مجله مطالعات باستان شناسی
سال سیزدهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 28، زمستان 1400)

We are justlfied in our study of  Iran’s historical period by the invisible and clear vestiges of the mysterious Parthian empire, which has piqued the interest of a lot of historians and intellectuals. Parthian history has been disproved in numerous dimensions such as political dimensions, social dimensions, and cultural dimensions using contemporary research based on Greek, Roman, Armenian,Syriac, Middle Persian, and Islamic sources, as well as archeological evidence. On the basis of ancient historical writings, it is now possible to recreate a portion of the Parthian Empire’s history. Chronicles, written in Syriac, are among the most important historical sources for reconstructing ancient Near Eastern history. These sources are especially vital for refining pre-Islamic Iran’s history, as it would be pointless to write the history of Iran during the Sassanid era without utilizing Syriac resources. With these contexts in mind,the goal of this paper is to follow the Parthian rulers’ history through a variety of sources. When all of the available Syriac chronicles are taken into account, it becomes clear that these sources were mostly neglected by all of the Parthian rulers, and that no names or addresses can be located in them. At first glance, the absence of Parthian kings, history in Syriac sources suggests that there is no need to study these sources in relation to Parthian history; however, the opinion of this essay is that such a void to depict forgetting of the Parthian kings was not accidental in the Syriac sources, but rather was influenced by the tradition of Iranian historiography in the Sassanid (Sassanian)epoch,and since then the historical has been influenced by.

The study of pottery production and organization in the Bronze Age helps us to know the cultural and technical characteristics. Knowing this issue is done by relying on production technology and recognizing the traditions used in pottery production, as well as by examining the possibility of exchange or trade and internal and external regional actions.  Accordingly, it is necessary to know about the explanation and analysis of the Bronze Age pottery-making in the prehistoric settlement, especially in the Bronze Age. In Khorasan, we don’t have enough archaeological pieces of information about the Bronze Age and this area consists of many plains such as Neyshabur plain that this plain is one of the most important. The location and suitable environment of Neyshabur plain are the most important reasons for the development of human societies. The basis of this research is the construction of furnaces, production techniques, topology, and distribution of pottery pieces, which have been obtained during the 5 seasons of Shahrak-e Firouze archaeological excavations. Based on this, the process of producing pottery has been done outside the residential zone and has been formed centrally, such as large-scale industrial centers on the outskirts or adjacent to the settlement. Their production technology has also been selected and designed with the aim of mass production. The forms are simple and varied and are dated in a comparative approach in the Middle and Late Bronze Ages, while in their development, the influences of the Bactria Margiana Archaeological complex (Oxus Civilization) are seen as the most important known culture of Central Asia in the Bronze Age. The similarities between the pottery traditions and, in a way, the specialized pottery production organization between the Neyshabour plain and Central Asia show similar traditions on a trans-regional scale. The results of this study show that the pottery making of Neyshabour in the Bronze Age has been associated with Central Asia more than the interior of the Iranian plate.

Urartiand ruled over the shores of Urmia, Van and Sevan Lakes in from about 9th to 7th centuries B.C.E. Bullae are among the smallest but most significant pieces of information they have left. The Urartian bullae of Iran are only discovered in Bastam and Ziwiye. There are about 1416 damaged Urartian bullae discovered in the excavations of Bastam and are in National Museum of Iran. They are mostly sealed with stamp and cylinder seals. The seals sometimes bear an inscription or a number of inscriptions were directly written on the bulla. Some contributions have been fulfilled regarding the bullae from Bastam but less has taken place on their exact number, different seal impressions, some inscriptions and their difference with the bullae from other sites. They have different stamp and cylinder seal impressions but the cylinder impressions were mainly Rusa II’s or an official called aṣulis.  Rusa’s impressions contain his name, his father’s name and a scene of a servant with the shade, king, lion and trident. The author has recognized the different details in the inscriptions, the size of the depicted elements and the place of the signs comparing to the elements. Therefore, she proposed two categories and three subgroups of this sort of seal impression. The first and the second group of inscriptions differ only in a in the first line and two subgroups of the first group of bullae differ in the size and detail of the elements of the scenes. There also is a challenging group that the author could not recognize their details due to severe damages. She also compered Rusa II’s seal impressions in Bastam with his impressions on the bullae from Ayanais and Ziwiye. Also, a number of possible symbolic interpretations of the elements of the scenes are provided. It is possible that some seal bearers used many similar seals of Rusa for the administrative acts or the seals were even used after Rusa's reign

In recent years, an increasing number of archaeological investigations have produced new evidence for the prehistoric development (both in chronology and settlement patterns) in the westernmost provinces of Iran. Prior to the commencement of the MPAP an earlier survey in the Marivan region had been carried out by the Department of Archaeology at Bu Ali Sina University in Hamadan (Iran). Research focused on the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods and, unfortunately, evidence from the Chalcolithic periods is yet to be published. The Marivan Plain Survey Project, by Morteza Zamani Dadaneh from the University of Kurdistan, Kurdish Studies Institute, conducted a first season of systematic survey for four weeks in the summer of 2018. The goal of MPAP is to reassess previous survey work in the region. Archaeological project of Marivan plain in 2018 resulted in identifying 60 sites from Neolithic to more recent time. Among identified sites: 1 site dating back to PPN Neolithic, 14 site to chalcolithic period (early, middle and late), 2 site to Bronze Age probably, 11 site to Iron Age, 28 site to historic (Parthian) period and 12 site to Islamic era. Regarding the settlement pattern of prehistoric sites (Neolithic and chalcolithic period), it become clear that all prehistoric sites distributed in the northern and southern shore of Zeribar lake. Most probably such pattern influenced from Zeribar sea level and access to the fertilized agricultural lands in this area in Neolithic and chalcolithic times. But the distribution pattern of historic and Islamic sites is somewhat different from prehistoric pattern and is similar to pattern of nowadays residential areas. Current and historic/Islamic residential area placed close to permanent water sources in the narrow valleys surrounded the Zeribar lake. Of course, part of the Marivan Plain is located in the east of the current Marivan City, which is far from Zarivar Lake, and dispersed settlements in this section formed on the edge of the main river, one of the branches of the Garan River

Interpretation of human’s old behaviors in the past and paying attention to complex and interactive processes between humans and the environment to be understood in terms of their dependence on the components of the natural and ecological environment is the center of modern archaeology’s attention.  Archaeological surveys and analysis of settlement patterns are considered well-known methods in archaeology to help identify these interactive processes.With the studies of the Archaeological Board of the University of Pennsylvania on Hasanlu Hill and the Sandus Plain, the southern basin of Lake Urmia became one of the most important archaeological sites and a basis for chronology in northwestern Iran. Meanwhile, Piranshahr plain on one hand due to its proximity toHasanlu area in the north and Rabat area in the south and on the other hand due to the neighborhood of this area with great powers such as Assyria, Urartu and Mana in the first half of the first millennium BC, Is one of the important areas in terms of archaeological studies of the Iron Age in northwestern Iran. This study examined the Piranshahr plain, assuming that the Iron Age settlements of the Piranshahr plain follow a specific settlement pattern. In this research, using field and library studies and geographical analysis models, a methodical and appropriate interpretation of the distribution of Iron Age areas and the first millennium BCPiranshahr plain was presented. Studies have shown that the Iron Age settlements in the region are most affected by two geographical factors, altitude from sea surface and access to rivers, and this has led to the creation of linear networks in the course of rivers resulting to a suitable choice of height relating to the plain. It was also found that the Iron Age settlements of this plain, following the shape of the roughness and natural geography of the region in the first half of the first millennium BC, by creating a specific settlement hierarchy, tended to form an independent local political unit. The existence of this political unit in modern Assyrian writings as Xubuskie could be identified.

Murals of Shia’s history from the late Safavid period and its culmination from the Qajar period onwards as the historical religious culture of the public in religious historical sites to this day by continuity of use, cause the emergence of a special attitude to the outstanding features of these paintings and the expectations of their general audience in the restoration. The majority of the murals of such buildings were based on Shiite religion traditions. Overall, the combination of a number of factors namely the significance of the values that have made a connection with the target audience of the heritages in use and the focus on their perception in the last decades, led to this study to pursue this goal to investigate the effects of the characteristics of folk-art paintings in Iran and the needs of their audiences, on their perception of the narrative during the reconstruction. This research has been done due to the development of value-based approaches in the restoration’s contemporary theory at the international level and the importance of the sociological issue of audiences, and the lack of academic research in this field in Iran. This article used purposeful and semi-structured interview techniques with 13 experts and library studies in a qualitative method and performed the analysis with the Colaizzi phenomenological approach by categorizing the interviews. The findings led to the achievement of 6 auxiliary categories and 11 subcategories, that auxiliary categories as factors affecting the reconstruction of the loss of religious-narrative folk murals based on value preference and the expectations of their general audience are:1)the place of special values of folk-art paintings of Shia’s history, 2)factors affecting the perception of public audiences 3)factors affecting the mental retelling of public audiences 4)definition of target audiences(stakeholders),5)the expectations of the public audience from reading the images of historical-religious narratives, and 6)the expectations of the public audience from the restoration and reconstruction of the paintings;

The genre of Luristan ware, which was first emerged in the early first millennium BC, was distributed in the Pish-Koh region. The typology of this ware was not clear because of the lack of excavation and surveys on the first millennium BC site of the region. Only painted ceramics of genre of Luristan ware, known as Baba-Jan III, had been well introduced. Regarding the lack of comprehensive typology for the genre of Luristan ware, many suggested pottery typologies and relative dating for the first millennium BC sites of Luristan were unreliable. According to the results of the several new-excavated sites containing genre of Luristan ware and the author’s survey in the Pish-Koh region, it is possible to suggest a comprehensive typology for the genre of Luristan ware for the first time. Based on some factors such as manufacturing, forms, paintings, and hardness, genre of Luristan ware can be divided into three groups: rough ware, medium ware, and fine ware. These wares are mostly in simple and painted forms and some with application decorations. The result of the research showed that the tradition of genre of Luristan ware was common in the early first millennium BC in the Pish-Koh region. This research also indicated that the genre of Luristan ware was distributed on a broad scale. In this type of pottery, the shape, size and smallness of the designs best match the shape of the container. Hand-lit tea pots are found only in cemeteries that seem to have a ritual application. Jars are found in government areas such as Baba-Jan tape. Ordinary simple dishes are also more common in nomadic villages. Since the main and largest amount of the genre of Luristan ware has been documented from the royal place of Baba-Jan, it seems that this place was a center for distribution of this ware. The appearance of this ware may indicate a political-cultural unity in Pish-Koh during the early first millennium BC .

In the middle of the city of Ardeshir Khoreh (the city of Gur), there is a rectangular tower, a circular structures, as well as a fort and a circular moat, which are considered to be the most prominent structures of this city; But in the northeastern part of the city of Ardeshir Khoreh, a place called "Takht-i-Nishin" (throne room) remains in the form of a platform of heavy dressed stone and a hollow or pit in the form of a reservoir, which has been studied by different scholars from the early centuries of Islam until now. However, there are still differing views on this complex; For example, the four-arched structure located on a flat platform is called by the names of Atashgah, Qasr, Tarbal, Atashkadeh, Dekan, Atashkhaneh, Kooshak, Irankiakhareh, Ivan, Dekeh, Irangardeh, palace, mansion, tower, house, and ziggurat. In addition, the reservoir next to the platform is also called Cheshmeh, Ghadir, Hoz Ab (water pool), AbAnbar (water reservoir) and Abnama (fountain). Therefore, attributing various names to this complex indicates the ambiguity in the nature of the constructions. The demolition the complex’s most buildings and the coverage of its remains bu rubbles over time, has caused less attention to this building in various documents and sources. Therefore, by interpreting the different views that exist around the structures of this building, this study aims to recognize the function of the Takht-i-Nishin complex, how the spaces are related and why it was built in the middle of the city of Ardeshir Khoreh. In order to achieve this goal, the interpretive-historical method have been used and library resources such as archaeological reports and historical documents were studied. Also, more accurate and up-to-date information was obtained through field visits and surveys, which paved the way for research. Then, by physical and spatial analysis of similar buildings such as the Anahita temple in Bishapour, a comparative comparison of the combination of four arched structure or Chartaqi and the water basin in the middle of Ardeshir Khoreh city has been conducted. As a result, the research findings show that the building on the platform is in the form of a cruciform hall with a four arched pattern and is located in an adjacent bed overlooking the man-made pond in the middle of the city of Ardeshir Khoreh. According to Ibn Balkhi, and the remains of debris visible on the ground, there was probably a similar quadrangle in front of the second basin or behind the available one. Hence, these Chartaqi, as a continuous fireplace connected to the water basin, have created a structure that shows a common pattern in the formation of Sassanid period religious collections related to water and sacred fire. The findings indicate that it can be a place of worship for the goddess Anahita in a ritual complex by being located next to the holy water pool and fire place

The study of Islamic Period buildings in Iran proves the presence of countless religious and non-religious tombs that are scattered in most parts of this border and region. As one of the most important elements of Islamic-Iranian architecture, these buildings have a special diversity, so that their study reveals the architectural and decorative features of each period. Tomb for religious Personalities in Iran has received more attention than other Islamic countries; the reason for this is the role of tombs and its integration with the customs and religion of Muslim Iranians, and this is the reason that justifies the continued popularity of religious tombs in Iran. In this research, the architecture of the tomb of Sultan Ibrahim Reza located in Abgarm village of Darmian city, South Khorasan province will be introduced. In the present article, while introducing and analyzing the architecture of the building, motifs and decorations, inscriptions and memorabilia of the building are discussed. The present article is based on a descriptive-analytical method and its findings are partly through the study of library resources and the other part is done in the field. The main question of the research is in what period this building was built and what are the salient features of the building architecture? According to the inscription of the building and short reports made by previous scholars, the construction date of the building dates back to the Safavid period, while by studying and analyzing the architecture of Timurid buildings in Khorasan, it probably dates back to the late Timurid period. The tomb of Sultan Ibrahim Reza is a two-storey building with four porches and a magnificent dome. Among the architectural features of the building are symmetry, the use of various arches and magnificent inscriptions on the body of the building, which provide complete information about this building over a long period of time.

Among the Sassanid artifacts is a disc at the Cleveland Museum of Art. There is no information about person engraved on the disk, just in the Cleveland Museum's recorded information, and idea of Dorothy Shepard, this hunter man is Ardeshir II of Sasanian Dynasty. Due to the unusual form and uniqueness of disc among the Tape Hesar Bronze Age culture works, and despite the fact that the motif and subject engraved on it are characteristic of the art of the Sassanid period; But with the help of archaeological data, interesting information can be provided. The objectives of this study are to understand the person engraved on this marble disk In this study, In addition, the authors try to evaluate the origin of the marble disk based on archaeological findings so that they can speculate about the geographical area production of this object and determine whether this work is the production of the area from which it was found. Or was it produced elsewhere in the realm of the Sassanid kingdom? the authors have shown similar examples of disks from the prehistoric period and have shown that the construction site of this object in North and Northeastern Iran is in sites that contain both Bronze Age cemetery and the Sassanid period remains. And the original disk belongs to the Bronze Age and the culture of Hesar / Gorgan, examples of which have been found in the tombs of this period. Also, considering the form and decoration of the crown engraved on this disc and its comparison with the crown of Ardeshir II in the Taq-e Bostan and the plate of Ardeshir II recovered from the Mes Aynak site in Afghanistan, it seems that Ardeshir II could not be the king engraved on this disk. The depicted person on this plate is probably one of the Sassanid princes who ruled the Northern region or one of the local dynasties kings; during early Islam of the region, dynasties that remained faithful to the Sassanid traditions for several centuries. However, we will need more information from archaeological or incidental findings to reinforce these ideas or change it.

Undoubtedly, the Great Khorasan Road, known as the Silk Road, has been one of the most important trade routes during the historical periods of Iran. In a comprehensive perspective this route would link China to the Mediterranean coast and would pass through the Great Khorasan throughout cultural Iran and many other neighboring areas. In addition to the commercial function and economic and subsistence impacts of people from different regions, the Great Khorasan Road had profound social impacts on human societies of different eras because of the interaction of cultures. Meanwhile, Markazi province and especially the northern part of the province, has an important role in the current borders of the two counties of Saveh and Zarandieh, from pre-Islamic period to its decline in the Safavid period. Therefore, in the present research, using historical and geographical texts, archeological surveys and excavations, we attempt to determine the direction of this ancient road as well as the important cities, buildings and houses along this road and explain the why and how of the ancient communication routs and the historical existence of this ancient road in this area. The most important achievement was explaining how and why and the geographical and historical perspective of this ancient road based on the correspondence of the location of the identified ancient sites with the location of the stations mentioned in the historical sources and texts and the relative drawing of the Khorasan road in the north of Markazi province, in the meantime, Saveh and Moshkuyeh, as two important stations - which have been repeatedly addressed in the texts and valuable archaeological evidence that shows their high status and credibility - have been explored along the road to Khorasan and monuments related to this ancient route were counted

The Halil roud Basin is one of the known ancient sites of the 3rd millennium BC in southeastern Iran. From this basin, following archaeological studies in 2001, more than 300 archaeological sites during prehistoric to Islamic periods have been identified. The most important relics of this civilization belong to the 3rd millennium BC, which is comparable to the historical relics of the Mesopotamian, Elamite, Central Asian and the Indus Valley civilizations. The main issue of this research is to identify the civilization of Halil roud by studying the symbolic motifs of objects in the form of bar pins that have been identified from all over the Halilroud basin and are kept in the Harandi Museum in Kerman. These objects are 155 pieces of pins, which are a group of simple rods without patterns and 24 of them have a pin head decorated with animal, plant and geometric patterns. The purpose of this study is to introduce and recognize 3 pieces of the above-mentioned pins, which have been selected and studied due to the role the confrontation animals. The role of animals in these pins has been described descriptively-analytically and the themes of these three objects as cultural and artistic findings of Halil roud basin in a comparative study with the themes of the showing areas of the 3rdmillennium BC in southeastern Iran, the Mesopotamian and Central Asian civilization have been evaluated. From the perspective of studying the history of art, by collecting information in a field method, including observing these works in the museum, photography, design, and typology of the motifs, Technique and style of shapes, a comparative study of these motifs has been done. In addition to the field method, these analyzes have been completed using written documents and sources, as a result of the pin and as a result of examining these pins, it was found that the shape of the pins with the body shape of animals such as mountain goats standing on their front legs and symbolically feeding the tree, eagles with raised wings, snakes with open mouths and It is performed in an aggressive manner and the lions sitting in front of each other in a completely symmetrical manner and this state of their symmetry with each other induces their confrontation. Thus, these motifs have been categorized and evaluated in terms of animal confrontation, content and possibly mythological features.Considering the observation and comparison of these motifs, it can be acknowledged that these objects show the influence of the insight and awareness of the creators of these works and the systematic human interaction with the environment and common culture in the past. Which is created through the beliefs, beliefs and aesthetic sense of the producing artist and the similarity of these designs to the animals of other ancient sites shows the common nature of these areas and the cultural influence of artists on each other in creating works of art.

Archaeological studies in the region of Qara Dagh (or Arasbaran) are of particular importance due to the fact that this region is located in the area between East-West (Iranian) Azerbaijan and Iran-Anatolian Plateau, as well as north to south of Caucasus-Iran. Archaeological activities in Qara Dagh are often aimed at conducting systematic research to explain the socio-political situations, investigate the cultural-technological currents and changes, explore the connecting and commercial routes of Northern region of Azerbaijan during the Bronze and Iron ages, outline the long-term scientific landscape, and also to understand the archaeological status of the region, relying on field and laboratory methods. The first season of this project, in 2017, dealt with identification of the Bronze and Iron Age sites of Varzeqan city. During the present survey, have been recorded 143 sites from the early Bronze Age to the Iron Age III in the region; and from the most important results of this survey, the changes recorded during the transitions from each period to the next period in relation to demographic changes, settlement patterns and location selecting, evaluating the landscape and natural resources in order to be aware of food networks and economic systems, studying the ecology of the region, livelihood approaches and burial methods can be mentioned. According to this evidence, settlements have been very limited in the region during the early Bronze Age. With the collapse of semi-farmer communities in the early Bronze Age, nomadic life was limitedly formed in the middle of the Bronze Age. In the late of Middle Bronze Age, once again, with the formation of sedentary communities, an increase in the population of the region and the emergence of social complexities are seen during the late Bronze Age to the Iron Age II, followed by the establishment of a primitive class society which was formed under the administration of local small rulers

Qaleh Sam is located in Holeylan district in Sirvan/Shirvan County in the northeast of Ilam province. This monument is one of the worthy Iranian architecture in the central Zagros cultural zone. Despite its importance, this monument is unknown until now. Qaleh Sam is located in Si’pelah canyon on the border of Lorestan and Ilam provinces. In Si’pelah, in addition to Qaleh Sam, remains some of the other buildings such as: a bridge, some military installations, a Char Taq, a water mill, and two ruined sites. The distribution pattern of these monuments in Si’pelah Canyon shows that they are related to Qaleh Sam, and they could be interpreted together. As the focal point of formation for the architetural complex in Si’pelah canyon the Qale Sam has archaeological and architectural values. The main structure of this monument consists of a residential building with a focal char tag in down and a fortress on top. Nevertheless, it has been neglected by researchers and its historical and functional nature remains unclear. The purpose of this paper is the introduction the Qale Sam by relying on archaeological findings and existing architectural evidence and evaluating and analyzing functional identity and its chronology. The research approach is historical and findings have been collected through field methods and the study of library texts. The study of archaeological and architectural findings of Qale Sam along with the study of its geographic location and the analysis of the spatial organization of all works in Si’pelah canyon show that Qaleh Sam has been a security residency of a high-grade person. The analysis of these monument in the regional context indicated that it has been built based on political and security objectives in a mountainous situation, with the creation of several military structures around it. Architectural elements, scattered pottery on surface, and stucco decorations used in the building show that Qale Sam was constructed in the late Sassanid period and the early Islamic centuries.