Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies
Volume:1 Issue: 1, Winter and Spring 2011

Throughout prehistory, the cultures of Iran and Western Asia differed in important respects. Many of these differences can be attributed to the different geographic and environmental conditions in the two regions. Western Iran is largely a heavily divided mountainous region with difficult access whereas Mesopotamia is relatively flat and open to travel and trade. The early Holocene environment of the Mesopotamian plain was very dynamic and unstable, whereas the major changes in the Zagros involved the spread of cereal grasses and trees. These different environments affected the kinds of cultures and settlements that could occur. Other differences stem from the broader regions of interaction in which each area was involved. Interactions within Mesopotamia occurred between the north and south, while the Zagros was part of a northern and eastern sphere of interaction. These differences are reflected in the general absence of interaction between the Iran and Western Asia during the long period of prehistory

This paper deals with the preliminary observations of the analysis conducted on the faunal remains unearthed at the site of Shikarpur. A single trench ES4 was selected as a research sample from the excavation conducted by the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History; M.S. University of Baroda, Gujarat State, India in 2007-08. A total of 6250 skeletal fragments were analysed of which only 3219 (51.50%) could be identified. All the skeletal elements were carefully observed for signatures of bone modifications done by natural as well as human agencies. The analysis revealed a large number of animal species including domestic mammals, wild mammals, reptiles, birds and molluscs. In addition, a few skeletal fragments of fish and crab were also recovered. Keywords: Shikarpur.

Paleolithic lithic assemblages are traditionally described on the bases of presence of a variety of tool types (typology) and of different knapping technologies. In this study we tried to investigate whether the presence of different groups of scrapers in the Mar-Tarik site assigned to the Middle Paleolithic represent specific function or just different stages of the reduction process and constant changes as the result of accessibility to the raw materials. In this research Dibble''s scrapers reduction model which was proposed for the first time based on Bisitun rock shelter Middle Paleolithic assemblages, was tested using the Geometric Index of Reduction method for the unifacial scrapers. The results indicate that similarities in the dimensions of the different types of scrapers in Mar-Tarik and Bisitun might be a result of using small size raw materials. Meantime different functional aspects of these two sites might have been responsible for differences in the intensity of retouch on their artifacts.

The concept of Indo-Aryan group of peoples and their invasion has played a prominent role in explaining the cultural history of the Indian sub-continent. It was propounded that the Aryans, living somewhere outside India, invaded the Indian sub-continent around 1500 B.C. and after supplanting the indigenous powers and cultures settled in India. The Aryans were held responsible for the destruction of the earlier populations (esp. Indus valley civilization) and building of new cultures in the areas they invaded. The subject of this paper is to examine the physical anthropological dimensions of the “Aryan problem”, which are two fold: a. “foreign phenotypic element” in the later phases of Harappan culture, and b. the “massacre evidence” at Mohenjo-Daro. Findings of the restudies of Harappan skeletal series and implications thereof for evaluating the ''Aryan Invasion Theory'' have been discussed. The findings strongly indicates that the hypothesis of identification of “foreign phenotypic element” or unceremonious slaughter of native Harappans is not supplemented by bone evidence.

In prehistoric studies of Iran, the Abharrood River Basin, located on the east of Zanjan province and in the northwest border of the Central Plateau, is one of the little-known and dark regions. Studying this region according to its environmental features and geographical location is important for understanding regional relations and interregional interactions between three cultural-geographical areas, the northwest, the west and the central plateau. So far, this region has not undergone major archaeological research and our knowledge of the nature of the prehistoric settlements is imperfect. A new trend in regional archaeological research began with two seasons of surveys, in 2003 and 2005. These surveys shed a light on the past of this region. In the first season, the site of Chakhmaqlokh, in the southern highlands of the Abharrood River Basin, was identified. In 2009, on a second visit, cultural material of the Chalcolithic period and a pottery sherd with a flat seal impression were collected from the surface of the site. It is likely that this sherd is the oldest piece of pottery with a seal impression that has been ever found in Iran. Therefore, valuable knowledge about important aspects of Chalcolithic settlements in this region can be determined. After describing the area and introducing the site, the authors study the surface material and introduce, compare and date the sherd

Starting with the origin of the Sanskrit language formulated borrowing from the local Dravidian and Munda languages, the Indo-Iranian connections are explored in the context of myths and legends. The connection between the Rigveda text and the Indus Culture is described, making use of the Indus seals. The non-Vedic traditions in the RV text are traced to present day folk performances. Some Rigvedic entities like dAsa tribes, their dwellings, the SAradI purs and surh-dagAl mounds, hAmuns, and more are identified, based on the geological and environmental data from the Sistan region. Areas of further research are identified.

Of the many diverse arts that flourished during the third millennium BC, textiles played an especially significant role in society. Archaeological textiles offer an important source of material cultural testimony for daily life in ancient times- relating simultaneously to agriculture, pastoralism, trade, migration, ritual, and so forth as well as to craft technologies. The study of the techniques and production of textiles is therefore highly valuable, yet has only recently become appreciated by archaeologists. This is principally due to the very impermanent and fragile nature of textiles, as most are completely destroyed by the natural taphonomies of most archaeological sites. However, in some extreme conditions, whether frozen, desiccated, waterlogged or even buried in highly alkaline soils, some textiles and other organics do survive rather well. In these rare situations, there still remain manifold problems, both with regard to discerning the way in which different textiles were made, and to the materials and tools used in the process. This paper is a discussion of the analysis of some textiles discovered at Tepe Dasht, a satellite site of Shahr-i Sokhta in Sistan, to identify some of the spinning and weaving methods used. Textile remains are exceedingly rare in archaeological sites. When compared to artifacts of a more durable nature, such as ceramics, seals or metal objects, the survival of textile objects is uncommon. Textile fragments discovered from Tepe Dasht, though somewhat ravaged by time and the elements, have enormous potential to reveal information about ancient life and the local environment in the third millennium BC in Sistan.