PAZHOHESH-HA-YE BASTANSHENASI IRAN
Year:2020 | Volume:10 | Issue:25|Papers Count:12

The valleys and margins of the intermountain plains between Harsin and Bisetoon are among the key geographical areas in the Zagros Palaeolithic studies. Recent archaeological research has shown that some of the Zagros Paleolithic sites are adjacent to radiolarian rocks of chert. Darvi Tepe as one of these important sites with a considerable number of stone artifacts is located on the near of Chehr village and 10 km south of Bisetoon mountain. The geographical position of the Darvi Tepe is such that it lies between the Middle Paleolithic sites in the Harsin Mountains and the Paleolithic sites of the Bistoon Mountains. In this article, research questions were included what kind of usage does the site have on a rocky bed of natural radiolarian outcrops? By studing and typology of surface findings, what is the time period of Darvi Tepe? The study of the technology making and typology of the pieces collected from the Darvi Tepe shows that the site was used as an open workshop for the production of stone artifacts. The Surface findings from the site indicate that the Darvi Tepe is belong to the Middle Paleolithic period. The research on the findinds is based on library-field survey method. Also the relatively high presence of the LevaLeva technique and retouch on the debitage of the site are noteworthy. The presence of a large number of retouch pieces in a workshop site on the high quality raw materials was indicated that the low availability of raw material resources does not lead to retouch and it is the main reason for the retouch creating efficient edges. While the relative abundance of the Levaleva technique in the Darvi Tepe is confirming studies based on the presence of Levaleva in high Zagros, and this is another site that further substantiates the claim of Levalova in the High Zagros.

"Pottery" is one of the most important cultural materials-in terms of quantity and quality-among the findings of archaeological excavations on the hill behind Malayer Airport; The pottery of this area can be divided into two main groups: chickpea and red. Each group can be divided into two sub-categories: painted and simple, and in terms of construction quality, it can be divided into two groups: medium and rough. The pottery mix is mainly vegetable and varies in grain size; So that on the surface and theme of some pottery-especially rough samples-depressions due to the presence of straw mixture. The pottery species with the straw mound combination behind the airport contain the characteristics of a pottery species known as "Cairo". This type of pottery with the remains of straw in the form of hollow and hollow in different levels of the vessel, is one of the cultural materials of pottery in some prehistoric areas-especially Mesopotamia and Iran. The purpose of this research is, in the first place, the typology and study of new Neolithic pottery on the hill behind the airport; And secondly, the identification and manner of cultural practices and the affinity of common pottery species in neighboring cultures. The method of the present study is based on comparative studies and with a descriptive-analytical approach, seeks to answer these questions: What are the types of pottery discovered on the hill behind the airport? Are the common types of hill pottery behind the indigenous-local airport or are they imported from neighboring cultures? And that pottery with the straw mound behind the airport can be considered the first steps in the emergence and construction of early Cairo pottery fromthe Neolithic period? It is assumed, considering the semi-unitary and nomadic nature of the communities present in the hill behind the airport and with regard to the diversity of pottery in the type of materials.

This paper explores man-environment relationships during the prehistoric periods. It calculates the main factors affecting the establishment of prehistoric settlements in Sarfiroozabad rural district, south of Kermanshah County, which is south-eastern extension of Mahidasht. The research has been done on the basis of Environmental archaeology according to archaeological surface surveying data. The Principal Component Analysis method has been used to investigate the measure of natural and cultural factors involve in the prehistoric settlement patterns of the region. Applying binary indicator variables, both natural and cultural, the paper has been based on the standardized PCA analysis, with Eigen values > 1 kept, followed by some sort of rotation to better distribute variance, to examine principal factors involved in the distribution of human settlements pattern and it’ s reshaping through the time. It found that some parts of the region with present day settlements and population density are those of better populated in prehistoric times. The general patterns of settlement distribution of the studied region are mainly unchanged through the long-term processes of man-environment relationship. The results also show that the impacting factors on settlement distribution patterns were different in every prehistoric period. The results could be used to reconstruction of man-environment interactions of the region to apply it in contemporary environmental management of it. One of the advantages of the project was its purposefulness which led to recognition of more than 300 archaeological sites over that small area. An important achievement of the project was discovering very earlier occupational evidences than what which was revealed from Mahidasht; resulting to a reconsideration of the origins of Neolithic settlements of the region such as Tepe Sarab. A post surveying analytical study planned to gain a deeper insight about the characteristics of prehistoric settlement distribution over Sarfirouzabad. Two methods of GIS-based analyses and PCA statistical evaluations helped us to extract the main factors affecting prehistoric site distribution on the valley. The results show a decisive influential role of environment combined with its different subsistence potentialities played in the prehistoric site distribution patterns. There is also a considerable distinction between isolated and clustered settlements in their distributions over the valley through prehistoric times. Nevertheless, a more comprehensive understanding of prehistoric settlement conditions would be achieved just through archaeological excavating of key sites of the valley. The study aims to investigate and detect distribution patterns of prehistoric sites on the basis of their spatial relations. Applying Principal Component Analysis method, prehistoric sites of the valley evaluated according to three kinds of spatial relations among them including relation between contemporaneous settlements; relation between settlements and their adjacent sites of past period; and relation between prehistoric settlements and modern ones. In such a way, it could be possible to take into account attributes other than natural ones and consider potential cultural factors affecting settlement locating during prehistoric times. It is not to overleap the natural and environmental factors, but to examine site distributions according to their relations as well; as if each of them is a node on the complicated network of occupying the valley through different periods. it should probably be impossible to get a comprehensive understanding of prehistoric settlement conditions of the region unless the excavations carried out to establish secure chronology. The current results are mainly based on relative chronology of surface sherds compared to the same material recovered accurately in temporal order from the stratigraphic deposits of Mahidasht. However there is necessity to have absolute datings of prehistoric evidences of the valley. Careful surveying and identifying ancient settlements of the valley made it possible to take into account analytical studies of locating, distributing, relocating and evolution of prehistoric settlements during various periods, but a need to widespread investigations supported by archaeological excavations still remained to have a comprehensive understanding about mechanisms engaged in the formation and evolution of settlements through the time.

Northwest Iran, on the one hand, is linked to the regions of the Transcaucasus, Anatolia and Mesopotamia, and on the other hand has links with Central Plate and East Central Zagros. Therefore, this region is always the center of the intersection of different ethnic groups with different ethnic and cultural structures. In the 4th millennium BC and the early 3rd millennium BC, with the complexity of economic and social relations between societies, we face a different form of economic, political and cultural interactions in the Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Caucasus and the Iranian plateau. At that time, along with the formation of the Uruk culture and the expansion of the influence of Mesopotamian communities in its main climbs, there were Transcaucasian cultures fluctuations in the highlands and mountainous areas of the north and east of the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates of the. At the same time, in the Uremia Lake basin, a cultural gap is between Hasanlu VIII / the late Chalcolitic period / Pisdeli (in horizon with Obaid and the early Uruk in Mesopotamia) and Hasanlu VII / the early Bronze Age (simultaneously with the culture of kura Arax II-III in the north of the Urmia lake, the culture of painted orange pottery/ POW is observed in the south of the Urmia Basin and the early dynasties and the Akad in Mesopotamia). Therefore, the transfer from Hasanlu VIII to Hasanlu VII is an important discussion in the prehistory of the region. On the other hand, according to relations Uruk culture, Kura Arax and orange painted pottery culture In some cases, the study of cultural distribution and interactions is important in this period. The importance of this research is for Not only for study the cultural relations of this people in the prehistory of this region, but also affects the status of the region in the cultural-economic exchanges between the Iranian plateau and the Caucasus and Mesopotamia.

The petroglyphs are of particular importance for the study of art history, archeology and anthropology, and are the most documented in the presentation of the concepts of social archaeology. These types of motifs are from the earliest historical and artistic works left by man, many examples of which are scattered in different parts of Iran. In the course of an archaeological survey in the spring and summer of 2016, several collections of petroglyph (carvings and cupolas) were identified at intervals less than 20 kilometers from Boroujerd city. These works are located mainly in mountainous regions. These have a number of motifs and subjects, including human designs (archer, rider, and others), animal designs (Ibexes, deers, dogs, etc. ), geometric patterns, symbolic and cupoals). All of the studied motifs were carved on isolated rocks and located in open area and in different sizes, both individual and subject. Most of the detected motifs in Boroujerd have been created by the method of knocking, carving, or scratching on the surface of the boards. Due to the amount of weathering and their kind of creation, The designs of this complex seem to be related to different periods, and because of the lake of laboratory studies in Iran, they cannot be considered a definite date for these works. According to the studies, it can be said that the designs of this collection are quantitatively and qualitatively of the petroglyph of different regions of Iran, especially western Iran (Azandaran of Malayer, Args of Malayer, Darreh Divein and Darreh Dostali of Hamedan) and center of Iran (Timareh and) and even beyond the current boundaries of Iran can be compared. The authors of this paper first describe petroglyph of the study area and then analyze them. and center of Iran (Timareh and) and even beyond the current boundaries of Iran can be compared. The authors of this paper first describe petroglyph of the study area and then analyze them.

Laalvar region, as part of the great Qomrud River, is referred to a section that differs from the main bed of Qomrud River in topographical structure and geographical environment, and includes an inter-mountain plain and the high rolling terrains around it. This region has always been welcomed by humans due to its favorable environmental conditions, and settlement evidence of different periods can be observed in it. According to archaeological surveys conducted in Laalvar region during two periods in 2008 and 2014, one hundred and eighty five archaeological sites from the fifth millennium BC to the contemporary era were identified, each with one or more settlement periods. However, in terms of extent and importance of the sites, as well as the time span of each period, this region has been very important the historical period, especially the Parthian and Sassanid periods. This can be demonstrated with regard to the presence of monuments such as Khorheh temple, Atashkouh fire temple, Mil-e Milona, etc. One of the most important settlement periods of this region is the Parthian period that according to archaeological research, during this time, on the one hand, the region witnessed an increase in settlement and demographic evidence, and on the other, significant sites such as Khorheh and Jam were also formed. Unfortunately, despite the high importance of this period, no comprehensive and independent studies have been conducted on it so far, and issues such as the reconstruction of the Parthian settlement pattern structure and the factors affecting Parthian sites are still remained unclear. Therefore, based on the data obtained from archaeological activities in the region, and preparation of GIS maps, the authors managed to study and finally analyze and reconstruct the landscape of Laalvar region in Parthian period as well as the environmental patterns of the settlements in this period.

Sogdian was the Language of the people of the Land of Sogd. The center of Sogd was Samarkand and their most important city was Bukhara in the present-day Republic of Uzbekistan. Sogdian was the administrative, commercial and cultural Language in other areas, such as the Turfan oasis in East Turkestan. Sogdian, as one of the Iranian Languages in Central Asia, has been widely used to express and reflect the religious precepts and traditions of some pre-Islamic religions. Sogdian is the most important Language of Middle Eastern Iran in terms of diversity and volume of literature, and from a geographical and linguistic point of view, the written works of this Language, from near Samarkand to one of the inner towers of the Great Wall of China, and from northern Mongolia to the upper valley of the Sand River in north of the Pakistan is discovered and shows its geographical extent in central Asia and the cultural in influence of this Language from the second to the thirteenth century AD. Sogdian art loving merchants, of whom were Manichaean, Christian and Buddhists, in addition to the transfer of goods, culture and art between the East and West World, (China, Iran, India and Rom) also promoted Manichaean and Christian, Buddhism among the people of Central Asia and China. The main question in this research is how the Manichaean and Buddhist, Christian religious precepts are reflected in the Sogdian texts, and was Sogdian a suitable language for the preservation and dissemination of Manichaean and Buddhist, Christian teachings? The hypothesis of the present article is that the Christian, Buddhist and Manichaean religious teachings are well reflected in the Sogdian language in terms of the linguistic commonality of their followers. This research has been done by descriptive-analytical method based on the sources of library texts and documents, and the results of the research show that the symbol of confession of sins and seeking forgiveness in the religious tradition of the Buddhists in the Sogdian language is presented to the religious people in almost the same original form but with a new literature. Manicheans texts indicate that the teachings of the two Manichaean have well preserved their original structure in Soghdian culture and language and Sogdian Christian texts indicate that the religion of confession at the beginning of the emergence of Christianity was a group, but in later periods it was performed in person and in secret, and the symbol of the Lord’ s Supper or the rite of thanksgiving in all Christian denominations is celebrated in the biblical tradition, the Last Supper.

Sirjan was one of five districts in Kerman province during the Islamic periods. According to archaeological research and historical sources, the city of Sirjan was located at Qal´ eh Sang at the time from the 12th to 15th century AD. During the first season of archaeological excavation besides the identification of architectural remains, a big variety of Islamic ceramics was found which suits for further specialized studies. Questions are concerning the variation of ceramic decorations, the dating of the objects as well as the characteristics of local production at Qal´ eh Sang. To answer these questions a descriptive-analytical approach is applied. The goal of these analyses is to give answers about the relative chronology, the role of Qal´ eh Sang on cultural interactions with other regions, the zenith and descent of Qal´ eh Sang on base of documented pottery finds in comparison with historical sources as well as on the local pottery production during early Islamic times. At Qal´ eh Sang many ceramic shards dating from Middle Elamite to Qajar period were documented, but the majority belongs to the time from the 12th to 15th century AD. These ones show similarity to pottery finds from Jiroft, Ghubayra, Kashan, Rey, Farahan, Gorgan, Neyshabour, Belgheys, several sites on the Northern coast of the Persian Gulf as well as Al-Mataf, and Al-Huleylah in U. A. E. Some pieces seems also to be imported from Azerbaijan and Afghanistan or f. e. from China during the Yuan and Ming dynasty as evidenced by fragments of blue and white ware and Celadon. In general, the investigation of the ceramic finds from Qal´ eh Sang can be used as a good indicator for the developments of trade contacts with centres along the coasts of the Persian Gulf. Trading contacts between the Persian Gulf and Sirjan have been an important economical branch for the exchange of goods with Central Iran and is also an indicator for the imminent influence on the development of the Southern cities.

Dargazin or in other words Darjazin city, one of the important areas of Hamadan province in Razan city, be longs to the Islamic era. (from the Seljuk period to the end of the Safavid era). This area has been of special importance throughout history due to its location in one of the entrance gates of the Hamadan province. . The present study is based on the analytical-historical method based on archaeological field data and written library documents. Due to the importance of Dargazin some documentary information about the architecture and cultural monuments of city, this city the necessity of purposeful study of archeology was required. Therefore, the archeological excavations of this area were carried out in 1391 to analyze the developments of the Islamic period in this area and to recognize the cultural, artistic and social achievements of Dargazin city with the objectives and answers to the main question ahead. . Due to the appropriate geographical location and strategic conditions in the region and the location of the this area between the residential and governmental centers of the western and eastern plains of different Islamic periods of Iran such as Zanjan plain, Qazvin in the northwest, Saveh and Rey in the northeast and Kermanshah and Hamadan in the western regions and also according to the Islamic cultural periods of that emergence and historical life in Darjazin, what effect has it had on the historical and political survival of different Seljuk to Safavid periods? The city of Dargazin has played an important role in some periods of history, so that sometimes the grandeur and description of the castle and the situation of the city have been compared with a logic like Diyarbakr in Iraq. During the Seljuk period ministers from this region relied on the ministry and were able to play a role in Iran’ s history. It seems that the presence of these people in the administrative apparatus has been effective in development of this region since the Seljuk period on the basis of historical evidence and texts. (writings: Ibn Hawql, Muqaddasi, Shirvani and… ). According to historical and geographical texts, these factors have made Dargazin play a more important role in the Ottoman and Safavid conflicts during the Safavid period, (the first half of the tenth century AH) because it has made it easier to capture the Hamadan region by occupying Dargazin, for example, Shah Ismail Safavid retreated to Hamadan’ s Dargazin in the battle of Chaldoran to regain his strength. The reason for this claim was the capture of Dargazin castle during the Ottoman invasion of west of Iran by drawing three painting of this city. These paintings and examples of existing work and excavations can guide us to continue to know more accurately.

Geographical and political position of Khoy, one of the most ancient and eventful cities in the northwest of Iran, has brought this city to be considered important by the kings and local rulers. Moreover, on account of having suitable climate and fertile soil, Khoy has been appropriate for constructing governmental and private gardens, including Shah Ismail Safavid Royal Garden and its nearby places, documents of which have been cited in the historical sources. The research method was based on the collection of documents, maps and historical resources and their correspondence with the findings of field and library studies. In the first stage, the location of Khoy in historical times from Safavid period to present day is restored based on existing maps. Then architectural features and the recovery of different parts of Royal Garden and its nearby spaces including Maydan-e-Shahi (King’ s Square) and Shams Tabrizi Minarets were noted. The core of this study focuses on correspondence between features of these spaces with documents, maps and historical resources, including Metraqchi’ s miniature, Francesco Romano’ s travelogue, Pascal Cost’ s drawing map and extraction of new findings. It has been attempted to determine the plans and the positions of Royal Garden Buildings, Maydan-e-Shahi and tomb of Shams Tabrizi in the current city through graphical reconstruction and corresponding with existing maps. In addition, according to James Morier’ s report and painting, and Field and Library Studies, architectural features of Shams Tabrizi Minaret and osteology of the skulls used in it were examined and the way of planting the skulls and biometric features were determined. These findings corrected some existing historical reports. Overall findings of this study provide a clear image of the relocation of Khoy in the last 500 years, position of Royal Garden, architecture of Safavid governmental palace and features of Shams Tabrizi Minarets in early Safavid period.

The wall paintings of Qazvin Chehelsotoun Mansion include two periods in the early Safavid period and one period in the Qajar period. This topic has received little attention in the field of structural studies and stylistics. Investigating these decorations in order to understand the evolution of this art and considering the temporal precedence over other murals in the Safavid period seems necessary. (Especially in Isfahan) The main question of this research is to identify the structure and examine the differences and similarities between the techniques of layering and gilding in different layers related to the Safavid era in this monument. The research hypothesis is based on the similarity of materials and techniques used in the two short and successive time periods. The purpose of the study is to identify possible differences in the structure of the materials and techniques of layering and gilding in these two eras of the Chehelsotoun monument. For the reasons mentioned above, the western part of the south corridor and the motif patterns associated with these two periods were selected. Dental instruments were used for sampling to the depth of the plaster bed layer. After microscopic examination and coding of the samples, two specimens were selected to study the motif layers of both periods from the upper to the lower substrate. To identify the elements and ingredients of these motifs, the microscopic images were examined by SEM-EDX microscope. In order to identify and detect the composition of materials in different phases, different decorative and gilding layers (gold layer, red soil layer and plaster substrate) were examined by XRD imaging. The results of this research show that the techniques of layering and gilding are identical in these two periods. There is only a slight difference in the purity of the gold and plaster substrates used during these periods.

Karim Khan's Citadel (Arg) is the largest brick building in the Zandieh Complex in Shiraz, built with his ideas & desires. Its courtyard landscape has evolved throughout history, which is inconsistent with the current situation. Reading its landscape changes can pave the way for a proper restoration program and refine its current understanding of the citadel architecture and its spatial-visual character. The purpose of this study is to read the developments of the citadel courtyard landscape in two parts: a) landscaping features ('planting plan', 'water order' and 'geometry of parterres') and b) elements of architectural interventions adjoining from Zand era to contemporary time. The method of research is 'historical-interpretive'. Research documents include (a) travelogues, historical documents and books, (b) historical photos from the Qajar era, (c) aerial imagery, and (d) field observations. The readings of historical photos are done using single-point and two-point perspective principles, and the resulting data was supported by overlaps. The findings showed that the developments of the citadel landscape could be categorized into four periods: 'Formation (Zand)', 'Transformation & Changes (Qajar)', 'De-functionalizing and Demolition (Pahlavi)' and 'Restoration & Rehabilitation (Islamic Republic)'. The courtyard's original landscape has been transformed from 'Garden of the Residency' to 'Yard Garden' of the Late Qajar, 'Court of the Prisoner' of the Pahlavi era, and finally 'Orangery' in the present time. The original planting plan consisted of tall trees (plane and cypress) and short tress (citrus and orange) and flowers arranged in three lower, middle and upper eye levels. The water-supply order in the center, including pools and fountains, has more or less maintained its structure. However, the layouts of parterres have changed due to both physical and non-physical intervention subjects. The aesthetics of the Zand dynasty have remained in the courtyard landscape until the days of Mozaffar al-Din Shah (about 140 years), and since then their visual character has been transformed and confined to the lower and middle visual eye levels.