Parseh Journal of Archaeological Studies

Preliminary Study of Chalcolithic Lithic in the East of Kurdistan Province

Abbas Motarjem

Abstract
This paper will focus on Lithic assemblages from three sites in the eastern part of Kurdistan province. The Chalcolithic period appears with different pottery tradi-tions than the earlier period in the Zagros, these changes appear mainly in the emergence of a variety of long blades and very regular and standard sickle blades. Due to the importance and lack of studies on the Chalcolithic Lithic, the main ques-tion in this article is what was the technology and function of the tools in the Chal-colithic period? The results show the technology of direct percussion with a hard hammer used to in the primary stages of Chalcolithic, and in the late phase, in addi-tion to the earlier method, the pressure technique has also been used to construction of long blades and sickle blade. Also, long blades and sickle blades, in terms of production technique, are continued in the Neolithic period in the Zagros, but in terms of dimensions as well as the ratio of blade length to width in a new class which is a new indicator for the Chalcolithic period. The results show that the con-struction of regular sickle blades begins in the late Chalcolithic phase. The skill of making tools is undoubtedly related to exist people who have special ability for these products, and they have distributed these tools in certain areas; because the least waste of high-quality flint of these blades has not been found in the sites. While most of the debris belong to raw material that are easily accessible in the riv-erbed.
Keywords: East of Kurdistan, Chalcolithic Period, Lithic Artifact.

Introduction
The stone artifacts in this study are the result of excavations in Tepe Gheshlagh (Motarjem & Sharifi, 2015; Sharifi & Motarjem, 2018), Tepe Kalanan (Saedmoucheshi, 1390), and Golali (Saedmoucheshi, 1398) in Kurdistan province (Figure 1). In this region, the chronology of Tepe Gheshlagh, one of the key site in the Chalcolithic period that shows the sequence of this period (Motarjem & Sharifi, 2014). On the other hand, all samples of artifacts obtained in intact layer and with absolute chronology (Table 1). The Chalcolithic period in the Central Zagros has been studied by many scholars (see Young & Levine, 1974; Abdi, 2002 & 2003; Henrickson, 1983 & 1985), and most studies have focused on pottery and other data. Various sites in this area such as Godin (Young, 1969), Sehgabi (Young & Levine, 1974) have been explored before the Islamic Revolution of Iran and there isn’t an independent report on the tech-nical classification of stone tools. Study of Lithic artifacts in the Cen-tral Zagros including superficial study of Tepe Ban-Asyab (Bernbek et al., 2011), superficial study of Hersin (Mortensen & Smith, 1977), Chogha-golan and Towe Khushkeh sites in Islamabad plain (Abdi, 2002). Also, the study of lithic tools tradition in the sixth and fifth millennium BC in the Zagros gets limited to (Kozlowski, 1999; Nishiaki, 2013, 2019) and west of Kurdistan (Hariryan et al., 2021). In this regard, the study of stylistic differences in terms of technology, typology, and access to sources of raw material, as well as trade of some stones such as obsidian is momentous. Therefore, research questions include the following: (1) what is the basis of the tool-making tradition in East Kurdistan? And (2) Due to socio-economic complexities that occurred during the Chalcolithic period, what changes have taken place in the Lithic artifacts? The hy-pothesis of this research is that the Post-Mlefaatian tradition of tool making has been prevalent in this region. In fact, the purpose of introducing and analyzing of Chalcolithic Lithic is paying attention to them as cultural data that an important role in cultural communication and interactions.

Conclusion
The study of stone artifacts during the Chalcolithic period and beyond has never been seriously considered in Iranian archeology, this is due to the prevalence of evolutionary archeology. This approach goes back to the Serialization and connec-tion of cultural transformation circles to each other, without an explanatory and an-alytical approach to the lifestyle and cultural exchanges and human dynamism in the habitat. Discussions that were considered only after the spread of new archeol-ogy. The study of stone artifacts in this study shows that the insignificant quantity of tools in the early and middle phases of Chalcolithic, It shows the focus of the residents of this area on livestock. Because the Habitat around Tepe Gheshlagh and Kalanan are mainly steppe and less fertile. In the late phase, the production of Lith-ic tools increases, especially the examples related to grain harvesting, which indi-cates a kind of more attention to crop production. This leads to decline of livestock or the increase of population in the region and even familiarity with new cultivation methods. In the late Chalcolithic, this region has Cultural Horizon with the late Obeid, early Uruk and the Sabz period of Dehloran and Khuzestan. At this time, agriculture based on irrigation has been proposed on southern region such as Susa and Dehloran. In these periods, all the tools used in agriculture, focused on Lithic tools and implements including plowing tools, sickles, mortars and hand tools. In fact, the construction of practical tools, the use of different raw materials, and the interpretation of regular and long sickle blades represent an advanced and evolving technology. The produce of regular sickle blades from high quality stone, disap-pearance of small scrapers (trapezoidal and triangular) and the limitation of serrated tools are the most important changes in this period compared to the Neolithic peri-od.
Lithic assemblages during the 6th and 5th millennia BCE in the Zagros is known as Post-Mlefaatian tradition (Kozlowski, 1999). The use of pressure Debitage tech-nique to produce long blades and sickle elements is one of the most significant fea-tures of this tradition. In the Post-Mlefaatian, the length of the blades increases. In East Kurdistan, we are faced with two technologies for making stone tools, (1) The use of direct percussion for primarily stage of removing, and (2) The use of pres-sure technology for construction of sickle blades. We have a limited number of long blades in Gheshlagh and Gelali sites, but the construction of these blades, like other regions of the Zagros, shows the use of the Post-Mlefaatian tradition in this region.
It is probable that after 3 to 4 thousand years of domestication of devolving of wheat stem compared to other species such as Emmer and Einkorn of the Neolithic period, In order to harvest, thicker and stronger blades need to create. The produc-tion of thicker blades in this period has been a technical adaptive response to this need. Hence, the discussion over the assumption about the prevalence of irrigation in the Chalcolithic period, even to a limited extent, has led to change in Lithic tools production related to agriculture, especially sickle blades. On the other hand, issues such as the formation of full-time or part-time expert groups, access to high-quality flint mines for proper production, distribution and exchange are raised. As men-tioned in the discussion, there is no evidence of regular sickle blades construction on the site, in the eastern Kurdistan. On the other hand, presence of obsidian in Gheshlagh and Kalanan sites show continuation of the old distribution network of the nearest neighbor to the far regions in eastern Kurdistan. The presence of obsidi-an and lack of evidence for making sickle blades from dark flint, indicate the pos-sibility of making blades produced from this species in specialized workshops out-side the site and their import to these areas.

The Relative Chronology of the Bronze Age on the Northern Side of the Central Alborz Based on Typology of Pottery Discovered at Ghale-Ben in Babol, Mazandaran

Rahmat Abbasnejad

Abstract
Heretofore, no comprehensive chronological study has been conducted on the northern side of the Central Alborz mountains, including the modern provinces of Mazandaran and Gorgan, based on technological and typological study of pre-historic pottery. This is especially true of the Bronze Age (ca. 3000-1500 BCE), for which we have no sites with an unbroken stratigraph-ic sequence that have been excavated and fully published. The majority of pottery, especially the gray wares, in this region have been discovered in the course of illicit investigations and their description, classification, and chronological analyses have been influenced by cultural history approaches. As a result, some Bronze Age pottery has been attributed to the Iron Age, or assigned to the wrong stage of the Bronze Age (i.e., early, middle, and late). The lack of scien-tifically-based ceramic classification and typology is an important archaeological issue in our understanding of the Bronze Age in this region. The authors of the present article here attempt a comparative chronology for this area based on typological studies and classification of ce-ramics discovered in explorations of the site of Ghal e-Ben of in Babol, Mazandaran. Bronze Age pottery discovered in this area can be compared to those discovered in Gohar Tepe, Tepe Ghale Kosh, Tepe Ghale Pey, Tepe Tarkam, and Tepe Abbasi in eastern Mazandaran, and those discovered in Shah Tepe, Tureng Tepe, and Narges Tepe in Gorgan as well as Tepe Hissar in Damghan. In spite of the fact that the results of comparative studies on Ghal e -Ben ceramics are indicative of cultural ties between central and eastern regions of Mazandaran, Gorgan Plain, and Damghan during the Bronze Age, discovery of few Yanik (Kura-Araxes) ceramics in this site leads to a new investigation on the possible relationship between this region and the origin of these ceramics (possibly in northwest of Iran) in the Third Millennium B.C.
Keywords: Mazandaran, Bronze Age, Gray Pottery, Relative Chronology, Typology.

Introduction
In spite of the fact that the classification and typology of pre-historic ceramics of northeastern Iran began in the 1930s (e.g., Wulsin 1932; Schmidt 1937), some remarkable articles have been published in the recent years that contribute significantly to understanding chronology of the said areas (Olson 2020; Olson & Thornton 2019). Indeed, these studies have been particularly useful for understanding the relative chronology of Mazandaran Province. More recently, stratigraphic studies at Ghal e-Ben site have given us a more realistic understanding of cultural changes in this region during the Bronze Age. Ghal e-Ben site is located in the central part of Mazandaran Province, in Khoshrudpey southwest of Babol city in West Bandpey County. The altitude of the region is 66 meters above the seas level, and geographical coordinates are N: 36 23. 17/84 E: 52 34.12/55. The site is recorded under registration number 31367 in the list of National Historical Monuments. A stratigraphic sounding was done in 2018 to learn more about the chronological status of the site (Fazeli, 2018). Results of this stratigraphic sounding showed that the upper layers (upper two meters), consisting of artifacts from Islamic and historic eras, are unfortunately disturbed due to agricultural activities as well as unauthorized excavations is some parts of the hill. Below the depth of two meters there is a layer with a thickness of one meter containing fine silt natural-sediment deposit and abundant remains of small freshwater snails. No cultural materials were found in this layer. This layer possibly suggests the remains of the old meander river flow channel, which eventually turned into an oxbow lake marsh or pond, resulting in a cultural gap at the site. The gap could be the period between end of the Bronze Age or beginning of the Iron Age and re-establishment of the site during the Historic Era. At a depth of 3 to 10 meters from surface, the archaeological site of Ghal e-Ben contains undisturbed Bronze Age deposits. The Carbon-14 test results on 36 samples discovered from these layers show that Ghal e-Ben was inhabited from 3300 to 1500 BCE.
Typological and Chronological Investigations Based on the Ceramics of Ghal e-Ben Site in spite of the fact that typological and chronological investigations based on pottery data are quite common in most archaeological studies across Iran, the prehistoric era of Mazandaran province has a very small share of such studies. Indeed, no established typology has been proposed for ceramics of this region. On the other hand, although the archaeological excavations in Mazandaran Province contain more comprehensive information about the Bronze Age, compared to the other historic eras, no accurate chronology had been presented for the excavated sites of this era before excavations at Ghal e-Ben. However, excavation of Ghal e-Ben provided the authors of this article with the chance to investigate and prepare a preliminary typology of Bronze Age ceramics in Mazandaran region using the absolute chronological sequence of this site.
The typology of Ghal e-Ben ceramics was based on four main indicators including: production technique, ornamentation, form of the rim, and form of the body. This study led to reproduction of ceramics and comparing them to those discovered in other sites across Mazandaran Province and the Gorgan Plain.

Conclusion
The present article is the first comparative study of the Bronze Age in Mazandaran Province based on the information acquired from stratigraphic excavation of Ghal e-Ben archaeological site. It presents a relative chronology of the Bronze Age in Mazandaran Province based on the ceramics from excavated, C14-dated contexts. The results show that gray ware ceramics were decorated with diverse ornamentation, from polished and burnished patterns to carved patterns, which can be compared in terms of form and pattern to the ceramics found in the type-sites of northeastern Iran including Hissar IIB-IIIC, Shah Tepe IIA-B, Tureng Tepe IIA- IIIC, and Narges Tepe III as well as at major Bronze Age sites of Mazandaran including Gohar Tepe, Taghut Tepe in Behshahr, Tepe Kelar in Kelardasht, Tepe Ghale Kosh in Amol, Ghale Pey and Tepe Turkam in Sari, Gomishan Cave, and Tepe Abbasi in Neka. It is also interesting to note that material remains of Transcaucasian culture (Kura-Araxes) from the third millennium BCE (ca. 2500-2400 BCE) are observed in Mazandaran and the Gorgan Plain, which indicates cultural ties between these regions and the northwest of Iran during the Bronze Age. A number of ceramics were found in the Early Bronze Age layers at Ghal e-Ben archaeological site that compare to Kura-Araxes ceramics discovered at Tepe Kelar in terms of production technique, color, fineness, and patterns. To what extent these foreign ceramics found together with local types can be indicative of the influence of Transcaucasian cultures must be the subject of further studies, and horizontal explorations can help in this regard. However, it is clear that the comparative study of ceramics discovered in Ghal e-Ben and other Bronze Age sites of Mazandaran suggests cultural ties between this region and both the northwest and northeast of Iran.
Ghal e-Ben archaeological site in Babol was inhabited during the late fourth millennium BCE and was abandoned gradually around 1500-1400 BCE. Such abandonment events have been observed in most other archaeological sites in the north and northeast of Iran, and we do not know exactly how to connect the Iron Age in Mazandaran to the Bronze Age, as the Iron Age emerged in northern Iran around 1100 BCE. These are the questions that will be hopefully answered by future studies on cultural sequence of Mazandaran during the second and first millennia.

Investigation of Porcelain Frits Seals of the Kaluraz Ancient site, in the Organized Collection of the National Museum of Iran

Lily Niakan

Abstract
Excavations in the last five decades in northern Iran, especially in the Sepidrood catchment area, have led to the discovery of unknown cultures, in the ancient sites of Marlik, Kaluraz, Nasfi, Joven, Jam-shidabad and other sites in the cultural area, during the late second and first millennium BC. They were achieved from different periods of the second millennium BC until the Sassanid era. This article re-ports the result of a preliminary research on a number of exchange stamps (seals) which were identified and registered during the re-organization of the objects of the National Museum of Iran in 2010.They were part of a collection of seals frits from the ancient sites of Kaluraz.These works contain valuable and important information from various artistic, cultural, economic and commercial aspects in different historical periods in this cultural field. The purpose of this study was to stablish the method of con-struction; the typology and the age of these seals; the geography of this cultural field; the method of making imitation stamps and recognizing their designs. Research Questions and Hypotheses are specif-ically explained below: Where was their main origin and from which historical and cultural context? Do these seals have a particular local style or their style is influenced by other cultures? The seals found in the kaluraz Archaeological Site belong to which historical period? Archaeological excavations in the cemeteries and the geographical basin of SepidRood in the last five decades has provided valuable ar-chaeological knowledge of this cultural area during the late second to the first millennium BC, includ-ing specimens of wrought iron and bronze Frits seals from the whole tomb. The results of this research led to documentation of the findings and comparison the finding with other important settlements of the first millennium BC, in contemporary cultural horizons such as Marlik, ToulTalesh, Hasanlu and Mesopotamia. Furthermore,a general conclusion about the process of typology and stylistics of seals is presented.
Keywords: Gilan, SepeedRood, Kaluraz, Cylindrical Seal, first and Second Millennium BC.

Introduction
The art of sealing and making stamps has a very long history in the olden times of mankind. Since the appearance of stamp seals in northern Mesopotamia during the 6th millennium B.C, they have been used throughout the ancient Near East until the innovation of the cylinder seal in the second half of the 4th millennium B.C. Cylinder seals were the preferred administrative tool in Mesopotamia during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. The seals of Persia correspond in their types and use to those of Meso-potamia, beginning with amuletic pendants, and developing into stamp to cylinder seals.
Like cylinder seals, stamp seals could be made from stones; metal and clay. The images carved into the seal face itself ranged from simple geometric patterns to elaborate scenes of human and divine images. Seals are important to the study of ancient art and can, help to define chronological phases. they serve as a visual chronicle of style and iconography.
The images on it, contain enormous information which can be used to clarify the customs, ethnic be-liefs and to some extent the social, religious, political, economic, art and architectural conditions. Fur-thermore, this information can be employed to culturally reconstruct the ecosystem of the forgotten ancient societies. On the other hand, the stamps seal was used as a document to facilitate the transfer of commercial goods to neighboring or distant cultural areas. It also provides information about neigh-boring and other cultural areas and shows the links between ancient societies and their relationship in joint organizations (Collon, 1990: 11).
This article reports the result of a preliminary research on a number of exchange stamps and cylinder seals which were identified and registered during the re-organization of the objects of the National Mu-seum of Iran in 2010. They were part of a collection of seals from the ancient sites of kaluraz. These works contain valuable and important information from various artistic, cultural, economic and com-mercial aspects in different historical periods in this cultural field.
The purpose of this study was to stablish the method of construction; the typology and the age of these seals; the geography of this cultural field; the method of making imitation stamps and recognizing their designs. Research Questions and Hypotheses are specifically explained below:
• Where was their main origin and from which historical and cultural context?
• Do these seals have a particular local style or their style is influenced by other cultures?
• The seals found in the kaluraz Archaeological Site belong to which historical period?

Material and Methods
To achieve this aim, we did literature review using the currently available visual documents and exam-ined eight seals of the Damage and crockery cylindrical seals of Ali Hakemi in the coin and seals section of the National Museum of Iran in 2010. Our analyzes is based on the excavations information (ob-tained during the field work in this cultural field) and the designs and descriptions of the concepts of the symbols of these seals.
The National Museum of Iran has a large collection of different seals from various historical periods. For example, the flat and cylindrical shapes seals that have been obtained in archeological excavations of the last five decades from the ancient sites of northern Iran in the geographical area of SepidRood.

Geographical Setting
Sepidrood (the name of a river) catchment is located in Gilan province, south of the Caspian Sea. Due to the climatic conditions; suitable environment and natural resources, this geographical basin has long been considered as a suitable habitat for living and has contributed to the creation of ancient cultures in this area for thousands of years. The native name of SepidRood, especially in Gilan province, is Es-piyeh or Espiro (Domorgan, 1338: 209) in Gilaki language means white river. Some Avestan scholars consider Sefidrood to be the same Daiti river in Avesta (Khodzko, 1975: 19-40). Diakonov mentions the old name of Sefidrood Amard or Amardos (Diakonov, 1379: 79, 210, 312 and 623).
The history of archeological research in the Kaluraz Valley dates back to the 1960. During this period, a delegation headed by Ali Hakemi with the cooperation of archaeologists such as Mahmoud Kardvani; Abdolhossein Shahidzadeh and Ali Akbar Sarfaraz excavated some part of Gilan. They worked contin-ually in several seasons for many years. They collected valuable artifacts including stamps from Lilijan, kaluraz, Joban, Sandos and other archeological sites of Gilan. The Stamps of current study were dis-covered and collected by Ali Hakemi and Abdolhossein Shahidzadeh, during the archaeological study and excavations between the years 1965 to 1969.
During 1967 to 1969, Ali Hakemi studied Kaluraz, which includes a collection of cemeteries such as Ganjpar, Kafarkesh (Daghudalan) Zarindar and Jalalieh (Hakemi, 1347: 22-22). The findings of Ali Hakemi are maintained and protected in coin and stamps section of the national museum of Iran.
In 2010, we explored the cemetery and the ancient hill of Kaluraz in the west of Sefidrood, which is located alongside the road from Tehran to Rasht and 85 kilometers far from the coast of the Caspian Sea in Gilan province.

Result
Excavations in the last five decades in northern Iran, especially in the Sepidrood catchment area, have led to the discovery of unknown cultures, in the ancient sites of Marlik, kaluraz, Nasfi, Joven, Jamshid-abad and other sites in the cultural area, during the late second and first millennium BC. They were achieved from different periods of the second millennium BC until the Sassanid era.
Preliminary study on these seals, collected from Marlik Cemetery and northwestern sites such as Ha-sanlu, was able to give us a fresh look at the environmental conditions of the region, cultural relations and trade exchanges from socio-economic institutions during the Iron Age of this cultural field. The role of animals such as mountain goats, river fish, hunting birds, native trees of the region and agricul-tural fields indicates the livelihood and livelihood economy of the inhabitants of SepeedRood basin, which reflects a part of the environment and connections of the ancient Kaluraz area. The artistic qual-ity in drawing the creatures is one of the characteristics of the artistic style of these seals. This type of design can be seen in other works of this cultural field such as Marlik Cemetery. The only seal whose style of engraving is different from other seals is a seal with a row of male mountain goats moving backwards. This type of role is influenced by the stamping style of the Assyrian period, which can be entered into Kaluraz as a result of commercial exchanges. Although the lack of inscriptions on these stamps makes dating difficult, valuable cultural findings such as gold cups; ornaments, and beads made of imitation and bronze, show the characteristics of the Iron Age in Iran and cultural ties in this period. Gold and silver goblets and ornaments and flat bronze seals and types of pottery obtained during the excavations of Kaluraz Cemetery, indicate very dynamic economic conditions with close relations and economic exchanges of residents with neighboring areas in the south of the Caspian Sea and between different geographical areas in Lake Urmia, such as Hasanlu. In these areas the effects of the common style of local art and the influence of the Mitani style on cultural findings can be seen.

Conclusion
Archaeological excavations in the cemeteries and the geographical basin of SepidRood in the last five decades has provided valuable archaeological knowledge of this cultural area during the late second to the first millennium BC, including specimens of wrought iron and bronze beads from the whole tomb. The results of this research led to documentation of the findings and comparison the finding with other important settlements of the first millennium BC, in contemporary cultural horizons such as Marlik, Toul Talesh, Hasanlu and Mesopotamia. Furthermore, a general conclusion about the process of typol-ogy and stylistics of seals is presented.

KR 385: Evidence of Ancient Nomadism from Kouhrang Bakhtiari Region in the Iron Age

Ahmad Azadi

Abstract
Archaeologists have considered Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari region as one of the most im-portant origins of nomadic livelihoods in the past few decades. Meanwhile, Kouhrang region plays a main role as one of the major nomadic territories of the Bakhtiari tribe. The small num-ber of studies conducted in this region have led some researchers to discuss the recent history of this livelihood. In contrast, recent studies indicate that the nomadic way of life in Kouhrang region dates back to at least the 5th millennium BC. Two seasons of rescue excavations in Bir-gan region, which were due to the construction of Kouhrang Dam, have provided a good oppor-tunity to learn more about people’s livelihoods in this region. This paper delves into the results of the excavation of the KR 385 site. The approach adopted to excavate the site for recording the layers and the discovered phenomena was the locus method. The main aim of excavation of the site was to discover the nature of the site and to be familiar with various aspects of ancient nomadic life, and one of our key research questions was to realize the extent of possible cultur-al interactions between this region and the surrounding areas, including the lowlands of Khuzestan and the Central Zagros regions. Our main assumption in this paper is that, in addi-tion to the 5th millennium BC. Kouhrang region has had cultural relations with some parts of central Zagros. Although today the nomads of Bakhtiari region have close relationships with the lowlands of Khuzestan, comparative studies conducted on the forms and motifs of potteries found in this region reveal similarities between these potteries and those found in some areas related to the Bronze and the Iron Age of Central Zagros; The subject that confirms the Iron Age of the site by the C14 absolute dating. In addition to the cultural ties between these two regions, similarities in the forms and motifs of potteries in this region and the above-mentioned sites demonstrate that the pottery traditions of the Bronze Age have continued until the Iron Age.
Keywords: KR 385, Ancient Nomadism, Kouhrang Bakhtiari.

Introduction
Bakhtiari region in the southwestern part of the Iranian plateau has always been of interest to researchers as one of the most notable sources of livelihood based on nomadism. Thus far, Kouhrang region has been a summer residence for nomads since ancient times and is one of the most prominent origins of life based on nomadic livelihood. Needless to say, the reason for this significance is the favorable environmental landscape and biological facilities that have long made this livelihood as the most effective environmental adaptation for the residents of this region. In addition to the evidence of modern life, archaeological evidence, including the iden-tification of a large number of sites with nomadic nature in the archaeological surveys of the region and the results of excavations carried out in some of these sites fully confirm this issue. Studies in the recent decade shows that this livelihood in Kouhrang region dates back to at least the 5th millennium BC.
Due to the construction of Kouhrang Dam and Kouhrang 3 Tunnel and two seasons of res-cue excavations carried out in Birgan region, the way has been paved for us to broaden our knowledge about people’s livelihood in this region. The second season of rescue excavations of Kouhrang Dam began and ended in November and December 2013 after a five-year hiatus. The sites considered for the second season of rescue excavations were all identified in archaeologi-cal surveys in Kouhrang region by Kourosh Roustaei. The extent to which the sites were ex-posed to danger during reservoir impoundment was our selection criterion for excavation them. After assessing the sites, 6 sites of KD 04, KR 415, KR 523, KR 385, KD 022, and KD 030 were selected for excavation (Figure 1). This paper discusses the results of the KR 385 site excava-tion. Awareness of the nature of the site and familiarity with various aspects of ancient nomad-ic life were the main targets of excavation, and one of our chief research questions was to find out the extent of possible cultural interactions between this region and the surrounding areas, including the lowlands of Khuzestan and the Central Zagros regions. Our main assumption in this paper is that, in addition to the 5th millennium BC. Kouhrang region has had cultural rela-tions with some parts of central Zagros. The research method in this paper consists of collect-ing and studying the papers related to the previous studies into this region and presenting the results of KR 385 excavation.

Discussion
With an altitude of 2260 meters above sea level, the KR 385 site was identified in the third sea-son of archaeological survey of Kouhrang region in 2010. This site includes a small conglom-erate ridge overlooking the Birgan River. This rocky ridge is located approximately 50 meters from the river and is about 20 meters higher than its bed. The primary objective of the excava-tion in this site was to obtain the most accurate information about the nature of this site due to its flooding after the impoundment of Kouhrang Dam. To this end, three trenches (Figure 2) were created and excavated in three different parts of the site, which were thought to provide more information on its nature. Trench I measuring 5 × 5 m, was created on one of the stone depots on the southern slope of the site, assuming that it was a graveyard. Excavations at this trench did not reveal any evidence of cultural remains, and it was determined that this stone depot and similar specimens were the result of the collection of rocks from the site by locals and were gathered to make agriculture easier. Since excavating trench I did not produce any outcome, we decided to test other parts of the site to determine its nature. Trench II was created in a part of the site that seemed to be the remains of a past settlement with the final dimensions of 5×7 m (Figure 3). By the time the trench was excavated, three spaces (Space 1, Space 2, and Space 3) and a platform (?) could be defined and identified. Trench III, measuring 5×7 m, was created on a steep slope in the southern part of the site, in a section where two ancient graves (grave 1 and grave 2) were unlawfully excavated at the same time as the site excavations, and solid evidence could be easily found on the surface (Figure 7).

Conclusion
Excavations at the KR 385 site yielded significant results. Concerning the climatic characteris-tics of the region, its common way of life (nomadism), and similarities between constructs found in Trench II and the current structures used by Bakhtiari nomads, the collection of struc-tures and spaces identified in this trench is considered as a temporary nomadic settlement, in which evidence of daily life such as ashes, remains of food storage jars, grindstones, and stone slabs was found. Due to similarities in the forms and some motifs of the potteries obtained in trench II and trench III, potteries in the settlement part and the cemetery of the site probably indicate a cultural period. Although today the nomads of Bakhtiari region have close ties with the lowlands of Khuzestan, comparative studies conducted on the forms and motifs of potteries found in this site shows similarities between these potteries and those found in some Central Zagros sites such as Babajan, Noshijan, and Godin Tepe dating from the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

Problems of Chronology and Usage of Sealed Potteries: Case of Qal’eh Asrār-e Ghahestān Fragment

Leila Makvandi

Abstract
Cylinder seals usually were used on clay objects, especially tablets, as a symbol of individual’s identity and administrative centers of the ancient East. While, rare potteries sealed by cylinder seal are a new case for archaeologists. Based on the small number of sealed pottery fragments found, archaeologists are dealing with several main questions: Why cylinder seals used on pot-tery? What is the usage of sealed pottery? And whether it is possible to provide an exact chro-nology for these potteries? A sealed pottery fragment from the site of Qal’eh Asrār in South Khorāsān is an example which is also our subject matter in this present study. The area of Qal’eh Asrār is located 1800 meters southeast of Barandood village and 800 meters northwest of Zarbarandood village of Ghohestān section of Darmiān city. This area is currently located on top of a natural hill at a height of about 200 meters above ground level. Analysis of potteries found on the surface of site shows that the occupation of it belongs to Late Iron Age and Achaemenid period, although there are also small numbers of pottery belonging to the late Is-lamic centuries. In this paper we try to study a fragment of a sealed pottery found from surface of site. Firstly, we deal with the issue of sealed pottery with regard to the context and the prob-lems and challenges of its study, then we try to analyze sample pottery of the Qal’eh Asrār in terms of typology, style and its legend. This study shows that the sealed pottery of Qal’eh Asrār is locally produced and its legend is a local style with the common motifs of first half of the first millennium BC. As this site is probably a garrison, this container could be used for bearing commodities to the construction.
Keywords: Qal’eh Asrār, Sealed Pottery, Iron Age, Achaemenid period, Local Style.

Introduction
In ancient near East, the stamp and cylinder seals have been used on diverse clay objects such as bullae and tablets to sealed administrative documents, but use of seals on pottery is rare. Since 3rd millennium B.C Fragments of sealed pottery have been found in sites from north Iraq and Syria (Collon, 1987: 13; Oates, 2001), Levant (Amiet, 1975: 425-426), west and south western of Iran (Caldwell, 1976), Shahr-e Sukhta in south east of Iran (Baghestani, 1997: 34- 43; Hakemi & Sajjadi, 1989: 145) and central Asia (Sariandi, 1986; Heibert, 1994a). Several fragments back to the Iron Age I and II were found from Bahrain in Persian Gulf (Olijdam, 2008) and Central Plateau of Iran in Tepe Sialk (Malekshahmirzadi 1381: 25) and Gholi Dar-vish in Qom (Sarlak 1386: 193- 194). Most of these sealed potteries are small fragments that have been found mainly as single fragment on the surface of sites. A small number, such as the Gonur Depe fragment in Turkmenistan (Sariandi, 1986: fig.123) or the Tell Brak in Syria (Oates, 1985: 257), have been found from archaeological excavation.
In archaeological survey of Qal’eh Asrār in South Khorasan, Iran, one fragment of sealed pot-tery with a cylinder seal impression was found in archaeological survey. There are several questions raised here. Is it possible to provide an accurate chronology for the sealed pottery of Qal’eh Asrār? Why the pottery sealed, specifically with cylinder seal? Are these sealed pottery have an administrative function and were used as a kind of administrative-economic object or tool? Or here seals just used as decoration? In this paper, which is a descriptive-comparative and analytical approach, firstly we examine the challenges related to chronology and recogniz-ing the function of sealed potteries in archaeological studies, then we focus on study Qal’eh Asrār fragment and its seal impression.

Chronology and Usage of Sealed Pottery
Archaeologists have two different approaches for chronology of sealed potteries. If these frag-ments are found from excavation, they propose site stratigraphy to date it. But, most of the sealed pottery has been found on surface of sites, so dating will be complicated. In fact, archae-ologists use two methods to date sealed potteries, such as Qal’eh Asrār case; they propose the chronology based on typology of pottery or the style and image of seal impression.
Function of sealed pottery is under debate too; there is no consensus on why sealed potteries are made and how it has been used. In general, the proposed suggestions can be divided into three groups, although, there are many doubts about each of these three views.
1- The image of seal on pottery was for decoration.
2- The seals are the sign or signature of the potters who identifies the ownership and identity of his handicrafts.
3- Sealed pottery has an administrative function and has been used for storing or moving com-modities.
The style and image of the cylinder seal impression of Qal’eh Asrār sealed pottery
The image of Qal’eh Asrār seal does not show a unified theme and its upper part is broken. In part of the image a human is standing, bending one hand from the elbow and holding a cane, his other hand is not clear, it had stretched body with broad shoulders and arms, the proportion be-tween the upper body and the legs is not observed and the upper body is taller than the legs. It seems he have a dagger in his waist. On both sides of the human image are two birds. On the left side is design of the quadruped (donkey?) and in front of it is a horse, both are upside down. Of course, the horse’s head is broken. Between the two images are a small bird at the top and probably a sitting human at the bottom. The style of Qal’eh Asrār seal is a local style which focusing on the outer lines, not paying attention to the details.

Conclusion
Studies on sealed potteries in diverse sites, despite different time and cultural periods, shows the following common features can be observed:
1- All fragments of sealed pottery are locally produced.
2- The seals that are used on these potteries also have a local and indigenous style, and this in-dicates the locality of their production.
3- Sealed pottery fragments indicate they should mainly belong to medium and large jars.
4- In most of fragments seal was mainly used at the area between the neck and body of the ware.
Given the common features mentioned, it can be argued that these potteries had an administra-tive aspect. However, they used locally which both the pottery type and the seal originate from the local culture of the same region, and there are no examples that show their displacements or dispersion in a wider cultural context.
A comparative study of Qal’eh Asrār sealed pottery shows that this pottery is locally produced and cylinder seal used on it also has local style of the 1st millennium B.C. Due to pottery type and the presence of architectural remains, this area is suggested to be a garrison to protect the road in the late Iron Age - early Achaemenid period, and the style and image of the seal on the pottery also confirms the proposed chronology.

Memorials and Petroglyphs of Cyrus the Great’s Tomb

Hamed Mowlaiey Kordshooli

Abstract
The tomb of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, is one of the most important buildings of the early Achaemenid period in Pasargadae. The function of the tomb has changed over time, the most important of which is the transformation of it into a mosque in the Ataba-kan period and the construction of a miḥrāb inside the chamber of the tomb on the southern wall. In addition, the walls and stone surfaces of this building contain signatures of visitors, tourists, and pilgrims who have visited the building over time. Previous research has been done on the miḥrāb of Atabaki Mosque, but its inscriptions and memorabilia have received less at-tention. The purpose of the present article is to classify and identify the petroglyphs left on this tomb, which, as a result of a field study of all the motifs and lithographs, has been fully de-signed and documented. In the library study stage, all historical sources have been studied and, according to the inscriptions as well as the comparison of the signs engraved on the walls, each one has been studied separately. The following questions have been asked in this regard: What are the tomb’s oldest petroglyphs or inscriptions? Is there an inscription on the stone blocks of the tomb from the Achaemenid period? To which historical figures do the inscriptions on the tomb belong? The results of this research are the identification of more than one hundred in-scriptions and petroglyphs, the oldest of which are signs belonging to the Sasanian period. Many of the signs and inscriptions on the tomb belong to the contemporary era, which has led to the study of part of the historical course of this valuable building.
Keywords: Tomb of Cyrus the Great, Pasargadae, Memorial, Petroglyph.

Introduction
The tomb of Cyrus the Great has always been of interest throughout its life, and many people who have visited or lived around it have written inscriptions on its stone walls. From the com-mon people to European travelers and agents, Since many humans, animals, plants, and geo-metric motifs are engraved everywhere on the stones of the tomb of Cyrus the Great, a number of motifs were selected and studied from each category.
The purpose of this article is to classify and identify the drawings, which were the result of a detailed study of all the stones in the tomb of Cyrus the Great. In the first stage, all the litho-graphs have been fully designed and documented, and in the next phase, by referring to the ex-isting books and documents, as well as comparative studies, he has analyzed and interpreted the lithographs and signs. The result of this research is the identification of more than one hundred inscriptions and engravings, the oldest of which are motifs belonging to the Sasanian period. Many of the motifs and inscriptions on the tomb belong to the contemporary era.
Azizi Kharanaghi and Ms. Salimi have studied the tombstone lithographs and one of the animal motifs of the tomb under the title “Pasargadae petroglyphs” (Azizi Khoranaghi and Salimi 2011). Also, Mirza Abolghasemi has already studied the Mihrab inside the tomb and the inscriptions on the columns and stone pieces under the title “Pasargadae inscriptions in the Islamic period” (Mirza Abolghasemi 2011). A comprehensive study of the signs on the tomb has not been done yet.

Inscriptions
On the stone blocks on each step, there are many inscriptions in Persian, Arabic, and Latin. Most of the themes are names, dates, prayers, and some poems, each written in a different size, style, and script. Many of these texts were written on top of each other; that is, at the point where the stone was flat, a text was written. After time and erosion, another person wrote the same text on the previous text.

Human Motifs
A scene of cattle grazing is carved on the stone blocks in the northwest corner of the tomb. In one part of this scene, two people are depicted standing with very light bodies. On the foot sur-face of the second platform on the south side of the building, a large number of engravings, in-cluding the face of a woman whose long hair is silver, by creating a line on the right side of her face and the left side by creating several parallel lines.

Animal Motifs
Most of the motifs are related to animals such as goats, sheep, and a number of dogs, which were probably created by cattle breeders and shepherds in later periods. The most interesting animal motifs that can be mentioned are the needle motif of five deer standing. The signs are created with shallow lines on the stone and some of the details of the animals’ bodies are finely silver-plated. These needle designs probably belong to the Sasanian period.

Plant Motifs
Five plant motifs are carved on the stone blocks of the tomb. The role of a flower with short stems and two oval leaves, which is very primitive and can be seen obliquely inside the tomb room and on the north walls, The wheat cluster on the blocks on the west side of the tomb, the role of a six-pointed flower on the platform on the north side, the role of a flower with a long stem, two leaves, and a very simple three-leafed flower, and next to it, the word Shirazi with number 39 on the third platform.

Geometric Signs
Many different geometric signs can be seen on tombstones, including circles, squares, rhom-buses, and irregular geometric patterns that have been repeated over and over again. A marker for the qibla has been created in the southern corner of the third platform of the tomb with a diameter of 20 cm. The outer circle is about 20 cm in diameter and the inner circle is about 15 cm in diameter.
A square has been created in the western corner, the interior of which has been filled with inter-secting lines. Below this picture and attached to it, the two words “Action ------- Al-Hamdani” is written with a space between them.

Other Signs
Other motifs and works that can be mentioned are scissors, horseshoes, and instrumental mo-tifs. A grid square is one of the most notable works that has been seen several times on some of the petroglyphs.

Conclusion
In this research, the signs have been classified into six categories: more than 100 lithographs in Persian, Arabic, and Latin and 200 lithographs including human, animal, plant, geometric, and other signs have been identified. All the motifs and inscriptions identified in the tomb belong to the post-Achaemenid period. Given its style and subject matter, the needle motifs of the deer on the north wall of the tomb might belong to the Sasanian period. Some of the writings belong to famous people and officials from Iran and European tourists who have engraved their names or titles in Latin and beautiful script with history. The existence of a number of inscriptions and memorabilia of high-ranking officials and people shows the importance of this building in the Islamic periods. The present study has been written as a preliminary, and its supplementary studies will be published in the future.

Indian Bamboo-Stick Carrier in Persepolis

Daryoosh Akbarzadeh

Abstract
Obviously Persepolis is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. Numerous scholarly works have been published about this site since the last century. However, this article stresses on a specific and new topic concerning a tool on shoulders of an Indian among India’s delegation in Apadana Palace of Darius the Great. The portrait of the delegation has been pre-served in the eastern and (damaged) northern staircases. The author, unlike previous works, be-lieves that this tool reflects a bamboo-stick which is known in India. Indians used accessible bamboo-sticks, as a native plant, to carry their loads. They put a bamboo-stick on the shoulders while tied two containers in its two sides. The bamboo-stick is also widely used in ritual cere-monies (Hinduism). Clearly, to transfer the holy water of Ganges River to Shiva temples, pil-grims use a bamboo-stick tied to two containers. The bamboo-stick has been a significant tool in Kanwar Cult or Kanwar-yatra in India. Furthermore, Krishna’s Flute is made of a bamboo wood! In the famous Indian story of Shravan Kumar, this devoted child takes his blind parents to pilgrimage with a tool exactly like the one depicted in Persepolis, two baskets attached to bamboo-sticks on the back. Flexible bamboo-stick does not hurt the shoulders, it is easier to control with both hands and it is less likely to break. For this reason, these flexible sticks - un-like scales - do not need handles in the middle and fastenings at the two ends with their bas-kets! In fact, the Indian bamboo-stick carrier arrived at Darius the Great court with a pure Indi-an traditional manner. So, the author relying on the special standing of bamboo stick in Indian culture ranging from ritual ceremonies to the life style challenges previous scholarly works on this subject.
Keywords: CPersepolis, Apadana, India, Bamboo-Stick.

Introduction
Obviously, Persepolis is one of the most important archeological sites in the world. Many sci-entific works have been published about the site since one hundred years ago. Persepolis is lo-cated 60 km northeast of Shiraz in the Marvdasht plain. Around it, the glorious heritage of the Achaemenid to the Sasanian Empire can be seen on the mountains and valleys. The oldest de-scription of Persepolis, according to Diodorus Siculus (Herzfeld, 1941: 230), is based on ac-counts of Alexander’s appearance in the East. Nevertheless, Iranian geographers of the first Is-lamic centuries such as Mas’udi, Ibn Balkhi and Moqadasi ... have also pointed to this area in-tertwined with King Jamshid (cf. Akbarzadeh, 2014: 36). This magnificent national historical site was registered in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.
From the late Qajar period, western scholars began exploring and studying ancient sites and Persepolis was one of them. Shapur Shahbazi (2009: online) has referred to a list of these peo-ple. Among them, I should refer to the masters like Schmidt (1953, 1957, 1970; Herzfeld,1941; Stronack, 1961-1963; Behnam, 1939, Mostafavi, 1951, Shahbazi, 1976) and etc.

Topic of the Article
However, the subject of this article is a new research on the portrait of a tax-paying Indian del-egation on the eastern (also damaged northern) stairs of Darius the Great’s Apadana.
An Indian (of the delegation) is carrying something like a scale (according to previous work i.e Schmidt, 1953-1970; Root, 1979, Callieri, 2004: online; Briant is silent; Briant, 2002: 268). Meanwhile, the main question is that: Can this tool be a scale?
This tool, which is the main topic of this article, will be discussed according to a photo about the delegation (Persepolis). To challenge the previous works, I will refer to Indic texts where I will describe some old significant Indian rites.
In the photo, a long carrying stick all over the man’s shoulder (with protrusions on both sides), two cheek baskets that hang from the end of each piece of wood, without any fasteners is clear-ly visible. Moreover, the man’s hands are the most important factor in maintaining this flexible wood attached to heavy baskets on both sides. The powerful Achaemenid craftsman accurately displayed the flexibility of the wood.

Discussion
A look at the scale’s forms in the ancient world from the Hellenic borders to Egypt and Iran (Buttner & Renn, 2016: 757) as well as text studies (see next) clearly diminishes belief in that the Indian man is carrying a scale!
However, to answer the main question: I should note that this tool can never be a scale as all western and Iranian scholars have been convinced. I would explain it as a bamboo-stick, the fa-mous native plant of the country (India). This plant can be seen all over India, especially along rivers and valleys. The Indians have widely used (even today in villages) flexible bamboo wood to carry light cargo.
In the famous Indian story of Shravan Kumar (Balasokulam, 2005: no. E32), this devoted child takes his blind parents to pilgrimage with a tool exactly like the one depicted in Persepolis, two baskets attached to bamboo-sticks on the back. “Once upon a time, when king Dashrath ruled, there lived a boy named Shravan Kumar. His parents were old and blind. He had to do all the works for them, since they couldn’t see. One day, Shravan Kumar’s parents expressed their de-sire to go on pilgrimage. As an obedient son, he wanted to fulfill their wish; but how would he do that? He couldn’t afford any transportation since he did not have money. He found another way. He took a strong bamboo-stick, tied baskets at its two ends and placed his parents in those baskets…”
Furthermore, the bamboo-stick is mingled with the Hindu beliefs. Krishna normally appears with a flout which is made of bamboo! Sacred Ganga water carries by bamboo-stick (Kanwar) to Shiva Shrines. In fact, Kanwar (Kanwar-yatra-) is a genre of religious performances where participants ritually carry water from a holy source in containers suspended on either side of the pole (cf. Singh: 2017, 46).

Conclusion
The author believes that the portrait of that Indian tribute/gift bearer in Persepolis is only a re-flection of an Indian tradition in which Indians carried their goods in this way. It is strongly be-lieved that the two baskets at the two ends of the stick are the least reason why some scholars have confused it with the scales. In fact, this Indian man, according to his tradition, has brought a gift to the king! The multifunctional bamboo-stick of Persepolis (Skt. Vaina-, Hindi. Behngi and Kanwar (Bihar), probably Sogd. wn-, wn’kh (Apte, 2006: 27; Gharib, 2004: 408) were strongly supported by Indic texts and religious rites. In the story of Sravan Kumar, the loyal child took his parents to the pilgrimage by a bamboo-stick tied to two baskets! Also, Kanwar rite is one of the most important Hinduism beliefs where the bamboo-stick plays a significant role.
A part of religious aspect, flexible bamboo-stick was controllable by hands and it was accessi-ble and none-costly in all parts of the country. Also, Indians were skilled to bring things by such bamboo-sticks.
So, the craftsman recorded a detailed Indic tradition in the court of the Achaemenid king, Dari-us the Great, where this Indian man arrived with a bamboo-stick and nothing more. The author thinks that the bamboo-stick’s flexibility is a reason that some scholars mistakenly supposed some heavy things like gold stones (cf. Shahbazi, 2002, 268) can be referred in the boxes (of the baskets).

Survey and Analysis of Parthian Pottery in Sarakhs Plain, Northeastern Iran

Reza Mehafarin

Abstract
Sarakhs plain is located in northeastern Iran and adjacent to Turkmenistan. Regarding Parthian pottery studies in Sarakhs plain, no special components have been considered for it so far. Identification and classification of Parthian pottery in this region can be a good tool to better understand the pottery traditions, study the cultural and economic interactions of the population centers of that period. The research method is based on library and field studies (descriptive and analytical) during a field survey (survey) stage. Based on the surface findings of the field survey, a total of 91 flagship pottery pieces from 14 settlements belonging to the Parthian period were selected for the survey. In fact, this study seeks to answer the question of what were the intra-regional and extra-regional relations of Sarakhs plain during the Parthian period with contemporaries? According to the studies on pottery attributed to the Parthian period in Sarakhs plain, this period can be divided into two periods in the mentioned plain. In the first period (formation of Parthian rule before the reign of Mehrdad I) Sarakhs is influenced by the culture of the Sarakhs oasis of Turkmenistan, and in the second period, until the end of the Parthian period, they are influenced by the well-known cultures of southern Turkmenistan, namely the cultures of Nessa and Merv. The purpose of this study is to identify and introduce Parthian pottery in Sarakhs plain, classification and typology of Parthian pottery in the region. The necessity of the present study is that the pottery cultures of the Parthian settlement of Sarakhs plain are unknown and the present study can provide a better understanding for further research.
Keywords: Archaeology of Northeast Iran, Sarakhs Plain, Parthian Period, Classification of Pottery.

Introduction
Sarakhs plain as a study point due to its natural potentials and optimal environmental conditions such as altitudes, suitable soil and relatively favorable weather conditions, has been a desirable habitat for the formation of various human communities (Ebrahimi, 1384: 2). Scholars in historical texts have stated the origin of the Parthians in northeastern Iran, especially Khorasan (Asak near present-day Quchan) and their primary capital was Nessa in Turkmenistan (Altheim, 2010: 20). Based on the field surface findings, a total of 91 flagship pottery pieces from 14 settlements belonging to the Parthian period were examined. The method of this research is based on library and field studies (descriptive and analytical) during a field survey (survey) chapter. Documentation of human handicrafts is necessary in terms of studying the background and type of community culture at any point in history.
Research Questions and Hypotheses: In fact, this study seeks to answer the question of what were the intra-regional and extra regional relations of Sarakhs plain during the Parthian period with contemporaneous areas? Therefore, in the present study, surface cultural materials have been interpreted by preparing a statistically citation able and scientific population through archeological study. Analyzes obtained from classification, typology and methodological analysis of this statistical population as well as comparative comparison of pottery species with similar examples of contemporaneous settlements show the formation of sequences of some settlements in the Parthian period and continuous continuity before and after the Parthian period in this Has an area.
Aims of Research: The purpose of this study is to identify and introduce Parthian pottery in Sarakhs plain, classification and typology of Parthian pottery in the region.

Materials and Methods
The present research is based on the purpose of basic research and based on the nature and method of descriptive-analytical research. The basis of the research is the study of Parthian pottery along with library studies. Methods and tools of data collection in this research have been done in two ways: documentation and field activities. In the documentary stage, all written sources, images and maps were first collected and analyzed. In field studies, while surveying the plains in the region and identifying the settlements, the required archaeological information and evidence (pottery) were collected from the mentioned areas and recorded in the database. In order to compare the chronology of the settlements and analyze the pottery of the Parthian settlements, the total pottery collected from 14 Parthian sites was examined and compared with other sites of the Parthian period such as Nessa, Merv and Sarakhs oasis of Turkmenistan. It was not possible to identify more Parthian sites through surface surveys. 91 index pottery were selected for photography, design, classification, typology and comparison with other Parthian sites. The index samples were selected as research materials based on classification and typology. In archeology, when classifying, the differences and similarities of the pottery in question must be clearly evident in the various groups that are distinguished; In such a way that no further explanation is needed for easy identification of one group from another. It is logical to expect that no two groups of objects classified in the main and important criteria are common to each other (Azarnoosh 1377: 76). In the present study, first, in a general division, pottery pieces are divided into five general categories, including: 1- edge 2- body 3- floor 4- base 5- handle, and then edge pieces that can be recognized in the form of a container.

Discussion and Results
In this study, 91 Parthian pottery pieces were identified from 14 ancient settlements related to the Parthian period, many of which have chronological sequences and in addition to the works of the Parthian period, also have the works of other periods. Settlements were classified based on pottery typology, comparative studies of pottery find, and archaeological excavations in southern Turkmenistan, northeastern Iran, eastern Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other regions within and outside the region. A total of 26 sites in 11 areas for this study in the order in which it is presented has the most references. Based on this, a table was designed for each cultural region and settlements of each basin in which the amount and percentage of comparison is clearly significant (Table 2).

Conclusion
Archaeological study of Sarakhs plain and 91 surface pottery pieces from 14 Parthian settlements were considered as the main foundation for relative chronology, classification and typology of the research. In order to obtain a scientific answer to show the cultural interactions, the method of comparative analysis was used and the findings of the archaeological study of Sarakhs plain were compared with the findings of intra-regional and extra-regional contemporaneous areas. These similarities, taxonomy, morphology, typology, and cultural connections were evident and analyzed. What results from the study of Parthian pottery findings obtained from the Sarakhs plain; According to the studies carried out on pottery attributed to the Parthian period in Sarakhs plain, this period can be divided into two periods in the mentioned plain, in the first period (formation of the Parthian government before The accession of Mehrdad I) to the Sarakhs plain is influenced by the Sarakhs oasis culture of Turkmenistan, and in the second period, until the end of the Parthian period, they are influenced by the well-known cultures of southern Turkmenistan, namely the cultures of Nessa and Merv. The presence of these pottery indicates a two-way and dynamic relationship.

Description, Classification and Typology of the Parthian Potteries of ShahrTappeh, Dargaz

Hasan Nami

Abstract
The northeast Iran has been the context of some of the most important events of the Parthian Period, in a way that one can restrict the geography of the Parthians to Pathawa and Hyrcania until before gradual expansion of the territory during Mehrdad the First (138-171 BC).One of the least-known aspects of the Parthian in the northeast region is the potteries assemblages. Pottery is the most abundant of the archaeological finds and is the most important one to understand the cultural specifics of the historical periods. The Parthian pottery is not the same throughout the whole empire and it can be grouped into several categories based on geographic regions. The pottery assemblage under study in this paper, collected from two seasons of excavations at ShahrTappeh in Dargaz, represents part of the Parthian pottery corpus of the northeast region. In current research, the pottery aasemblage of ShahrTappeh has been studied from the typological perspective and it has been tried to put forward specifics of the pottery of Parthian period of the northeast region by comparative studies of the similar assemblages.The most frequent forms amongst the pottery assemblage of ShahrTappeh are jar, pithos, handled jar, pot, caldron, trough, bowl and cup. These forms, which are seen from the early to late phase of the Parthian period, are comparable with specimens from Marv, Nisa, Qumes, Chasada, Shamshir Ghar, Ai Khanom, HasaniMahale, Tol Espid, Tappeh Yahya, Bardsir cemetery, Gowri Kohneh, Nadali, south of Baluchestan, Khorheh, Sang-e Shir cemetery, QalehEzhdahak and Bisotun. In addition, finding of some kiln waste in the second season of excavation at ShahrTappeh suggest that this site was a center for pottery production in the northeast during the Parthian period. Lack of glazed ware, rarity of the painted ware and the prevalence of the plain ware are the most characteristics of the ShahrTappeh pottery assemblage. The latter was used as common ordinary ware during the Parthian period and based on comparative studies they were parts of the pottery tradition of the Parthians.
Keywords: The Northeast Region of Iran, Dargaz, ShahrTappeh, Pottery, Parthian Period.

Introduction
The site of ShahrTappeh is located near the town of Chapeshlow in the northeast Iran. From several aspects this site has important in archaeology of the Parthian Period: with more than 70 ha, the site of ShahrTappeh is one of the largest sites of this period in the northeast Iran; 2. The site is just 100 km, as crow flies, from the first capital of the Parthians; 3. Archaeological data, including fortifications, acropolis, sharestan (lower town), industrial quarter and cultural materials recovered from the excavations comparable with those from Nisa, suggest that the site was a city in the Parthian period; 4. Based on materials recovered from the surface and excavations, ShahrTappeh was a single-period site of the Parthian period in the northeast region. These items suggest that ShahrTappeh was one of the most important Parthian centers of the northeast region. Regarding the importance of the site of ShahrTappeh in the northeast region we try in this paper to discuss the main pottery characteristics of the site to some extent. In this line, first we have studied the pottery forms of the site and then we have chosen 89 sherd fragments and whole vessels for in-depth studies. We have tried to choose the pottery sample so that it is the representative of the whole assemblage. In the following the pottery assemblage has been divided into two classes: open forms and closed forms, and then each class has been discussed. Finally, we tried to discuss, in a separate part, the common features of the Parthian pottery of the region from this study and at the end we propose a pattern for identification and characterization of the Parthian pottery in the northeast region.

Typology and General Characteristics of the Study Sample
From the pottery collection recovered from two seasons of excavations at ShahrTappeh, 89 pottery fragments and whole vessels were chosen for study here. At the first stage, these potteries are divided into two classes: open forms and closed forms. The closed forms of the ShahrTappeh assemblage include necked jars and simple jars, pithoi, stoups, caldrons, troughs, a vessel type known as Misagh and base fragments of the vessels. The open forms include bowls and cups. Without considering the various types of forms, the ware has some general characteristics. The pottery collection under study is all plain. No glazed ware is found in ShahrTappeh yet. Some of the sherds have incised, applique or burnished decorations. The sherds usually have mean thickness, but both thick and thin variants are also seen. The color paste covers a spectrum: buff, light orange, orange, red and gray. The color of slip ranges from buff, light buff, dark buff, greenish buff, orange buff, reddish buff, buff orange, light orange, dark orange, reddish orange, red, greenish red, buff brown, gray to greenish gray. All samples are wheel made and the temper agent used is mineral, including sand, silt and white particles. The kiln temperature was enough and all sherds were exposed to proper heat.

Conclusion
With more than 70 ha in area, ShahrTappeh is one the largest Parthian sites of the northeast region. The important point about this site is that it is a single-period site and discussing about its finds can be pursued from this perspective. One of the most important finds of ShahrTappeh is pottery. Except typological and technical grounds, the Parthian potteries of ShahrTappeh can be assessed from the viewpoints of chronology, comparable specimens, imported potteries and local production. The potteries assemblage of ShahrTappeh is datable to the early to late Parthian period. This conclusion is based on comparative grounds. On this basis, the ShahrTappeh specimens are comparable with those of eastern Parthian Empire. The early Parthian potteries of the site are comparable with those of Nisa, Marv and Qumes. Some of the specimens are comparable with pottery from Charseda, Shamshir Ghar and Ai Khanomwhich are categorized in the Seleucid-Parthian context. Although the site established in the early Parthian period, it lasted to the end of the era. Among the potteries assemblage of ShahrTappeh there are specimens that are comparable with those from Tol Spid, Tappeh Yahya, Bardsir cemetery, Gowri Kohneh, Nadali, south of Baluchestan, Khorheh, Sang-e Shir cemetery, QalehEzhdahak and Bisotun. The pottery types of ShahrTappeh can be assessed from the import and local production viewpoints. Amongst the potteries of ShahrTappeh a burnished vessel dated to the 1st to 3rd centuries AD has been found. Existence of this specimen indicates the importation of such vessels from the southeast region to the northeast region including ShahrTappeh. On the other hand, discovery of large amounts of kiln waste suggest that the site was a manufacturing center for pottery vessels. It should be noted that as no deformed specimens were found, we cannot make comments about the local variants. In general, potteries of ShahrTappeh which are comparable with assemblages from the eastern Iran can be dated from the early to the late Parthian period. These pottery types that in which imported specimens and local production can be seen, are representatives of some of the Parthian pottery types of the northeast region.

The Tomb of Gour: A New Model of an Old Tradition

Majid MontazerZohouri

Abstract
Gour, the first Sasanian capital, was founded by Ardeshir-e Bābakān, the founder of Sasanian empire. The extensive archaeological and historical studies have been done on this city so far, which has led to the identification of valuable archaeological evidence. One of the most important archeological evidence obtained during the excavations of this historical city is a tomb with Oval-shaped burials, that was identified in the western part of citadel. The discovery of this tomb in this part of the city near the fire temple surprised the researchers. The purpose of this study is to analyze the identity of the tombs. Gathering the data has been done by documentation and field studies, and the research method is descriptive-analytical. According to the studies and beliefs of scholars and archaeologists, the vicinity of the burial, which contains impure remains of the corpses (nasu), is not compatible with the fire temple where the sacred fire was kept and on the other hand is not in line with the common teachings of Zoroastrianism. The main questions of the research are: Is the construction of the tomb a new burial model in Sasanian period or is it an adaptation of an older model? Were the tombs or coffins of the tomb used to hold the bodies? Or were the ossuaries, where the bones were kept, after the performance of the Zoroastrian tradition “exposure”? Study of the historical and religious texts about the Sasanians and their predecessors and related archaeological finds suggests that the proximity of tombs as the site of unclean elements to the fire temple as a center for the preservation of the sacred fire is a new burial pattern, probably in early Sasanian period in Gour, based on the ancient Achaemenid tradition. This burial pattern continued in the middle of the Sasanian period in another way in the form of a ossuaries next to some fire temples.
Keywords: Achaemenids, Sasanian, Tomb, Ossuary, Fire Temple, Burial Pattern.

Introduction
Ardeshir was thinking of devising a new plan for the political, social and religious structure of the country, in consequence of the defeat of the last Parthian king and the construction of the city of Ardeshir Khowreh. By planning Irānshahr, he intended to implement Avestan norms such as class structures and the concentration of power and formalization of the Zoroastrian religion, which led to religious changes, in the territory of Iran.
Apart from the historical knowledge, the archeological excavations in the city of Ardeshir Khowreh, led to the recognition of new aspects of Sasanian culture and civilization that are sometimes compatible with historical narratives and sometimes cause ambiguities. Understanding the architecture of government and religious buildings is one of the important aspects of this knowledge. The formalization of the Zoroastrian religion at the beginning of the Sasanians, which was one of the clear messages of Ardashir, is materialized by the construction of large fire temples in the citadel of Ardeshir Khowreh. Praying and honoring the sacred fire in the fire temple is one of the prominent manifestations of the Zoroastrian religion, which was performed to sanctify the four elements of water, wind, earth, and fire.
What surprised the scholars during the excavation in the western part of the citadel, and it has been seen as contrary to the teachings of the Zoroastrianism, was the discovery of a tomb near the fire temple of Ardeshir Khowreh. According to Zoroastrian beliefs and Avestan texts, the human body after death due to the penetration of the devil (demon) in it is unclean and cannot be buried and the body should be exposed to the air or the “exposure“ and their bones finally in Ossuaries (daxmag) should be located at high altitudes.
The location of this tomb in the center of Ardeshir Khowreh and more strangely, near the fire temple and the sacred fire, and the proximity of clean and unclean elements, was a challenging archaeological question that surprised everyone, and no one had a clear answer. Now, in this research, the author is going to try to give a proper answer to the question of what and why this tomb was built in the middle of Ardeshir Khowreh and its vicinity by re-reading religious texts and opinions of old historians and new scholars and the opinion of the excavators of this tomb about Iranian religious thoughts and death. Let us find the fire temple and make hypotheses with a historical-analytical and archaeological approach to a comparative re-reading of the relationship between the Zoroastrianism and this burial pattern in the Sasanian period and before them.

Conclusion
The issue of death, beliefs of the world after death, and burial traditions in the Sasanian period is one of the most controversial issues that requires further reflection on historical sources and archaeological evidence even in pre-Sasanian times. The results of archaeological excavations in recent years, clarify some ossuaries and burials near and sometimes in a place connected to the fire temple, have been reported from some other fire temples, which to some extent pave the way for further research.
From the extinction of the Achaemenids to the beginning of the Sasanians, the Zoroastrianism survived without the help of central and official organizations. Because the Zoroastrianism was preserved and transmitted by local imperial dynasties and different clerical groups, a variety of beliefs were undoubtedly common in its thoughts. Although historical sources indicate that the Zoroastrian religion was chosen as the official religion during the Sasanian period and from the time of Ardashir I, but in fact the Zoroastrian religion was never uniform in the Sasanian period and this issue is evident in the rituals and burial ceremonies. Accordingly, with study the archaeological evidence and Pahlavi sources, it was determined that Ardashir I, after gaining power, sought to restore governmental and religious relations to the old tradition and rule of the first, the Achaemenid (pre-Parthian) dynasty. The tomb of Ardeshir Khowreh and its burial pattern was a new model of the ancient tradition that was adapted from the tomb of Darius I in a new way in the time of Ardashir I.
The ceremonial placement of corpses in oval-shaped coffins with lids in a painted room near the fire temple of Ardeshir Khowreh was the same tradition that Darius the Achaemenid had observed in his rock tomb, although Darius’s tomb was located in the heart of the rocks near the Ka’ba-ye Zartosht. The fire temple was built, but the tomb of Ardeshir Khowreh in the heart of the city was built on the ground, but with the same look and tradition, next to the huge fire temple. Therefore, it can be said that this burial tradition in the early Sasanian period was a new pattern of the ancient tradition, which is probably due to a deliberate return by Ardashir I to the old Iranian traditions or the older Zoroastrian religion in the time of Darius.
It should be noted that the Parthian catacomb tradition can also have been influential in the construction of the tomb of Ardeshir Khowreh. This burial pattern appears in tombs near fire temples in the early Sasanian period, such as the city of Ardeshir Khowreh and a similar example in Firouz Abad fire temple, was abolished with the rise of Kartir as a fanatical priest. However, according to the identification of Bandiyan and Palangerd fire temples, it can be said that from the middle of the Sasanian period, with the decline of the fanatical priest, this burial tradition continued with new pattern. For example, placing the ossuary instead of placing the body in the coffin. The tradition of burying the dead next to fire temples continues in the cultural life of Iran, an example of which is the burial that is performed today next to the fire temple of Firouz Abad. Also, burial next to shrines, which according to many scholars, many of them have been erected on the foundation of ancient fire temples in terms of location and archaeological evidence, is a continuation of this tradition of the Sasanian period.

A Review on the Results of the 4th Season of Archaeological Excavations in Jahangir Site, Ilam

Leila Khosravi

Abstract
Jahangir site, which located in the western part of Sasanian Empire, had been excavated, since 2016 unitl 2019 during the constructing of Kangir Dam in Ilam province. Three architecture phases and plan of a huge building contained 11 spaces had been revealed during three seasons of excavations, and S.XI also revealed in the fourth season of archaeological excavations. Following the research problems of the previous seasons, the most important aim of this season of excavation, is to obtain the connection between the constructions and spaces with the main hall, and also to distinguish the availability and the entrance of the main hall. Maybe a religious function could be imagined for this structure Or it can be a structure for fermenting materials for beer and wine production and portable finds, led us to the new dimensions of Sasanian art, with the indigenous identity. The first stage of the settlements goes back to the pre-historic in the northern part. This site had been used also in Parthian period. A complex of buildings had been constructed in Sasanian era in the central part of the site. The results of dating experiments approve the date of Sasanian for Jahangir site, while the discovery of a Derakhma from Shapour II, shows that the site had been used continuously from the middle Sasanian period until Early Islamic. Gathering the data of this study is based on field study, library and laboratory studies, and descriptive-analytical method. The results of the excvations in this site, concludes the realization of social process of the high-ranked level of Sasanian society in the region according to the royal-local architecture methods.
Keywords: Jahangir, Architecture, Sasanian, Kangir Dam, Ilam.

Introduction
The Jahangir Building is located 25 km southeast of the Eyvan township in Ilam Province within an inter mountain valley next to Sartang village. In Jahangir 17-hectare site, several large monuments and two cemeteries are visible. After four seasons of excavations in central mound, the plan of some parts of an enormous building including 11 spaces, an area in 832 m2 have been revealed. Jahangir building include hall, Eyvan, rooms and courtyard. The walls, arcades, arcs and stuccos exist in this building, and the mortars are rubbles and semi-baked and semi-impressed plaster. These materials are quick and pressure and stretching persistent. The height of the walls are different, those made by floating the slabs in mortars and covered them with a plaster/gypsum layer.
The S.II, S.III, S.V, S.VII, S.IX, S.XI were one of the most important architectural spaces revealed in S.XI. This space in the size of 15.5×12.5 meters, in fact is the continue of the S.I, in order to revealing the connection between central mound and rectangular halls. The Western gate of rectangular and a round-shaped construction made by slabs and plaster in 2.45 meters distant from the West of the entrance have been found. In order to forming the round-shaped space, especially in outer part, the molded stuccos with a curve into the inside. The diameter of this construction is between 2.30 to 2.45 meters and depth of 64 cm(s).
In the Northeast of the floor, there is a round curved part, which is a closed space and have not any pores, and covered by plaster/gypsum. In the absence of any cultural materials related to this structure, it is hard to recognize the function. There were even no traces of debris inside inner part and intentionally filled with a soft brown clay, and there were no trashes or ruin. This structure related to the second settlement plaster floor. In other words, the round-shaped structure with 45 cm(s) height from the first settlement floor, had been built in later periods. Maybe a religious function could be imagined for this structure or it can be a structure for fermenting materials for beer and wine production. The only similar and comparable specie is in Kish palace, which are round-shaped lavers with covered floor besides the vaulted room jahangir, which will describe in detail.
The fourth season of excavations at the site was carried out to explore the relation between different structures and spaces discovered in previous seasons. Excavations began in the main hall of the building, clearing the path between the two parts, and opening the entrance to the main hall. In addition to exposing the main entrance in the middle of the west wall of the building, we also found the remains of a stair way, a round gypsum construct and a feature attached to the southeastern corner of the main hall, as well as valuable portable finds.
In this Season, a cut was made at the layers exposed in the north side of space XI in order to study the stratigraphy of the building, finding two clay and gypsum floors some 4-7 and 3-5 cm thick. This observation supports other finds from the building that there are two construction phases. The lower floor is an stamped layer of brownish soil-252 cm deep dating to Parthian period on which the Jahangir Building was constructed in the Sasanian period.
In this season of excavations we came across a number of noteworthy facts. First, the site came into attention in Parthian period, but it was in the Sasanian period that a set of building were constructed here, especially in its central part. Dating of finds from previous seasons all point to a date in late Sasanian period, but the discovery of a silver coin of Shapour II in this season, suggests that this building may have been built in middle Sasanian period and continued to be used through early centuries AH It was then used by nomadic people. Three construction phases casn be discerned in the building phase 1 using cobbles and gypsum mortar a building was erected on the earher Parthian remains; phase 2 additional stone structures have been added to the building and repairs have been made, and phase 3 when the building was abandoned and used by nomads.

Conclusion
The pottery found in this season is similar to what we have found in previous seasons. The only difference is that we found some typical clinky ware on Feature no. 87, i.e , the last feature excavated in this season, supporting our hypothesis that the Sasanian building was erected on top of a Parthian settlement. We also found some gypsum stuccos with floral and geometric decoration, as well as examples with reverse motifs within different geometric frames reminiscent of the previous season’s finds. Finds include the aforementioned silver coin, in addition to glass, bone implements, and floral remains.

Study of Cultural Findings (Tiles and Pottery) of Kohneh Gorab Historical Site, Amlash District and a Suggestion for the Chronology of the Site

Solmaz Raof

Abstract
The longevity of some local dynasties has led to the formation of significant settlements in different environmental contexts, including mountainous to forested areas of northern Iran. Kohneh Gorab located in North the Amlash This area was one of the inhabited areas during the reign of Al-e Kia in the east of the Gilan Province is one of the notable examples in this field. Recognition and analysis of the ancient location and communication of Kohneh Gorab as one of the settlements under the political-cultural control of the Al-e Kia family in the Gilan has necessitated the forthcoming research. The present study seeks to answer the following question: According to the cultural findings (tiles and pottery) of the ancient site of the Kohneh Gorab of the Amlash from the perspective of relative chronology and concerning related historical texts, what period can be for this site suggested? And how can the intra- and extra-regional connection of the old the Kohneh Gorab site with the surrounding areas be explained? The most important purpose of the study is a chronological explanation as well as the study of intra- and extra-regional cultural relations based on defined cultural data. The method of data collection is field-documentary and the research method is descriptive-analytical. The result is that the most important cultural finds of the Kohneh Gorab area, including pieces of tiles with monochromatic glazes and plant motifs, as well as plain pottery with carvings, Slip-Painted, glazed pottery with the monochromatic glazes, the underglaze engravers, the sprinkled glazes, the blue-white paints, the Sgraffiato paints, undergrowth paintings, indicates a cultural connection with its neighboring areas such as the Panjpiran Tepe of the Lahijan, Islamic city of the Gaskar, the Lisar Qaleh of the Talesh (intra-regional) and also indicates relations with landmarks such as the Amol, the Jorjan, the Neyshabur, the Rey and the Saveh (extra-regional). A comparative and comparative chronology of this area showed that the settlement began at least from the 3rd or 4th century AH and continued until the 8th to 10th centuries, AH, that is, at the same time as the rule of the Al-e Kia dynasty in eastern the Gilan.
Keywords: Kohneh Gorab, Al-e Kia, Islamic Pottery, Tiles.

Introduction
Archaeological studies in the Gilan Province in recent years have led to the identification of large Islamic sites that previously could only be recovered through historical texts. The Kohneh Gorab is one of these intermediate sites that has served as a link between its north and south. Information from historical texts has attributed the settlement in this area to the Al-e Kia family, while recent archaeological studies while confirming this attribution, have linked the settlement in this area to an older period. The main purpose of this research is the chronological study and analysis of the Kohneh Gorab site based on cultural data to identify its regional and supra-regional relationship. Important natural and historical sites, as well as destruction due to development activities, have been the most important necessities for documenting this area.
The questions are as follows: Cultural findings (tiles and pottery) of the ancient site of the Kohneh Gorab of the Amlash in terms of relative chronology and concerning related historical texts, what period can be proposed for this site? And based on cultural findings and comparative studies of pottery species and tile pieces, how can the internal and external relations of the Kohneh Gorab site with the surrounding sites be explained?
In the present study, pottery and tile pieces were collected from surface surveys in and around the historical site of the Kohneh Gorab and also drilled 15 test trench in predetermined places. For comparative studies, citation sources and descriptive-analytical methods were used in the research. The findings of this documentary method were analyzed to present the relative chronology and cultural relations within and outside the region.

The Tiles Sherds from the Kohneh Gorab
Tile pieces obtained from the historical site of the Kohneh Gorab are of high quality. to make these tiles, which are geometric shapes such as squares, rhombuses, triangles, star shapes, as well as star and cross shapes, they used the molding method and prefabricated molds. The surface of all these tiles is covered with monochromatic under turquoise glazes, azure, green, yellow, black, and also plant motifs with a combination of green, black or blue, and white.
From comparative studies of tiles in Islamic areas in the Gilan, we conclude that small tiles in the shape of pentagons, rhombuses, and triangles in historical buildings in the east and west of the Gilan, such as the Panjpiran tepe, the historic city of the Gaskar, the Qala-e-Rudkhan of the Fooman, which is almost contemporary in time. They are used with the ancient historical site of the KOhneh Gorab (Table 1).

The Pottery of the Kohneh Gorab Site
All pottery obtained from the Kohneh Gorab site can be divided into two general categories based on simple and glazed. Plain pottery is divided into two categories: unglazed and plain pottery and unglazed and patterned pottery. Glazed pottery is also divided into two categories: plain glazed and painted glazed. Glazed and plain pottery was divided into seven types based on the color of the coating: Unglazed and plain pottery in yellowish red, unglazed and plain pottery in reddish-brown, unglazed and plain pottery in bright red, unglazed and plain pottery in reddish yellow, unglazed and plain pottery in brown, unglazed and plain light brown pottery. According to typological studies, this type of pottery was common in many areas of the Gilan Province from the 4th to the 10th century AH (Jahani, 2011; Mirsalehi, 2019; Ramin, 2006).
Most of the pottery obtained from the Kohneh Gorab site is wheel-made and a small number of them are hand-made. Some dishes have a flat bottom and some have a long, concave base. According to the available evidence; Most of this pottery was used daily. Unglazed and painted pottery of this site can be divided into two categories based on the type of pattern: unglazed pottery with engraving, pottery with the scarred pattern. The abundance of such pottery pieces informally leads to the idea that these two types are probably of local production; However, we have to wait until laboratory studies and definite assurance in this field.

Conclusion
The main data obtained from the field survey of the Kohneh Gorab site include pieces of tiles and pottery. The tile pieces are small in size and geometric shapes (square, rhombus, pentagonal and triangular), star-shaped, covered with monochromatic glazes of blue, green, and yellow. In some of these tiles, plant motifs including arabesque and leaves have been used. Comparatively comparing these tiles with other areas, there are many similarities between them and the tiles discovered from the Panjpiran tepe in the Lahijan related to the Kiai period. From the surviving cases of these tiles and similar ones, we can mention the examples in the religious buildings of the Lahijan and the Langrud. Other data that were abundantly obtained in this site are pottery pieces belonging to the Middle Ages and late Islam. Plain pottery with carved and without patterns has a higher percentage of all pottery. These species are probably locally produced. The next groups have the most abundance of pottery with underglaze, pottery with sprayed glaze, and Sgraffito pottery after plain pottery, respectively. The Sgraffito pottery discovered from the Kohneh Gorab is technically and artistically similar to the Amol tepe. Some of the samples are of higher quality and it is possible that they came to this place from the Amol region, others were produced locally by imitating the Amol species. The black painted under the turquoise glaze and white blue pottery are another part of the cultural data obtained from this site. The better quality and lower frequency of these parts raised the issue of their import unofficially. The results of the study of these data reveal the cultural connections of this site with sites in the Gilan province such as the Panjpiran tepe of the Lahijan, Islamic city of the Gaskar, the Lisar castle, and outside the Gilan province sites such as the Amol, the Jorjan, the Neyshabur, the Rey and the Saveh. Comparative analysis of the findings indicates the settlement between the 3rd to 4th and 8th to 10th centuries AH, in which the site was relatively stable; however, to provide an accurate chronology as well as to identify the extent of the dispersal of cultural deposits, it is necessary to conduct extensive and purposeful excavations.

Resource Management and the Strategies of Livelihood Based on Horticulture and Agriculture in Borkhar During the Qajar Period; (Utilizing Archaeological Data and Historical Sources)

Saeed Amirhajloo

Abstract
Due to the existence of fertile alluvial soil and more than one hundred aqueducts (Qanats), agriculture and horticulture were prosperous in the Borkhar plain, north of Isfahan during the Qajar period. Furthermore, its location on the Isfahan highway to the capital of government made it easy to export products to other regions. Accordingly, livelihood in the Borkhar plain was affected by agriculture and horticulture. The questions are: how was the exploitation and management of resources in the Borkhar during the Qajar period? What were the strategies of livelihood based on agriculture and horticulture in the Borkhar during that time? What were the characteristics of the architecture of gardens and farms in the Borkhar? Data were collected via documentary and field methods, and the research method is descriptive-analytical. Based on the archaeological data such as gardens with the irregular plan and vast gardens with the designed and regular plan, it can be concluded that the type of agriculture and horticulture in the Borkhar plain was subsistence agriculture and agribusiness. In the early Qajar era, subsistence agriculture was common in the Borkhar plain. But in the second half of the Qajar era, agribusiness became common in this region like in other parts of Iran. Therefore, the income of agribusiness was allocated to livelihood and biological needs in the second period. If historical sources are also studied through content analysis, the above two strategies of livelihood are concluded. There was subsistence agriculture in this plain, such as wheat, barley, watermelon, carrots, pomegranates, apples, legumes, turmeric, and beets, as well as commercial cultivation of melons and cotton. This agribusiness helped to strengthen economic power and livelihoods based on agricultural incomes.
Keywords: Strategies of Livelihood, Agriculture During Qajar Period, Architecture of Qajar Period, Borkhar in Isfahan, Khan’s Gardens.

Introduction
Livelihood means human assets, behaviors, and activities that determine the standard of living of an individual, family, or community (Ellis, 2000: 10). According to Chambers and Conway, livelihood also means the capabilities and necessary activities to survive and determine lifestyle (Chambers and Conway, 1992: I-II). The strategies of livelihood were developed in different communities to increase social welfare and public health (Gaillard et al., 2009: 120). These strategies were included agricultural and horticultural livelihood, animal husbandry, fisheries, industrial activities, road services, and trade. In this article, the architectural features of gardens and buildings related to agriculture in the Borkhar plain were explained. Then, the strategies of livelihood in this plain during the Qajar period were analyzed.
As the entrance passage of Isfahan from the north, Borkhar plain was a strategic area on the north-south communication route of the country. This plain was considered an agricultural and horticultural area on the periphery of Isfahan.
The questions are how was the exploitation of resources in the Borkhar during the Qajar period? What were the strategies of livelihood based on agriculture and horticulture in the Borkhar during that time? What were the characteristics of the architecture of gardens and farms in the Borkhar?
The importance of this research is that it recognizes the systems of management and exploitation of natural resources in the past, especially with an emphasis on the methods of achieving sustainable livelihoods based on the capabilities of the region. While today, some cities and villages in the region are facing serious risks in terms of conservation of natural resources and livelihood, due to incorrect policies in local and regional development and lack of attention to local capabilities.
Data were collected via documentary and field methods, and the research method is descriptive-analytical. Analyzes were performed by “content analysis” of historical sources and “spatial analysis” of architectural monuments related to horticulture and agriculture.

Exploitation and Resource Management in Borkhar
Geologically, the Borkhar plain is an alluvial plain and its settlements were developed in these alluviums (Shafaqi, 2002: 97). These alluvial soils cause fertility in this plain. The fertility of the Borkhar plain on the one hand, and the rise of the landowners class in the Qajar period on the other, led to the division of ownership of agricultural lands and gardens between lords and large landowners. Accordingly, the number of lords increased and they gained higher social prestige during the Qajar period. In addition to building residential castles on their agricultural lands and gardens, the lords and employers hired several farmers and settled them to increase the production and use of the land (Amirhajloo et al., 2012b: 115).
Despite the fertile soil, the amount of rainfall in Borkhar plain was low. Therefore, groundwater extraction methods were important and aqueducts were created in the plain for this reason. The remains of “Pang-khaneh” buildings as a place for the distribution of aqueduct water in the Borkhar plain are important. Factors affecting the water distribution of aqueducts in Borkhar plain were: the features of the place, the amount of water of aqueducts, the number of households using water resources, type of cultivation, and laws governing the region. Exceptionally, for private aqueducts located on lord’s farms, all aqueduct water belonged only to the landowner.

The Strategies of Horticulture and Agriculture Livelihood in Borkhar
If we want to analyze the livelihood strategies of horticulture and agriculture in the Borkhar plain, we must pay attention to “subsistence agriculture” and “Agribusiness”. Subsistence agriculture is a type of agriculture that aims to produce as much as the needs of the family, tribe, or village and does not pay attention to foreign markets and earnings (Mosher, 2008: 6). While Agribusiness means specialized cultivation, production over subsistence needs, and product sales in the various markets (Amini, 2016: 549). While from the middle of the Qajar era, especially from the time of Mohammad Shah and Nasser al-Din Shah, “Agribusiness” also became popular (Mansour Bakht, 2009: 123, 147).
Archaeological evidence of the Qajar era in the Borkhar plain indicates both of the above farming strategies. Archaeological remains show the subsistence agriculture strategy in this period; For example, small enclosed gardens, scattered and irregular gardens with an organic plan on the periphery of the villages of Morchekhort, Gaz, Gorgab, Sin, Dormian, Zaman Abad, Dastgerd, Dolatabad, Dombi, and Margh. While there is other evidence that shows the strategy of Agribusiness in Borkhar in the Qajar era, such as regular lordly gardens with a pre-designed plan and residential spaces for lords and farmers, as well as castles of landlords.
The content analysis of Qajar sources also confirms the existence of the above two livelihood strategies in Borkhar. For example, crops such as wheat, barley, watermelon, carrots, pomegranates, apples, legumes, summer vegetables, turmeric, and beets were grown for local consumption. But crops such as melons and cotton were grown commercially and then exported.

Conclusion
Based on the archaeological data and historical sources, subsistence agriculture was common in the Borkhar plain during the early Qajar era. But in the second half of the Qajar era, agribusiness became common in this region like in other parts of Iran. Therefore the income of agribusiness was allocated to livelihood and biological needs in the second period. If historical sources are also studied through content analysis, the above two strategies of livelihood are concluded. There was subsistence agriculture of wheat, barley, watermelon, carrots, pomegranates, apples, legumes, turmeric, and beets in this plain, as well as commercial cultivation of melons and cotton. This agribusiness helped to strengthen economic power and livelihoods based on agricultural incomes.

Characterization of Colored Mortar of Boumsab Gypsum Arrays of Ganjali Khan School (Caravanserai) in Kerman

Yaser Hamzavi

Abstract
Ganjali Khan School (Caravanserai) in Kerman is one of the prominent buildings in Kerman from the Safavid period. Valuable gypsum arrays with different techniques have been implemented in this building. Among these arrays there are the Boumsab gypsum arrays that are executed in the royal room on all sides as well as the roof of the building. One of the special features of these arrays is the color of the mortar in the layers of the lower fine coat and the upper fine coat, which can be seen in three colors: red, yellow and gray. It should be noted that in the past, a layer of gypsum plaster has been applied on the surface of gypsum arrays in this building, but fortunately, in recent years, a large part of the additional layer has been peeled off the surface of gypsum arrays. Due to being special of this architectural arrangement and have not been done any detailed scientific study on these works so far, in this article, the structure of the colored mortars of this building has been investigated. Some of the questions of this research are: What is the structure of the colored mortars of Boumsab gypsum arrays in this building? What are the Major and Minor phases of mortar composition? What was the pigment in colored mortars? In this regard, sampling was done and FTIR, EDS, XRD analyzes were performed, which along with field studies, the research questions are answered. The results of the research show that gypsum mortar with the Major phases of gypsum and anhydrite has been used in different layers. Iron oxide (goethite) was also used to color the red and yellow mortars, and ash and lime were used for the gray mortar. Also, organic materials that used to change the quality of mortar were not identified in the structure of the samples.
Keywords: Gypsum Arrays, Colored Mortar, FTIR, EDS, XRD.

Introduction
Boumsab gypsum array is one of the types of low-rise architectural arrays. In this method, abrasion of areas from the fine coat (Intonaco) surface is done in order to create a different texture between the patterns and the background, the abrasion action covers only a part of the thickness of the fine coat layer and does not reach the layers under the fine coat. This method of stucco has been common in Isfahan since the time of Shah Abbas I (Aslani, 1391: 136). Ganjali Khan School (Caravanserai) in Kerman is one of the Monument in which the high quality Boumsab gypsum array has been executed. This Monument was built at the same time as the Ganjali Khan complex in the Safavid period, and one of the most beautiful architectural spaces in terms of architectural layout is the royal room, which is decorated with a gypsum arrangement of Boumsab. One of the features of the Boumsab gypsum array in this building that makes this array one of the other Boumsab gypsum arrays that have been identified as a result of the authors’ field studies (Aliqapoo in Isfahan, Pirnia House in Nain, Aliqapoo in Qazvin, and Kalkhoran Tomb in Ardabil), is the use of colored mortar in the fine coat layers performed in the royal school of Ganjali Khan School in Kerman. In this Monument, three colors of mortar are gray, red and yellow. Due to the fact that two layers of colored substrate are used on all sides as well as the ceiling of the room, at first it seems that gypsum mosaic is of Tokhmedaravari type, but by studying it closely, it can be concluded that Bumsab gypsum array. Another point is that the Boumsab gypsum array with these properties and with three colored mortars in one space, has been studied for the first time in Iran.

Result and Discussion
FT-IR: In the spectrum of sample R-1 (Figure 5), the index vibrations of the gypsum can be seen in 3543, 1621, 1114, 670 and 600 cm-1 (Knittle et al., 2001: 635). However, there is a noticeable structural difference in this sample compared to the western side samples. In the spectrum of this sample, absorption bands of about 713, 874, 1430, 1800 and 2516 cm-1 are observed, which are related to carbonate vibrations in the calcite structure (Ylmen & Jaglid, 2013: 121). However, in addition to the absorption bands mentioned, bands of about 469, 521 (Fe-O), 795, and about 3650 cm-1 can be seen next to the 3543 cm-1 gypsum band. These absorption bands are generally visible in the red color spectrum of iron oxides. According to the researchers, these absorption bands and their position increase the possibility of using Hormoz bole or Armenian bole in this sample (ulaiuladienė et al., 2018: 249).
EDS: The results of EDS analysis of the samples are presented in Table 1. For the amount of sulfur obtained from the S-2 sample in this study 13.02, the amount of 16.27% calcium is required for the gypsum composition. As can be seen in Table 2, the amount of calcium is greater than the amount required for the gypsum composition. 1.7% of the excess calcium can be related to the impurity of lime in the sample, which is normal in historical monuments. Examination of samples R-1, R-2 and R-3 show a significant amount of iron. Therefore, the results indicate the possibility of using iron compounds (ochre) as a red pigment in these samples.
XRD: Two samples R-1 and R-2 were examined using XRD, the results of which are presented in Table 3 and Figure 6. The main phases of R-1 are gypsum and anhydrite, and the sub-phases are quartz, kaolinite and goethite. The R-2 sample is similar to the R-1 sample in terms of the obtained phases, except that kaolinite is one of the main phases. Usually the scratch coat (Arriccio) has added soil and sometimes ash. A small amount of goethite seems to be sufficient to create a red color in the gypsum mortar. The study of the constituent phases of the G-1 sample structure was also performed using XRD, of which gypsum and anhydrite are the main phases and quartz and kaolinite are its sub-phases.

Conclusion
In this study, sampling was performed from different layers of colored mortar and specialized studies were performed. As a result of FT-IR, it can be said that the mortar of fine coat layers are made of gypsum with low lime impurity to which some red pigment has been added at the time of curing to make the mortar red. Also, no evidence of organic matter as additives to gypsum mortar was identified. The results of EDS analysis on gypsum mortar showed the presence of a small amount of excess calcium. Also, in the red mortars of the Bottom and top fine coat layers, iron was identified as the coloring agent and the presence of red was recently confirmed. In gray mortar, the presence of ash mixed with lime is a strong possibility. XRD analysis of four selected samples showed that the predominant phase in all four cases was gypsum and anhydrite, and only in one of the samples, kaolinite was identified as the main phase. The identified sub-phases are quartz, kaolinite and goethite. So far, no research has been published on the composition of Boumsab gypsum plaster with colored mortar. It can be imagined that at first, in order to implement the gypsum array for Tokhmehdaravari, Bottom and top fine coat layers were both applied with colored mortar, and for some reason (for which we don’t know) the decision was changed. Finally, the designs are executed only on the surface layer and And has been executed in a Boumsab manner. It is noteworthy that in the same complex (in the royal porch), a Tokhmehdaravari has been executed and can be seen at present.

Archaeology and Sustainable Development: An Intertextual Hermeneutics

Farshid Mosadeghi Amini

Abstract
Despite obvious differences which we know on subjects, sights, methods and results of Development Projects and Archaeological Research, It appear that there are evident similarities among them: theoretical debates, field investigations, team-works, order and organization, planning, provisions, supporting, discussions and judgment, governmental beginnings, national rules, foreign patterns, management progresses, specialty approaches, expert obligations and public utilizations. Also, when we add “sustainable” to development our discourse will be extent and we however confront with cultural phenomena. It seems evaluating of distinctions and comparison of similarities between «Development» and «Archaeology» will be background for systemic survey their interactions especially in the counter together time. Establishment of laws and communication of circulars are solutions to problems and reach to coordination among development projects and archaeology. But satisfaction and persuasion are a supplement factors for taking decisions. In this article after a review on meaning, concept and implications of Development and explanation contents and aims of Archaeology we Assess importance and relations them in cultural and developmental realms from intertextually view.
Keywords: Comparative Survey, Archaeology, Sustainable Development, Material Culture, Reductionism, Intertextuality Approach, Hermeneutics.

Introduction
Despite the thematic, approach and strategic differences between “archeology” and “development”, it seems to have a similar basis in terms of the beginning of changing ideas and perspectives and changing methods and traits of “development” in the post-World War II. Also, we can find some temporal-spatial symmetries in the evolution of practices and norms and sometimes consistencies in the context of the dynamics and intellectual challenges of the “archeology” and “development”.
This article discusses the importance of providing a comprehensive, concise, and effective scenario for arranging plans and directing common scenes between “development” and “archaeology” rather than turning scenes into the meaningful sequences. Thus, interactivity of coherent and effective narratives replaces broken, incoherent, tense, and failed examples.
Most of the views, the most visible scenes, the most controversial encounters, the most newsworthy intersections, the most difficult relations and the most acute conditions between “archeology” and “development” are usually in the “field” and with the beginning and continuation of the various small and large improvement projects. Therefore, to find a way to prevent such unintended events or to reduce the cultural and civilizational damage, one must “cure the incident before it occurs.” According to the author, the most important context, the most effective possibility and the most efficient approach in concluding evaluations of what we have said, is to pay attention to the “theoretical realm” - that is, the precondition of every rational action and the precondition of every thoughtful will - among “archeology” and “development”. In this way, common principles and perspectives can be raise in the framework of comprehensive intertextual and interpretation-oriented strategies.
Method: This article is based on both theoretical and practical experience contexts. Considering the constant confrontation of developmental projects with ancient sites and historical monuments, the author, based on his administrative and experimental backgrounds and his research responsibilities too, Analytical and explain his analysis and inference from the two areas of “archeology” and “development”. The strategic theme of this paper is the reduction of “archeology” and “development” to their roots and foundations, in-text reviews, and out-of-text comparisons from an intertextual perspective.
Aim: What has been discussed so far from developmental approaches - both “ improvement” and “sustainable” - in the field of cultural heritage issues hadn’t have systematics relations or efficient interpretation between the two and the neglected theme was the processing of “plan” for “action”. Therefore, the present article can be considered as the first example in terms of intertextual and interpretive approaches in the area of “archeology and sustainable development” in Iran

Discussion
Antiquities and historical monuments are one of the challenging areas in development policies and research planning, organized or restoration interventions or orbital protection plans of the Iranian cultural heritage. Archeology in terms of research materials, the focus of topics, the source of discussions, the field of functions and the source of ideas based on static phenomena, in situ remains, in place evidence, closed contexts, suspended systems, elapsed periods and historical moments. Such a context is being elucidated in the light of field research, scientific exploration, technical documentation, comparative evaluations, laboratory research, repeated insights, and rational-empirical discoveries, and gradually the content, its dimensions and aspects become meaningful.
But “development” in content, in form and in its implementation or process is based on views that seek to reconstruct attitudes and approaches, to design actions and patterns, to prepare directions, to build institutions and to establish structures. “Development” is the hope of achieving desires beyond what is possessed, and the pursuit of desires is ahead of what is. “Development” is looking for unintentional intentions and asking for unfulfilled wishes. The output of such an arrangement of features in the field of development is “endeavor” and in a word “dynamic”.
Geographical diversity and ecological capabilities in the land of Iran make the identification and location of each of the natural phenomena and human phenomena in order to develop and provide the most optimal social life a priority in planning and goal setting. Such a basis is the clearest argument for gaining the necessary foresight - or what is called “inquiry” - from geographical areas.

Findings
In general, and in normal circumstances, the three “threat factors”, “danger sign” and “cause of destruction” of ancient sites and historical monuments can be found in the “design, implementation and operation of construction projects”. “Continuation of agricultural activities and increase of cultivated area” and “Illegal excavations and looting of cultural-historical property” were summarized.
Despite some inherent similarities and functional similarities, each of these phenomena in different territories and climates of administrative levels, social issues, legal regulations, legal rules and solutions. Expertise in the prevention, remediation, remediation of injuries, mitigation of damages, preservation and introduction of samples and the presentation of samples and their own reference and practical examples. But in a conceptual interpretation of the above-mentioned three, development projects should be considered the “most inevitable”, agriculture and farming the “most common and continuous”, and looting of historical sites and cultural property “the most unfortunate” phenomenon. - influences on archeological remains.

Conclusion
It seems that the reduction of the body, branch and fruit of the product of both phenomena (archeology and sustainable development) to the foundations and roots, if not from the organic links between them, at least reveals some origins or some similar relationships and transit routes. Visualizing, drawing, and explaining such similarities will show the causes and contexts of the distances, and will make it possible to return to the position or process the interactive scenes.
With such a view, it can be said that “development”, especially in its sustainable form, in the sense of a strategy for the comprehensive provision of human present and future affairs, and “archeology” in the sense of an approach to recognizing and preserving its past are essentially human phenomena. One of the needs, approaches and examples of sustainable development to be aware of the nature of man, to know his identity and to know what his needs is “archeology”. For this reason, actions must be overlapping and methods must be convergent, except by extending the “cognitive” aspect of archeology to issues beyond its body and structure, and including the “sustainability” of development into contexts. And more comprehensive components will not be possible than changing the status quo.