Journal of Ancient Iranian Studies
Volume:1 Issue: 1, 2022

The cultural transformations of human societies depend on various factors, one of the most important of which is climate change. This event can expand or limit livelihoods by changing the environment. Paleoclimate and archaeological studies show that the tendency of human societies to change their subsistence system was not unrelated to climate and environmental changes. Using these studies, this article examines the climatic conditions of the late Pleistocene and the early Holocene to identify the environmental situation and the probable time of the beginning of agricultural activities in Southwest Asia, especially Iran. It seems that the subsistence challenges associated with the continuous climate change of the late Pleistocene have increased man's understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, as well as the potential of nature around him so that he has been able to overcome the most difficult biological tension of this period, called the Younger Dryas(12.9–11.7kaBP) event, and then, in the early-early Holocene(11.7–10.5kaBP), he began to produce food through the cultivation of cereals. The process of increasing humidity during the early Holocene in the continental regions (as opposed to near the sea) was very slow, and this situation, most likely, hindered the development of environmental facilities in parallel with population growth. Thus, it is likely that the invention of agriculture in continental regions to adapt to livelihood difficulties occurred in the early-early Holocene. The occurrence of this great progress in the path of human cultural transformation reflects the effective role of his will in reducing the pressures of nature.

The law of universal suffering or the noble truth of the Dukkha is one of the main Buddhist teachings. According to the Buddha, a person is freed from repetitive suffering and rebirth in this world by liberation from all personal and social preoccupations, by the suppression of all carnal desires and desires, and attains eternal peace and salvation (Nīrvāna). According to the Mahāyāna school, there is no possibility of salvation through personal effort and force, and the help of a savior is essential, and this is the task that the Sōdāšan, the prince of story (Vesantraa Jātaka). Therefore, parts of the Sogdian text related to the individual actions of Sōdāšan, the prince of fiction, the Vessantara Jātaka (according to the Benvenist orthography) have been selected to provide a better Persian translation by the author based on Ms. Gharib's transliteration and revised according to the French Benvenist translation. This article seeks to reveal the role of the trader through a substantive examination of the text and whether he can be considered a savior and Buddhisattva. Eventually, because of his sacred purpose, which is constantly repeated in the story, which is to save the living from suffering and hell, he forgives all his possessions, children, and wife, and as a reward for this deed, he will become a Buddha.

Bronze alloy was used in making a variety of metal objects including different kinds of weapons a long time before Iron Age II (1500-550 BC). In Iron Age II, with the widespread use of iron, many weapons were made using the combination of bronze and iron. Among the weapons of this period, there are swords with a distinct pommel, a two-part split in the shape of earlobes, intersecting cuttings, a three-part hilt (pommel, grip and guard) and a blade with a 90-degree angle called ear pommel. These swords were normally made from iron and bronze with the techniques of hammering and molding, the blade and bolt were from iron, the grip was from bronze, and the guard was in the shape of a reverse U or Y. In the middle of the pommel, several splits and round raised parts form a space similar to a saddle and the margin between the blade and guard were attached to each other with a soft weld. This study has been done using field study of data to examine technology and types, and library and comparative studies. Technical qualities, cultural and geographical sphere of production, the time span of usage and morphology of handles and blades were studied. The present study used a collection of 30 swords with ear pommel handles from the collections of Mostazafan Foundation’s museums. The results indicate that the swords were made and polished in Iron Age II and the cultural sphere of north, northwest and west of Iran to Caucasus. Nine main types were recognized based on morphology and difference in length, width and raised parts of the middle of the blade and the differences in pommels and handles and hand guard, and types 1 and 2 have been divided into 2 subdivisions.

During the exploration of the areas of Persepolis, Pasargad and Suse, the lot of eye-shaped stones were found in the explored objects among which some were with an inscription but without any holes, some with no inscription but with holes, and some without inscription and without holes. This stone has two colors: Dark in the center and bright in the margin which evokes an "eye". The presence of this kind of eye-shaped stone with Babylonian inscription in Achaemenid Treasures can be related to the spoils of war from this area, but what was the use of stones without inscription? Were they used as the eyes of sculptures? In that case how they differed from other Embedded eyes obtained from Achaemenid regions such as Borazdjan or eye beads? The purpose of this paper is to introduce these findings and explain their application. Descriptive and comparative methods were used for this purpose. In this article first we describe the discovery in Achaemenid treasures and the registered eyes in Persepolis Museum and meanwhile the "Eye-stone" types are explained, and in following their difference with the Embedded eyes and eye beads in the Borazdjan area is studied. With respect to the description and characteristics of the Eye-stones and their difference with the Embedded eyes, from the point of view of size and color and technique, it can be said that the application of the Eye-stones without inscription was for decorative purposes and the application of Eye-stones with inscription was for votive purposes.

This article dedicated to a number of stone column bases, shafts and stone bases belonging to the historical period that have been discovered during the last one or two decades from excavations, surveys and accidental discoveries in the Kermanshah province. In this article, based on an analytical-descriptive method and a comparative approach, we try to introduce these stone column bases, estimate their data as much as possible and evaluating their function regarding their geographical location and their archaeological context. Finally, we try to answer the question whether all the stone bases discovered from the Kermanshah region are column bases and belong to the columned buildings?, or probably had a function other than column bases?. However, due to the lack of publication of surveys results in most parts of the region, as well as the lack of excavations in most sites with stone bases, the importance and role of these sites is not understandable in the settlement models of the area and the nature of the buildings and the archaeological context of stone findings is not clear to us, but most likely the column bases of this study provide us clues of various buildings including governmental palaces to manor houses. On the other hand, regarding to findings of the Chahar Taq of Mil-e Milageh and the fire temple of Palang Gerd, as well as the stone bases discovered from the Fire Temple of Sorkh Kotal, it can be accepted that at least some of these stone bases do not have a function as column bases and are not related to the columned buildings, but probably Some of them have been used in the central spaces of the sacred sites such as Zoroastrian fire temples. It will certainly be difficult to understand this without considering the archaeological context of these findings, but it should be noted that stone bases outside of the archaeological context do not necessarily have to be assumed as column bases that have borne the ceiling. We admit, however, that if some of these stone bases had not been found in archaeological contexts such as fire temples, we would not able to distinguish between their functions as stone bases with specially usage in temples with the architectural usual column bases.

firetemples of Kolm 1 and 2 were built in the inaccessible Kover Kyva (Kabir koh) mountains. Today, these two buildings are located in the Dostan district of Badra County of Ilam, which in the past was a part of Mehregan Gadaq (Mehrijan Ghazaq) province in Jebal. The two buildings are built at a distance of about 150 meters from each other. They are different in terms of plan and map, which indicates that they were created in two separate time periods. The first can be attributed to the period of Shapur II and his successor and the second can be attributed to the period of Ḵosrow I or his successor Ḵosrow II. This may be a reason for their different functions. However, in their buildings, they have used the available materials, including Rubble and carcass and plaster, which are abundant in this area. On the other hand, several factors are effective in their construction and location, the most important of which are: one; Suitable natural conditions and their inaccessibility. Second; proximity to Ctesiphon.