نشریه پژوهش های باستان شناسی ایران
پیاپی 36 (بهار 1402)

Despite the extensive excavations and research in the eastern part of the Fertile Crescent, questions remain regarding the Neolithization process and the role of the Zagros region in these dynamics. Tappeh Qazānchi, is located at 1323 m.a.s.l. to the northwest of the city of Kermanshah and lies close to the Razavar river, was selected for archaeological research due to the presence of a long chronological sequence. The project aimed to study the Early Neolithic societies’ material culture, residential practices, subsistence economy and the environmental conditions of the site. mechanized agricultural practices over the past five decades have damaged the site, revealing a section (approximately one hundred meters long on the northern part of the mound) of cultural sequences from the early Holocene period. The site was sounded during the winter of 2019 to identify the cultural sequences, determine the core area and buffer zone. The extent of the core area was estimated to be approximately two hectares. The stratigraphy was carried out in the section of the northern wall in three trenches. The results indicate that the lower levels contain a Pre-Pottery Neolithic sequence and the upper levels of the site belong to the Late Chalcolithic and Middle Bronze Age periods. Archaeological, and high-resolution bio- and geoarchaeological investigations (archaeobotany, archaeozoology, micromorphology, and sedimentology) reveal that the Holocene environment around the site was characterized by small-scale permanently waterlogged areas or periodically flooded zones. During the Middle Bronze Age, Tappeh Qazānchi is contemporaneous with Chogha Maran (upper phase) and Godin Tepe (Period III), and during the Late Chalcolithic with Siahbid (middle and late phases), Chogha Maran and Godin Tepe (Period IX). The Pre-Pottery Neolithic phases at Qazānchi were contemporaneous with several other early Holocene settlements of the Zagros, including Sheikh-e Abad, East Chia Sabz, Kelek Asad Morad, and Chogha Golan.

One of the characteristic of Neolithic material of Near Eastern archaeology is the human and animal clay figurines. Due to the fragility of unfired clay, many of the discovered figurines where broken and in many cases it was the neck or the head of the figurines which were broken. This was considered as if the breakage has been done porously. In few regions such as Levant, some figurines were discovered which had hole in their neck. The hole shows if the head of the figurine was removable or replaceable. Until now no report shows the presence of this type of figurine in Iran. A revise of two collection of Sang-e Chakhamagh and Zaghe figurines of Iran, respectively belong to Neolithic and transitional Chalcolithic, shows if this types of figurines are existing in Iran’s figurines collections. With research on the two mentioned collections, this paper fallow two aims; The first aim is to add the Iran’s samples to the geographical distributional of removable head figurines and the second aim is to interpret this types of figurines in Sang-e Chakhmagh and Zaghe collections. The data of this research has been gathered through museum survey and also library research. The data was analyzed qualitatively. The main question which this paper is built on is: how the head and face were represented in Sang-e Chakhamgh and Zaghe’s human figurine collctions? This research could be classified as Historic-cultural researches. This research shows that the geographical distribution of removable head figurines was not limited to Levant and covered wider regions that has been thought. The result shows that omitting the face of figurines may show that the producers refused to refer a specific person. Also, the possibility of removing head may have brought the possibility to change the identity, gender or the age of the figurine.

Undoubtedly, Chogha Mish is the most recognized prehistoric settlement, which has multiple cultural sequences of prehistoric Susiana, but our current knowledge assumes that from the end of the Late Middle Susiana to the first stage of the Late Susiana phase it had been deserted or became a marginal settlement. The evaluation of the available evidence, both those obtained from Chogha Mish and those from various areas and sites during recent decades, show that the idea of the decline of Chogha Mish in this period cannot be completely correct. Here we will first discuss one of the well-known pieces of evidence the “Burnt Building”, which has been accidentally or unexpectedly identified in the margins of High Mound’s during the ninth season of excavations at Chogha Mish. The most common analysis presented implies that the Building, which is not classified as an ordinary building in terms of dimensions and quality, is targeted and set on fire in hostile contact with the developing highland mobile pastoralist population. Therefore, this evidence attracted the attention of researchers as a turning point in the history of the Chogha Mish settlement development. Since someone has considered the beginning of this decline as the great fire in the building belonging to the Late Middle Susiana phase, it is reasonable to know that, what kind of characteristics the building has and if the presented evidence is indicative or not? Based on evidence from the deposits of the building can it be considered a Monumental Building? Given the existing archaeological evidence, we assume that the “inference” of the scholars has led to such a notion. Otherwise, we think the assumed decline of Chogha Mish may have various reasons. The new settlement configurations in the region which are fashioned by new economic and especially ritual practices may have led Chogha Mish to not be prosperous as before and left behind its counterparts.

Golpayegan is the name of a land in the northwest of Isfahan province, which is located almost in the center of Iran. Golpayegan river is considered as an important factor in the formation of ancient cultures in this region. Archaeological sites (Choqa -Hassan and Lohramesh) show that at least from the fifth millennium BC this area has been the habitat of human groups and also the existence of a large number of petroglyphs that during various periods, on the rock Art made of schist stone; Throughout this area, there is a sign of ancient civilization in this region. Thematically, the designs of these rocks include animal, human, plant, symbolic, tools, lines, etc. Among these, animal motifs have the highest frequency and among animal motifs, the motif of Ibex has been repeated the most. One of the rare animal motifs in this is the image of a Cattle, which is depicted in two different poses, which seem to be a sign of being domesticated and wild. Signs of using the power of this animal in the domestic state and in agriculture with plow motifs can also be examined. In this article, based on the works identified in this geographical area and the historical study of the biological signs of this animal on the plateau of Iran and the comparison of this motif on petroglyphs of other regions in Iran and other prehistoric decorative arts, this motif has been studied. Finally, based on the type of domestic and wild Cattle motifs, a relative chronology of such motifs can be obtained; So that for the motif of wild Cattles, the minimum chronology that can be imagined is the beginning of the Chalcolithic period, and for the motif of domestic Cattles, the maximum age is probably the beginning of the Chalcolithic period.

The Discovery and Publication of Persepolis Tablets (Fortifications and Treasuries) shed light on many current activities in the “Persepolis Royal Economic Organization”; Activities that are sometimes supported and reinforced by sound archaeological evidence. One of the most important of these activities is the existence of various professions and industries of production and industry in this huge economic organization. The economic management of Persepolis had recruited skilled craftsmen from all over the Achaemenid Empire to organize and prosper this sector, who moved from place to place based on the need for lab our. The type of profession and place of work of each of the working groups (craftsmen) are in many cases accurately recorded in the notes. Traces of these artisans and workers can be traced back to archeological remains left over from them, such as “tools used”, “signs” and “objects and works”. Now the main question that arises here is that the production and industrial sector of the “Persepolis Royal Economy” included which industries and professions? This article, with a historical approach and using the interpretations and information of the published writings from the Persepolis archive and archaeological evidence, tries to shed some light on the various branches of production and industrial activities of the Persepolis Royal Economy. The results show that in Persepolis and other related centers, a wide range of professions such as metalworking, mining, winemaking, brewing, weaving, tanning, making stone objects and utensils, brick working, Pottery, carpentry, etc.

Roman glass art in the first centuries AD is very valuable and can be studied in terms of manufacturing and decoration techniques and technologies related to glass art. Flasks in the shape of human head are part of the Roman glass collection with mold-blown technique in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD, which six examples of these works are kept in the glassware and ceramic Museum in Tehran. This article, with the aim of identifying and studying the methods of making Roman head-flasks in glassware and ceramic Museum of Iran, tries to answer this question that what kind of technology was used in making Roman head-flasks? Therefore, this research in terms of purpose is applied research in terms of the assence and method is descriptive-analytical research. The method of collecting its data was library type and recording the observations and experiences of the Authors. In the results of this research, it was found that the art of Roman glass in the first century AD was influenced by the familiarity of the Romans with the methods of sculpting, molding and benefiting from them in making and decorating glass works. The mold of the Roman head-flasks of Iran’s glassware and ceramic Museum was made using advanced modeling and molding methods, and then it was made by glass blowing. There are three different manufacturing methods based on the main body of these works, in the first method, two-piece molds are used to make the overall form. In the second method, their base was added as an additional part to the work, and in the third method, additional decorative strips were used to make the base and opening of the head-flasks. All the samples in the glassware and ceramic Museum of Iran were made by the first way and in one piece with the benefit of two or three piece molds.

Pottery as one of the archaeological findings, plays an important role in recognizing cultural periods. Jahangir area is located in Ilam province and is one of the Sassanid sites in western Iran. In the third season of excavations at Jahangir site, significant potteries from the Sassanid period was obtained which is considerably worth studying and for this research, 92 pottery pieces were selected among hundreds that were obtained. The main purpose of this research is to introduce and classify the Sassanid potteries of Jahangir site. In the present study, the potteries obtained from Jahangir site were classified based on their technical specifications and shapes, and were typologically and finally chronologically examined (comparative and laboratory studies); the data collection method is based on documentary studies and field studies, also the research method is descriptive-analytical. The analysis have been done with the purpose of comparative chronology and explaining cultural relations with other regions. The questions posed in this research are: To what period of the Sassanid era can the pottery collection of Jahangir area be attributed? And are the potteries of Jahangir area more regional in terms of style or a trans-regional style is visible in them? The chronology done by Moluminescence (Thermoluminescence) method on Jahangir potteries, indicates the attribution of this area to the second half of the sixth century A.D., a comparative comparison also showed that in terms of relative chronology of Sassanid potteries they are similar to sites that belong to the late this era. It should be noted that the potteries of this area are comparable with areas such as Oltanqalasi in Moghan, Mahneshan in Zanjan, Qasrabunsar and Hajiabad in Fars, Shush, Sassanid sites identified in the studies of northern Khuzestan, Mianab in Shushtar, Bushehr, Ras al-Khaimah, Tal Mahuz, Abu Sharifa, and Kish and Bergutiyat in Iraq and, in addition to the impacts of regional style, it has the most similarity to the cultural field of southwestern and southern Iran.

Yelsuie Castle is one of the most important and largest castles of the Islamic era in the city of Garmi, Ardabil, in the geographical area of northwestern Iran, whose large volume of cultural data, such as pottery, has increased the importance of the site. This historical castle was studied by archeological methods in 2018. In addition to studies and surveys conducted in this area, many Cerabic finds, including healthy vessels and various broken pieces were identified. One of the important points in relation to the Ceramic of Yelsuie Castle is the existence of pottery species from the perspective of Fermi and its designs, which have not been studied to date and can be useful in the study of Ceramic of the Islamic era in the geographical area of northwestern Iran. This research is a descriptive-analytical method based on library studies and field excavations, introducing, typology and analysis of Ceramic patterns in the Yelsuie area. Also, the origin of the production of these works in the region, identifying areas in interaction and cultural relations with Yelsuie Castle and determining its time period based on chronology and comparisons; They are one of the most important goals and questions raised in this research. Studies show that the Ceramic of this area is divided into four groups in a general category: plain and painted unglazed pottery and plain and painted glazed pottery and includes a variety of molded, carved, sealing, Added role, composition, monochrome glaze, painting on glaze, painting under glaze, aghkand, zarinufam, skrafiato. These works belong to the first Islamic centuries as well as the Middle Ages, especially the Seljuk period, and the type of designs and techniques used in these Ceramic show the regional and supra-regional connections of Yalsooi Castle with other areas such as Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Kashan, Rey, Neishabour and Hamedan.

Damavand Jame Mosque is one of the oldest and courtyard hypostyle mosques (Shabestani mosques) in Iran, which was located in the center of city and at the current location of Jame Mosque. The outline of the main map is a rectangular courtyard (Ravagh) with porticoes around it. The most important part of the mosque is its nave, which has five naves with six rows of columns. The importance of Damavand Jame Mosque is in terms of its plan and design, but it had not been paid attention to. The view of the nave from inside the courtyard (Ravagh) has three opening with pointed arches, the middle opening is slightly wider and higher than the adjacent openings, which is one of the characteristics of the early mosques of Iran. This same mosque with the characteristics of the Seljuq period brings its history to this period. Therefore, there is an inconsistency between the plan, map and characteristics of Shabestani with the characteristics of the Seljuq period of this mosque. This research tries to review the construction date of this building. The research method of this descriptive-historical writing is analytical based on the library and it is necessary to collect historical information, which was analyzed with the data obtained from the field investigation. The main questions are: First, how can one prove the existence of the original mosque and the existence of pre-Islamic constructions in the place of the Jame Mosque? Second, according to the available data, what date does Damavand Jame Mosque go back to? The investigation shows that the original mosque was built on the foundation of pre-Islamic and it is also possible to suggest three periods of consumption for the Jame Mosque. The first period: the early mosque with the plan of the nave, which was destroyed by the earthquake. The second period: the Seljuq Mosque was built on the remains of the original mosque with the same hypostyle (shabestani) plan with the features of the Seljuq period which was also destroyed by an earthquake. The third period: the current mosque was built on the foundations of the Seljuq Mosque in the second Pahlavi period.

Isma’ilis simultaneously with the Seljūks and the Khwārazmshāhis, taking over a large part of the fortifications of Iran, especially in the west, east and south of the Alborz Mountains, Qūmis, Dasht-e Kavir, Qom and Sāveh, Isfahān, Khūrāsān, Qūhistān and Sistān. They had established an Iranian government within the Seljūk dynasty and the Abbāsid caliphs, which had the Shiite legitimacy of the seven Imams. The art of castle building and castle dwelling was a special feature of the Nizari Isma’ili movement. In the place of his most famous fortresses; Alamūt and Maymūn-Dez; There are differences of opinion, and the true status of some of their fortresses, such as Ardahan, Ostunāvand, and the Shāh-Dez, is unclear, and the views presented do not overlap with the documentation and it was necessary to conduct focused research on the subject. Therefore, in this article, we consider the location of one of these mysterious castles called Shāh-Dez, which according to the book of Jahāngoshāy Joveini, was located in the course of Holagokhan’s campaign in 654 AH, southwest of Tabaristān to the east of Deylamistān, and after being opened by the Mongols. It was razed to the ground and went down in history. So the main question will be which of the forts between Tabaristān and Qasrān corresponds to the lost Shāh-Dez? The main hypothesis is that Shāh-Dez is consistent with the characteristics of one of Lavāsān hills called Sar-Qal’eh. The method of this research is based on two sections: Survey and Library Studies, which go together. Based on the studies, we came to the conclusion that the fortress in Qasrān, which was between the 5th and 8th centuries AH of the Isma’ili base and could have the title of Shāh-Dez, is in the heart of the same hill that is now known as Sar-Qal’eh.

With the conversion of the Mongol Ilkhans to Islam and the support and leadership of the great Iranians, the construction of religious complexes received special attention and large and prestigious complexes were established, especially in cities such as Tabriz, Maragheh, Soltanieh and Hamedan. One of the significant and great collections of the patriarchal period is the Bozanjerd monastery, which was built by Ghazan Khan, the patriarchal king, in the plain of Hamedan. This important complex has disappeared over time and the exact reasons for its construction as well as the quantity and quality of its construction are not available. The main purpose of this article is to identify the status of this religious complex through the study of archaeological data obtained from modern studies and historical documents. The questions of this research are: According to historical documents and archeological evidence, where can Bozanjerd Monastery be located? And the influence of which areas in terms of construction style and design can be seen in the pottery and tiling works of Buzanjard area? The present study is a historical and descriptive-analytical research in which information has been collected in the form of documents and field matching of the findings of this field with other regions. According to the results, this complex is located about 60 km east of Hamedan and next to the communication route from Hamedan to Saveh and the south of the current village of Buzineh-e-Jard. Has given this collection. Comparable cases with the findings of this area based on shape, texture and technical details in neighboring cultural centers such as Markazi province (Aweh, Zolf Abad), Rey, Kermanshah (Kangavar and Bistoon), Zanjan (Aq Kand, Soltanieh) and northwest of Iran (Takht-e Soleiman and Urmia), which were more closely related to the Hamedan plain, have been identified and studied.

The old city of Sirjan developed during the 11th – 15th centuries in the Qal’eh Sang near the modern city of Sirjan. There is a limestone staircase with an inscription on the northern slope of Qaleh Sang. Various hypotheses have been made about its function, such as a Minbar or pulpit for a mosque from the Muzaffarids period, or an artifact related to the fire-altar. In the excavation at the Qal’eh Sang in 2015 new information was obtained about the staircase that is important for evaluating previous hypotheses. The question is what was the process of formation, changes, and functions of the stone staircase in the Qal’eh Sang? This paper deals with the results of the excavation at Qal’eh Sang and the study of historical sources. The results show that this artifact was not a staircase form before 789 AH/1387 CE. Therefore, it did not resemble the stone stairs of the fire-altar in Pasargadae. An inscription was first created on this artifact in 789 AH/1387 CE, and then its stairs were carved. Furthermore, no evidence of the mosque was found in the excavation around the staircase. Therefore, it was not an insitu Minbar or Pulpit. The north slope of Qal’eh Sang lay outside the Gate and was, therefore, on the outskirts of the city. This area has become a hewing workshop after the decline of the city. This stone artifact was probably made as a memorial to Sultan Ahmad, the Muzafarri ruler. It seems that the carving process of the Minbar was still in progress after the Timur’s invasion, but was never completed.

In some cases, photos are the only surviving documents of Iranian architectural heritage that can be valuable and unique documents in re-reading destroyed buildings. The reverse process of perspective drawing (graphical method) is often used to retrieve architectural documents, which is a complex and time-consuming method that involves errors due to ignoring lens or image distortions resulting from the reproduction of photographs in various media. The present study aims to suggest and apply a method based on which a single-photo rectified photogrammetry according to building geometry constraints could be applied to correct non-metric architectural photos that include a significant number of Iranian architectural visual documents. So the questions are what is the practical process of preparing metric documents through single-image reflection photogrammetry in historical photographs? What are the challenges, errors, and ways to achieve valid results in the case of Iranian architecture? And in practice, how can use this process in photogrammetry of the Saadi tomb as a case study to obtain reliable architectural documents? The research strategy is qualitative and case study and tries to present the process of converting photos into architectural documents based on revised image documents to be used in other research. Findings of the research suggest a flowchart including the steps of “pre-process”, “orientation” and “evaluation and analysis”, which have been adapted to work on non-metric historical photographs. The precision of photo rectification and possible errors in the correction process was categorized and described in three general sections, including errors of “digitization”, “reference point selection”, and “estimation and calculation of reference distances”. These errors could be minimized by repeating the process using various estimation methods, using parallel data in other available images, and using averaging as a way to find the most precise reference distances in complex situations. This method could be a reliable and fast way of producing architectural documents from images. The results of applying this method to the existing photos of Saadieh’s historical mansion showed the efficiency and accuracy of the process.

The influence of Marxism on the process of theoretical developments in archaeology is not far from the mind. Such effects can sometimes be traced in Iranian social archaeological research, although they have not been studied much. Hence the main question of the research was posed as follows; How is the impact of Marxist archaeological ideas on the study of societies at the beginning of Iran’s urbanization? And its purpose was to understand the relationship between Marxist archaeological thought and functionalist views in the societies of the beginning of urbanization in Iran. However, in order to guide the goal, the descriptive-historical nature and method were used along with an analytical approach. Therefore, some researches of the beginning of urbanization of Iran such as Shush and Chaghamish areas in the southwest, Bakun Fars, Pishva pottery hill in the central plateau, Jiroft and Shahr-e Sokhteh civilization in the southeast and Choghahavan area of Mehran plain in the west of Iran were examined. The results showed that although sometimes the ideas of Marxism in the analysis of societies at the beginning of urbanization in Iran can be inferred and followed for reasons such as social complexities; But so far, due to the popularity of historical-cultural trends in the Iranian archaeological community has not been reflected, and consequently the endogenous forces of social change in the early urbanization of Iran has received less attention from archaeologists. This means that the results of analyzing the data of the communities of the beginning of urbanization in Iran depend on the approach and approach of the researcher, whether functionalist, Marxism or other approach and thinking. Finally, the Marxist archaeological approach, due to its political nature, can follow the evolution of societies in the beginning of urbanization in Iran in the management of labor production, and the functionalist approach will consider the evidence of the beginning of urbanization from the perspective of necessity and need of society.