JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES
Year:2017 | Volume:8 | Issue:2 |Papers Count:13

Twelve seasons of archaeological excavations at Bronze Age urban center of Shahdad, made possible to assign the Lut area as an important region in the archaeology of Iran Recently, an extensive archaeological survey was conducted in a 100×40 Km area on the eastern flank of Kerman range and bordering the western fringes of Lut Desert. The survey was planned in the hope of providing answers to, or at least evidence pertaining to, some regional questions. Our main objectives were to identify the settlement patterns of the region through the ancient times, investigate the human-environment interactions and settlement development during prehistoric times in a region where previous excavations had documented the existence of a significant Early Bronze Age urban center. The survey led to identifying eighty-seven ancient sites dating from the fifth millennium BC to the late Islamic era. Of the recorded sites, twenty-three are assigned to prehistoric times (Chalcolithic period and Bronze Age). This paper discusses the prehistoric settlement patterns and the human-environment interactions on the west of Lut Desert.

Most researchers believe that the Sassanid dead bodies were left in the open air to decompose, and then bones by animals and birds remaining in the troughs and niche was created in the rocks. The spaces created in the hard rock mountain ossuary called (Ostkhan Dan). Many of these Astvdans in the Persian mountains like Naqsh-e Rajab, on a hillside on the outskirts Zangiabadi mercy, have mercy on the mountain near the pool, on a platform on a hillside Gvndashlv, isolated on a rock near Naqsh-e Rostam, the great stone cut surface Tight hay near Sivand, in close Eghlid Abade and at the top of a castle overlooking the Bishapour were detected. The Astvadans were created within the rocky mountains or conglomerate layeres both permanently and temporarily (The Dakhmak) In this study, the number of Astvdanhay identified in the Persian Gulf which is comparable to the examples of Fars,  were presented and their actual applicatiion will be discussed.

Ancient cities are valuable cultural and architectural heritages of Iran. This cites show the citizen’s life and different spaces of cultural, political, social, religious characteristics. We can research on cites and determine how much has changed the life of Iranian citizens durind their long history. By appearance of Moslem in Iran and their domination over the country, the urbanism and structure of urban life in Iran underwent significant changes. Although, one must admit that the basis and foundation of Iranian cities after the arrival of Islam was based on the urbanism and urban development of Sassanid era; the new religion spread a new series of principles, norms and new social frameworks in the Iranian society which were clearly effective on the structure of people’s routine life. This paper according to methodology of historical archaeology and integrating historical and archaeological data, text documents tries to explain how Islamic ideas affect the process of urban spatial development.

The diagnostic Zagros highland MC I ceramic assemblage is called Dalma, after the type site of Dalma Tepe in the southern Lake Urmia basin of Azerbaijan. The remarkable issue about this period, however, is the widespread distribution of these ceramics. Chronologically, the Dalma tradition is dated back to fifth and fourth millennium B.C .in west of Iran. The Dalma type sites in northwest of Iran bearing four Dalma diagnostic wares but in central Zagros especially in interaction spheres with other pottery traditions Dalma contexts experienced more pottery types. For examples to the more eastern areas in Abhar plain or Sojasroud valley, besides these Dalma wares, small samples of Central Plateau painted wares also appeared. In this context potteries sub-divided into two main original Dalma wares and peripheral wares classes. In contrast to the more southern parts, Dalma diagnostic type turns into secondary pottery tradition. In this article XRF analysis was carried out on Soha Chai Tepe Dalma assemblages, to better understand the nature of their distribution and to further the understanding of interaction between two adjacent pottery traditions.

The problem of historical geography and extent of Median territory in Neo-Assyrian period, from 9th to 7th centuries B.C. has always made dissensions. Given the extent of Median territory in Achaemenid and Parthian periods, early historians and Assyriologists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries considered Median realm extending from Zagros mountains to central plateau of Iran. From 1970s onwards, however, a new minimalistic approach to the historical geography of Neo-Assyrian Zagros has appeared and proposed a large Median territory than previously assumed and located Media on the western flanks of Alvand Mountain ranges. The advocates of this minimalistic approach have put limits on the extent of Assyrian dominance in Iran and consider the Alvand as the last spot of Assyrian Armies’ penetration to the east. The present study deals with assessing these contradictory assumptions. We also try to determine the Median boarders and also try to locate the main regions and cities of Media based on the Assyrian written sources.

Based on excavations of the destroyed The Maragheh Observatory it appears to be some circular plan foundations with no architectural evidences. It also seen that the Spatial and formal characteristics of The Observatory architectural units are not specified. The function and use of them are neither specified. The aim of the present paper is to find the architectural organization of the Maragheh Observatory and to answer the basic questions about the shape, arrangement and functional aspects of the observatory that the explorers of the Observatory have not responded to. With the reference to the architecture of the existing ancient observatories the hypothesis was that through a comparative study, an architectural algorithm/pattern could be found and used to determine the shape and arrangement of Maragheh Observatory. For this reason, Jaipur Observatory was selected as the main reference for the architectural comparative study due to its planning and construction imitated from the Maragheh Observatory. This paper also presents the evidences of the functional link between the two juxtaposed units that their foot prints are already existed in the site. It is noted that the restoration of this observatory will also be useful with regard to the development of an attractive and unique archeological and culturally based tourism.

Geography, history, and the material culture provide the three bases for definition and determination of a cultural landscape. The region of Maymand in northwestern of Kerman province as the interacting-ground of the three aforementioned factors is considered as a cultural landscape. The geographic diversity, historical events and 2500-years-old cultural vestiges have prepared the necessities for the formation of a dynamic cultural landscape. The archaeological survey findings show the process of change and evolution in lifestyles of the people who have been living in the Maymand region from ancient times to modern era. This process has been affected by geographic conditions on the one hand and has influenced the region’s history on the other hand. In addition to the complicated and multilinear historical processes having determined the characteristics of the Maymand’s landscape, the village of Maymand has played the focal role in the changing and evolution of the region. Identifying the factors which were acting in the evolution of the cultural landscape of Maymand, would help us to find the true way to indicate and solve the current problems.

Archaeological evidence has witnessed that the presence of the Zagros foothill's habitants in the development of Middle Elamite period. Despite several new archaeological researches in the interior highlands of the Zagros in Upper Karun basin, there have been no accurate and consistent information on the quantity and quality of the Middle Elamite period in this area. Considerable evidence from the Middle Elamite period as one of the most prosperous periods in the history of Elam, have been discovered during recent archaeological activities in this region. With reviews of new works and documentation materials in the Upper Karun basin certainly (not likely) evidences of Elamite empire territories is present here. Discovery of ancient mounds and sites containing architecture, burials, cuneiform inscriptions and pottery from this period would open new windows for interested archaeologists. Now there is no doubt that these areas located in the Zagros foothills played an important social and political role during second millennium BC in south West Iran.

Seymarreh landslide is one of the important natural disasters that happened at east south of Seymarreh valley at Darrehshahr town ship in the past. This landslide has attracted attention of several scientists, because of the size and characteristics of its own. Several studies carried out so far in this event timing, however, the time of this event is unknown yet, from the perspective of archaeology. The aim of this paper is timing of Seymarreh landslide, based on archaeological evidence. In this regard, we have studied and examined the archaeological evidences that discovered from three points, including place landslide, the mouth of debris dam and the Seymarreh lake bed. The data of this research were collected by archaeological surveys. As a result, it was found that Seymarreh landslide has happened in the beginning of the Holocene age, simultaneously with the beginning of the Neolithic period and this landslide causing the formation of a recess in the process of habitation in the Seymarreh valley, which have been continued to late of Neolithic period.

Tepe Giyan, which situated in Nihavand city, is one the most important and the first excavated sites in the cultural-geographical zone of Central Zagros. Excavations in this site had been conducted in 1931-32 with the nonscientific methods to discover the antique and precious objects. During excavation, cultural material and remnants from various periods of prehistoric deposits of Giyan were found and were assigned to have been as the basic for the chronology of the region. The considerable assemblage of Tepe Giyan was housed in Moghadam Museum of University of Tehran. In this paper, 20 intact pottery vessels of this assemblage were selected with the aim of introducing, typology, and offering comparative chronology. Also, the study of this assemblage prepared the appropriate opportunity to scrutiny and re-identifying the chronology of cultural periods at Tepe Giyan. In order to gaining the mentioned aims, all indications of 20 intact vessels were studied and documented for typological and chronological debates. According to the physical characteristics of poterries such as shape of vessels, diagram and style of paintings, Giyan were compared with other corresponding sites, and finally the relative chronology of assemblage was suggested. As a result, all vessels of Moghadam Museum assemblage belong to the middle and late Bronze Age and transition period from Bronze to Iron Age.

Among the Historical Monuments which have been identified in Tehran plain, Qaleh Iraj (known also as Qaleh Gabri) is the biggest in extent by 1470 m. length, 1300 m. Width covering an area around 190 ha. This historical site is located 2 Kilometers north-east of Varamin county, in Tehran Plain. Despite some archaeological study, there has been no information on the archaeology of Qaleh Iraj it self alsor on the architectural characteristics of building. This study aimed to determine build up a chronologcal framwork to date different parts of Qale which may have been made durind successive periods.Through this paper we tried to explain the function of Qale and why the Qale was abandoned. For this we used archaeological data, text documents as well remote sensing (RS) magery to find history and function of Qaleh Iraj. This study showed Qaleh Iraj is a Garrison in Sassanian Period and maybe abandoned in the early Islamic period.

Extensive or intensive methods in archeological surveys are amongst the most common practical techniques in identifying phenomena, cultural changes and cultural ecosystem. Studying and identifying plains, valleys and different regions would definitely have many results which can ultimately lead to a comprehensive database about ancient societies and their interactions. Different plains on the slopes of Alvand, a subrange of the Zagros Mountains in western Iran, including Tuyserkan plain in eastern central Zagros have always been the center of human societies with high potentials as settlements for primary societies. Regarding the research project of "investigating, identifying, complementary documenting and registering the ancient sits of Tuyserkan County" this region was intensively surveyed during the winter of 2012 and archeological studies were conducted with the aim of recognizing and registering illegible historical and ancient sites. On the basis of this survey 44 sites from chalcolithic to recent Islamic periods were identified, including 3 chalcolithic sites, 4 Bronze Age sites and only 2 Iron Age sites. Dalma ceramics and painted stemware known as BOB are the featured ceramics of chalcolithic period in this region, while Bronze Age is featured with Yaniq ceramics and Iron Age with buff ware and gray ware ceramics. The present study aims in studying and analyzing the expansion pattern and spatial distribution of human settlements in this area from chalcolithic to Iron Age and estimating the archaeological hierarchy of these sites and their spatial relations on western side of Alvand mountain range among themselves and with their adjacent cultural areas.

From the end of 1960’s decade when Processual Archaeology was emerged until now, Ethno-archaeology has reconstructed economicو social, technological and ideological structures of the past societies. Nowadays, population estimating of ancient societies is one the most important matter in archaeology. Statistical analysis of ethno-archaeological data especially architectural records known from todays’ villages is one of the way of demography in archaeology. The region of Iranian Sistan is very important in ethno-archaeological point of view because of its high archaeological and ethnological capacities. To obtain the targets of this investigation, we studied villages of Sistan in geology and ethnology respects and in original rustic life range. Then, three villages named Vaselan, Abbasabad Piri and Karkoo were selected for ethno-archaeological researches. On the basis of this survey we can estimate the average of population in Sistan 38 person per hectares. Inserting some parameters such as settlement size and pattern, livelihood and crafts specialization the writers have added half of this estimation to it and conjectured that the average population of Shahr-e-sokhteh has been 57 person per hectares. To avoid any possible errors we recommend ± 5. Therefore, Shahr-e-sokhteh has had a population between 4200-5000 individual during its peak of magnificence in period II. This estimation has confirmed the viewpoint of anthropologist.