12 kilometers to the east of Mahneshan city in Zanjan province, Northwest Iran, there is a collection of hoodoos with an average height of 250 meters nearby Bihistan village that can be seen from great distances. These hoodoos consist of some colossal columns which look like huge mushrooms nicknamed as “Jinni’s Chimney”. Several rock-cut spaces have been uniquely carved inside these sedimentary bedrocks on various levels and the whole site is known as the Qala (stronghold) among the locals. As a result of the occasional lack of documentation for certain phases of its construction and extension, different scholars of Iranian and Islamic architectural history have proposed different theories regarding its historic revolution, some of which seem contradictory. This study aims to determine more precisely the architectural development of this rock-cut site and to study its probable function besides suggesting a relative chronology for the architectural remains.

    Keywords: Rock-Cut architecture, The Castle of Bihistan, Defensive Architecture
  • Kazem Mollazadeh *, Ali Binandeh Pages 31-43
    The southern Lake Urmia Basin witnessed significant political, military, cultural, and artistic transformations in the first millennium BCE. The region was an integral part of Manna right from the formation of the kingdom. Assyrian records contain allusions to some important and central Mannean fortresses. Jowšātū fort perches on an isolated mountain next to Šāhīndezh in southwestern West Āzerbāyjān Province. The fort covers a total area of about 13 hectares, and includes architectural remains visible on the surface as a defensive wall system of two outer and inner circumvallations constructed in a unique style in a strategic location. The attested surface pottery and architecture support a date in the Iron III. Architectural and pottery evidence suggests two construction phases belonging to a single period. Occupation at the site apparently continued into the Achaemenid period as is evidenced by the presence of a pottery flask.
    Keywords: Archaeology of Northwest Iran, Jowšātū Fort, Iron Age III, Manna
  • Amir Saed Mucheshi Pages 45-56

    The Chalcolithic sequence of the Central Zagros, which is designed primarily using the potsherds recovered andother associated material culture has long been used by researchers as a framework for the mentioned region. Thechronology is originally suggested based on some incomplete excavations and thus, it is now apparently in needof revision, at least in some parts. Part of the problem goes back to the phase known as Taherabad (Teherabad) orGodin VIII, a phase that suffers the most from the lack of secure chronology. What is discussed here is the natureof Godin VIII phase, so that it will be argued here that based on the archaeological data recorded from the CentralZagros region, the existence of such a phase is doubtful. Instead of Taherabad, it seems that Hoseinabad comesafter the Seh Gabi Phase. It should be noted that Taherabad Phase has not been identified from the excavationsand field surveys. The author suggests here that Godin VII Phase comes right after Seh Gabi Phase in the easternCentral Zagros and the other regions under its influence and the pottery-making tradition of Taherabad Phase (GodinVIII) is probably part of the previous Seh GabiPhase; therefore, it can no longer be considered a separate tradition.Based on what is mentioned, the chronology of the Chalcolithic Period in the eastern Central Zagros is needed tobe reassessed. Such a proposition results from the analyses of the potsherds recovered from the old and new fieldexpeditions.

    Keywords: Revision in chronology, Central Zagros, Taherabad Phase (Godin VIII)
  • Shokouh Khosravi *, Kamal Aldin Niknami Pages 57-65
    The Urmia-Dokhtar volcanic belt is the most important copper belt in Iran, where the archaeological materials discussed in this article also derive from. The discovery of metallurgy findings in several areas of eastern Zanjan province, such as Khurasanlou, Hipi, and Tapeh Kulyeri (Karavansara) which is located within the Urmia-Dokhtar belt on the western margin of the Iranian Central Plateau, indicates the high potential of this region for studies associated with ancient metallurgy. Recent excavation of the site Tapeh Kulyeri in the Zanjan province on the northwestern margin of the Iranian Central Plateau has yielded some copper ores, multiple anvils, a mold as well as several copper bars. These finds have been dated to approximately 4326 to 4240 BCE. based on two absolute dating samples, thereby providing some of the earliest evidence of ancient metallurgy on the Iranian Plateau, preceding remains from the Tapeh Ghabristan, dating to about 3700-3800 BCE., which has previously been considered the oldest.
    Keywords: Iranian Central Plateau, Tapeh Kulyeri, Early Chalcolithic, Ancient Metallurgy, Copper Ores
  • Mohsen Heydari Dastenaei *, Aliasghar Nowrouzi, Mehdi Mortazavi Pages 67-82

    Laran district, located at the southern basin of the Zayandeh Roud River, has been an eligible location for human settlements throughout historic/prehistoric periods due to its geographical conditions and significant environmental potential. This part of the Zagros Mountains is one of the foremost regions between the Central Plateau and Khuzestan Province thus with its environment plays a crucial role in forming, maintaining, or destroying archaeological sites. This research is descriptive-analytical that studies 27 Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites identified through the archaeological survey analysis accomplish in the Laran district in 2010. Arc GIS was used to facilitate the understanding of spatial patterns through environmental factors. This software combines the existing distances and the data related to environmental conditions with the locations of the sites then offers the results in the form of numbers. Pearson’s Correlation analysis was used to examine the relations between archaeological sites and environmental factors. Existing or lack of correlation among archaeological sites depends on the human’s relationship with their environment which generates a particular kind of perspective. In the present study, the extent of archaeological sites serves as the dependent variable and environmental conditions such as distance from water resources and access routes, the vegetation, the aspect and the degree of slopes, and above sea level (elevation) are independent variables. Additionally, archaeological studies using the same analytical method were accomplished in 61 campsites in the district and the results resembled Neolithic and chalcolithic sites of the Laran district. The results show that settlements in the Laran district are rarely dependent upon environmental factors, which means that the mentioned settlements, similar to present campsites, were used on a seasonal, temporary basis.

    Keywords: Laran District, Bakhtiari Highlands, Environmental Factors, NeolithicAnd Chalcolithic, Pearson Correlation
  • Nasrin Ghahremani, Farzad Mafi *, Araz Najafi Pages 83-95
    Until now, the well-known Kurgans in northwestern Iran were associated with burial mounds containing burial pits;however, discoveries in 2018 revealed mounds lacking human burials indicating still unknown rituals and ceremonies.Shahliq Kurgan, 178 km northeast of Tabriz, is one of such Kurgans. Before the construction of Peygham-Chay Damby East Azerbaijan Regional Water Authority, the survey and identification of archaeological sites at the dam sitewas done in 2014 in order to save the historical-cultural monuments at risk of being submerged. The first season ofrescue excavation began in 2018. The architecture of the mound, abundant stone tools, sacrificial offerings as wellas ash deposits, indicate that the mound had been a place for some special rituals and ceremonies during the earlyfirst millennium BCE. The ash material recovered from the site suggested the tradition of cremation, a hypothesisrejected in later anthropological experiments. It may also be one of the first sites where fire was set in an openspace for ritual purposes, since the large volume of ash could be evidence for this idea. The evidences for ecologicalsequence obtained from deposits underneath a stone structure indicate that during the period of establishment ofhuman settlements in Bronze Age, metal extraction and smelting and extensive use of forest resources caused thevegetation to turn from dense forests into scattered shrubs. The present study is based on field excavations as wellas library resources to study the function of burial-deprived kurgans following a descriptive analytic approach.
    Keywords: Kurgan, Shahliq, Kaleybar, ritual, First millennium BCE
  • Lily Nakan Pages 97-123

    Following its inauguration, the National Museum of Iran used to be entrusted with the storing of all objects obtained from archaeological investigations over several decades. Yet access to stored objects began getting increasingly difficult over time. For that reason, a lion share of the stored objects remained unpublished. Whilst select works on display at museum halls have their own importance, a full insight into cultural, economic, political and technological developments will inevitably call for a study of a given cultural complex as a whole, which consists of stone tools and blades, pottery, faunal remains, and all other vestiges of the pertinent society. Hence, a reorganization work planned for the Museum’s storerooms, as part of which the author embarked on a study of the pottery assemblages from the Early Bronze Age levels of Yanik Tepe deriving from C. Burney’s 1960s excavations. The main question was: To what extent did the newcomer potters communicate their homeland artistic traditions on this pottery? Data from museum and library enquiries provided the basis for a comparative study. The dataset was analyzed qualitatively, and the study adopted a culture-historical approach. Statistical analysis revealed the predominating decorative scheme to be one consisting of a combination of geometric patterns, like simple bands, with animal or bird motifs, an observation reflecting the import of these species to the local subsistence economy that essentially relied on raising livestock and hunting. Comparison to the material from other spheres across the geographic extent of the culture showed that while the homeland legacy is mirrored in a few cases, there are also examples reflecting experimentations of local artisans.

    Keywords: Azerbaijan, Yanik Tepe, Early Bronze, Pottery, National Museum of Iran
  • Fahimeh Homayoun *, Younes Zare, Siroos Zare Pages 125-129
    Masonry materials for the colossal monumental structures of Persepolis, the awe-inspiring architectural complex from the Achaemenid period, would be sourced from the surrounding mountains that occasionally lie up to 40 km away. Several techniques were involved in splitting stone from quarry masses. Once split, stonecutters would choose where in the structure and for what purpose each block befitted. At times, impurities were detected in blocks either before splitting or during rough cutting at the quarry site, or after final dressing on the construction site, viz. the Terrace. Apart from those for quarrying, Achaemenian masons applied several other techniques as part of setting, attaching and dressing processes on the construction site. Some blocks bear marks that were made by stonecutters and have thus been categorized as stonecutter’s marks. Yet, there are other related symbols that are instead connected with specific techniques used by masons for setting in place and holding together separate stone blocks. The present work addresses problems the stonecutters had to tackle while selecting blocks for using in the structures on the Terrace, and placing them atop each other during the construction process.
    Keywords: Persepolis, Stone Mason, Impurity veins, Setting techniques
  • Abdolreza Partabian Pages 131-133

    The Makran is the location of ancient civilizations and one of the most important tsunamigenic zones in the world.Historical and instrumental records indicate the occurrence of large earthquakes on the main Makran fault and theresulting tsunamis but the accuracy of a number of these has been questioned. Geological and tectonics studiesalone cannot confirm the occurrence of paleo-tsunamis. Archaeological data showing the collapse of the ancientcivilizations along with geological records of paleo-tsunami can be of great help to have a better understanding thisphenomenon in the future. The interaction of geology and archaeology can lead to a re-reading of the history oftsunamis which have influenced coastal civilizations, so provide a better estimate of the occurrence of tsunamis andtheir catastrophe in the future. Thus, to assess the environmental causes for the collapse of the ancient civilizationsin the Makran shoreline, it is necessary to support geoarchaeological studies.

    Keywords: Makran Fault, Tsunami, Ancient Cvilization, Tectonic Archaeology