payam-e bastanshenas
Year:2012 | Volume:9 | Issue:17|Papers Count:11

Archaeology of Rituals is hanging between ordinary language and abstract theoretic terminology. Can archaeology of Rituals, from theoretical point of view, avoid ordinary languages? As we know, language of rituals is an etic category that refers to set activities "enthusiasm-laden" and intertwined with multiplex aspects of social life of people. Theoretical languages, as well, have their own structure and defined terminological character. Inadequacy, muteness, fossilized, static and materiality of archaeological data also provoke other controversies to academic and systematic study of Archaeology of lost and passed Rituals and Religions. This article deals briefly with some of the sharpest differences between ordinary and academic or theoretic languages and controversies involving Archaeology of lost Rituals and past Religions.

Archaeology is at a cross-road. With increasing human interference in natural landscapes, more and more archaeological remains come under threat of destruction. In the meantime, with diminishing funds for archaeological fieldwork– in both research and salvage – as a result of global economic problems, fewer and fewer archaeological sites can be studied or rescued. To add insult to injury, the gap between archaeological theory and archaeological practice keep widening. While a considerable amount of literature on archaeological theory appears on a regular basis, archaeological practice remains basically the same as previous generation or the generation before that. The only progress in this area is new or more advanced techniques for recovery, analysis, and dating of archaeological material. In this paper, the author argues for a more engaged practice of archaeology which is capable of producing tangible results that would improve the quality of life for ordinary people or prevent environmental disasters (e.g., soil salinization, desertification) from happening by adhering to the data recovered from archaeological fieldwork. A certain degree of purely academic and research objectives of archaeology may have to be ignored for the time being, but it seems to be a necessary sacrifice to ensure the future of archaeology.

Studying technological and economical specialization in the prehistoric societies, as well as the way of understanding the same specialization, their measurements and Scales from the remaining evidences have faced a large number of difficulties. The term 'specialization' as a significant subject along with the economy of the prehistoric societies has long been regarded by anthropologists and archaeologists. The definition of the term, its origins, and the archaeological interpretation of this form of production organization has always been focused since 1960s. Archaeological researchers might lose the track in their interpretations of data without having clear standards for recognizing specialization lacking a lucid understanding of the term. Archaeologists delineate the origins of specialization using three models: 1. Commercial development model, 2. Adaptive model, 3.Political model. The given models indicate different approaches to the concept of studying specialization in archaeology. Such approaches are connected to the cultural, social, and economical evolution in prehistoric societies. In this paper, the concept and facets of craft specialization, production organization, standardization, styles, labor investment, the standards and methods of specialization have been concentrated.

Fasa is one the most important areas in prehistoric of Fars province. Archaeological works in Fars, before and after the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1978, mostly had been epitomized to Kur River Basin. Although, the importance of prehistoric of Fasa revealed by Miroschedji's survey in 1971-72 but he did not study this survey's data very well and just published a brief article in 1973. Fasa surveyed again by an Iranian mission was conducted by A. A. Asadi in 2009 that 15 prehistoric sites were identified. In this paper, these 15 sites have been studied, and finally a relative chronology was suggested for each.

Cultural materials are used meaningfully and their meaning can be changed or forgotten during the passage of time. One of the ultra- modern archaeological approaches is the perception of understanding and meaning of objects. Here “interpretation” has been suggested as an approach for the conception of concepts of objects. Interpretation is considered as a special type of explanation and for the sake of inclusion of a hermeneutic framework, it is beyond of cultural material. For discovering the concept of cultural materials, it needs to distinguish social conditions in its time context. Archaeologically, the perspective of north and northeast of Iran plateau contains culture and homogeneous culture in Recent Bronze Period. Effigy vessel is considered as one of the cultural materials which can be found in funerary floor in this period, and have been discovered from archaeological investigations. In fact, this cultural view can be considered as a context and existing effigy vessel to be considered as one of the most delicate symptoms in this context. Also, its social aspect, gender and identity symptoms can be distinguished through studying.

In the numerous books and articles written on the Elamites, scholars rarely, if ever, have advanced any hypothesis on the formation of the early Elamite state organizations and how these organizations and the archaeological and historical landscapes of Elam, both in the highlands and lowlands, have differed from the contemporary political landscape of their Mesopotamian neighbors. Similarity, scholars simply ignore the tremendous difference between the natural landscape of Elam and southern Mesopotamia. This article focuses on these differences and traces them from the prehistoric era to the time when the long-lasting Elamite state was eclipsed in the first millennium BC. In doing so, the author pays close attention to the broad patterns revealed in the numerous archaeological surveys in southwestern Iran.

Silver Coins analysis technique (PIXE), seems an accurate method of measuring their constituent elements. It can offer valuable information about the chemical elements and minerals from the coins living in the coinage. During the Parthian Mint due to various reasons, the usual procedure would change the coins for melting metal, also chose a new mineral. During the reign of the Phraates IV (38-2 B.C.) As well pre (Mitridat I 171-138 BC.), silver coins, including one derhami and four drahmy coins were bronze and copper. The silver coins to the value of the metal and geographies that in turn, were more important than practice. In this study, 10 samples of coins - a complexity Phraates IV by the PIXE were tested. It spectroscopy revealed that the element silver coins in them varies greatly. Silver drop on some coins represent an abnormal situation of economic complexity and effort to win control of the state mint for reign.

Reconstructing of environment and livelihood in ancient sites is an important subject in archaeological studies. Researchers use several methods for palaeodiet studies. One of these methods survey nutrition in use determines rate concentration of chemical element in ancient skeletal. Parthian people which ruled in Iran since 238 B.C for 224 A.D, when extended their power from east to the west by occupying new territory, found different civilization with their food consuming patterns. Elemental analysis of teeth of human skeletal from sites and graves of this period gave valuable information about nutrition in this period. In this article we want the found information about paleodiet in Parthian period in use PIXE manner. We have selected the teeth under study, from several Parthian sites in Iran, Shian, Valiran, Kharand, Gandab and nakhle Ibrahimi. We emphasis on these elements; Fe, Ca, Sr, Zn and P. In this research we gathered information about the variety in food in Parthian period.