Abstract
In the Holocene, there has been a sudden and severe climate change that has affected the process of cultural evolution, subsistence system, demographic change, and the pattern of the distribution of human settlements. Palaeoclimatological studies show that in the second half of the 7th millennium BC, during a cold and dry climatic event, with a peak of about 6200 BC, the settlement conditions, in particular in some parts of the Northern hemisphere, were significantly disturbed. After this period, the air temperature rose sharply and replaced the warm and dry climate from the beginning of the 6th millennium BC. From the second quarter of the 6th millennium BC, gradually, the amount of humidity increased and the air temperature decreased, so that from the beginning of the second half of the 6th millennium BC, more favorable climate conditions were created for agricultural activities. The early evidence of the human settlements in the North of Central Iran region mainly belongs to the beginning of the sixth millennium BC. Due to the lack of architectural evidence from the first half of the 6th millennium BC in this region, human societies were probably semi-sedentary. From about 5400 BC, sedentary-farmer settlements with architecture were established and gradually their number increased. In the early 5th millennium BC, a warm and dry climatic change caused the interregnum/collapse of the settlements in the region. Therefore, the time of the genesis and prosperity of the early settlements in the North of Central Iran was related to the climatic conditions and occurred in an appropriate climate period between two dry periods.
Keywords: The Mid-Holocene, Climate Change, 6200 BC Event, 6th Millennium BC, The North of Central Iran.

Introduction
Although human beings have the liberty in nature, the study of the cultural evolution of human societies without reference to environmental change cannot be valid. In other words, one of the main motives of cultural dynamism and evolution is interactions between humans and the environment.
The Holocene period is divided into three phases: the early Holocene (ca. 9700 - 6000 BC), the middle (ca. 6000-3000 BC) and the late (ca. 3000 BC). Abrupt climate changes, both warming and colding, which have led to drought and unfavorable environmental conditions, have repeatedly occurred since the beginning of the Holocene age and have led to cultural collapses in human societies. However, between these climatic events, we often witness the birth of a new or evolved culture.
In the cultural region of the North of Central Iran, with the exception of the Western Tepe of Sang-i Chakhmaq, no evidence has yet been found of human settlements belonging to before the sixth millennium BC (the beginning of the Middle Holocene). Due to the occurrence of the 6200 BC climatic event, which caused a severe cold-drought period for 200-400 years (in different regions), presumably, the lack of prehistoric sites has been linked to unfavorable climatic conditions in this arid and semi-arid cultural region. The results of palaeoclimatological studies, together with absolute datings, can not only be useful in more accurate chronology of ancient sites, but also they can explain the causes of population changes, settlement patterns, many of migrations and displacements of human societies, as well as changes in their diet and lifestyle. In this study, considering the climatic condition of the early Mid-Holocene, based on the palaeoclimatological studies carried out in several sites, the initial status of human settlements in the North of Central Iran region during the sixth millennium BC will be discussed.

Research Findings
In the Holocene, the air temperature and moisture significantly increased compared to the Ice Age, and the changing climate led to the emergence of the Neolithic Age and food production. However, during this period, despite the high average of the air temperature, the earth experienced severe climate changes, which affected cultural development, demographic changes, subsistence system, and the distribution pattern of human settlements. Around 6200 BC, suddenly, a very cold climate change occurred, which lasted 150 to 600 years in different regions. The occurrence of this event led to changes in the lifestyle of the Neolithic communities. The cultural region of the North of Central Iran consists of two parts: the Western part (the salt lake basin) and the Eastern part (the Western half of the central desert basin). The oldest Neolithic settlement in the Western part of the region is the Western tepe of Sang-i Chakhmaq dating back to 7200 BC to 6600 BC, but in the Eastern part, no settlements belonging to before 6100 BC have been found.
So far, a few semi-sedentary sites belonging to the first half of the 6th millennium BC in the salt lake basin have been identified. Palaeoclimatological studies show that the air temperature and humidity have suddenly increased sharply after the 6200 BC cold event. However, since the second quarter of the 6th millennium BC, the air temperature has gradually decreased. In the middle of this millennium, an abrupt warming fluctuation occurred, but from about 5400 BC, the air temperature and humidity reached an optimum level for agricultural activities. In general, the early sedentary-farmer settlements in this region belong to after 5400 BC. However, at the end of the 6th millennium BC, another climate change caused severe warm-dry conditions, in which, since the beginning of the fifth millennium BC, settlements gradually collapsed.

Conclusion
The cultural area of North Central Iran consists of two parts: West (catchment basin of Namak Lake) and East (Western half catchment basin of central desert). The first Neolithic settlement in the Western part of this region, Western mound of Sang-i Chakhmaq with dating 7200 BC to 6600 BC. In the eastern part, so far, no settlement older haven’t been found than 6100 BC. The early sedentary-farmer settlements in the cultural region of the north of central Iran, such as Yan Tepe of the Ozbeki site, Tepe Ibrahim Abad, Tepe Moein Abad, Northern Tepe of the Sialk site, Tepe Pardis and Tepe Cheshmeh Ali, have been established and developed in a 400-year period between 5400 and 5000 BC with a relatively mild and humid climate, between two severe drought periods.

Abstract
Beginning in 1948, archaeological surveys and excavations in northwest Iran brought to light evidence of cultural developments related to the movements of people who colonized vast parts of the Near East from northeast Anatolia to southern Levant in the late 4th and early 3rd millennium B.C., prompted by environmental changes, population boom or shortage of biological resources in their homeland. The period is best known in the archaeological literature as the Early Trans-Caucasian (ETC) or Kura-Araxes culture, and is distinguished, by a disparate black burnished pottery with incised decorations. Here is published for the time a sample of decorative patterns on the related pottery from Yanik Tepe. The main question of the study was: To what extent did the newcomer potters communicated on this pottery the artistic traditions they had brought with themselves from their homeland? Data gathered through museum and library enquiries were used to carry out a comparative study. Data analysis was of qualitative nature, and the study represented one of culture-historical. 
Keywords: Azarbaijan, Yanik Tepe, Early Bronze Age, Pottery, National Museum of Iran.

Introduction
The question central to this study is: Does the Kura-Araxian pottery tradition at Yanik Tepe reflect traits induced by indigenous experimentations, or it was simply developed via foreign inspirations and cultural interactions? 
As stated, the pottery assemblages from Yanik Tepe had remained intact since their initial movement to National Museum of Iran after the close of excavation. Preparatory work was therefore required before deciding on or attempting any sort of study. Accordingly, the whole collection was recorded and washed before the decorated sherds were singled out and sorted into such groups as geometric motifs, animal motifs, plain, and miscellaneous. This was followed by the documentation process that involved photographing, drawing and registering the entire formal and technical attributes of individual pieces. Attempts were made to exclude from the final sample the patterns that were identical to those already published by Burney in various places. Also to meet the diversity criterion, pieces were selected from as varied excavated exposures as Areas or Trenches H, HX, K, L, M, P and different Levels, viz. YT.HX3, YT161HX, YTHX4, YT.HX1, YTK3, YT.HH1, YTH5, YT.HH1A, YT.C5, YT.P2, YT.LIA, YT.HH10, YT.HX1, YT.L3PRMII, YT.P2, YT.39C, and YT.RH13.

Yanik Tepe
A key site in the archaeology of the eastern Urmia Lake Basin, Yanik Tepe is 30 km southwest of Tabriz and 6 km from Khosrowshahr, within the village of Tazeh Kand on the Talkheh Rud. Burney excavated the site in 1960, 1961 and 1962, shortly after its identification in 1958-9. Yanik Tepe consists of a high mound and a low mound, rising 16.5 m and 1.50 m from the surrounding lands, respectively. With an original total area of about 6 hectares, it represents a type-site of the Kura-Araxes culture in Azerbaijan (Burney 1963, 138). Large parts of the site are now destroyed. Typical of the culture that flourished at Yanik Tepe were round and rectilinear houses and a distinct pottery tradition. Most intriguing are those types that resemble the material from the vast cultural horizon of eastern Anatolia and the early Trans-Caucasia of the mid-3rd millennium BC. 
Building on the results of his excavations at Yanik Tepe, Burney divided the whole Kura-Araxes (or the ETC) sequence to the three discrete periods of ETC I, ETC II, and ETC III, where the earliest period marks the birth of the culture in its motherland, the second is associated with round structures and decorated pottery, and the latest sees the predominance of rectilinear architecture and virtual disappearance of decorations on pottery (Summers 2004, 619-620). For a more recent and detailed discussions on the chronology and dates as well as the stratigraphy of Yanik Tepe, the reader is referred to Summers 2013; 2014, 157-159. 
An idiosyncrasy of the Early Bronze Age at Yanik Tepe is the handmade, black or gray burnished pottery with incised patterns. The technique is reminiscent of woodcarving and was presumably inspired by the densely forested landscape of the homeland of bearers of the culture who came to the rather sparsely wooded regions of northwest and west Iran. The technique was widely applied to pottery along with excised patterns, filled with white and occasionally ocher pastes. 
Designs like birds and highly stylized rams or ibexes with curled horns, and bands of geometric motifs were carved on bowls, jars and footed pedestal vessels and small cups, the pottery forms common to the period. 
The Middle Bronze period marks a shift in architectural styles as the related houses were built in a rectilinear plan using mud bricks. The thick walls spoke of two-storied buildings. The use of decorations diminishes, and the so-called graphite burnished technique emerges on a few examples of cups. Vessels are relatively finer, and burnishing is more frequent. Pottery forms show no considerable differences between the two periods (Burney 1962). However, the so-called Nakhichevan lugs, common to the latter period, occur now only in a vestigial form. 

Kura-Araxes Pottery of Yanik Tepe
This section gives a description of the pottery with a special focus on decorations, along with a series of so far unpublished illustrations, which besides enriching the existing literature on the pottery history, are intended to improve the current picture of the evolution of pottery styles through the long Kura-Araxian horizon at Yanik Tepe. It is notable that, as stated earlier, the pieces and decorations published here have not been introduced in any earlier publications and have been selected from various trenches and levels to ensure a representative sample to the possible extent. 
The Kura-Araxian pottery, coming in disparate wares and decorations, represent a new style that newcomer artisans had brought with themselves to northwest Iran. It is characterized by dark gray or shiny black or light brown color; vessels are handmade, contain mineral tempers, and show a burnished surface bearing an assortment of motifs such as spirals, “ram horns” and concentric circles or “eyes” (Burney and Lang 1971). In the Kura-Araxes Period I, rail rims were common, the Nakhichevan lugs were not yet emerged, and some Chalcolithic forms and decorative techniques persisted (Glumac and Anthony 1992). Related material occurs at most sites in Caucasia, the eastern fringes of Anatolia, and Geoy Tepe K1 (Sagona 2000).
The Period II is distinguished by the abundance of elbow handles and advent of semi-circular Nakhichevan lugs; the rail rims are utterly absent (Seyedov 2000). Notable in the assemblages is the ubiquitous concentric circles or “eyes” and incised triangles or chevrons. The pottery with its distinctive incised decorations shows influences from neighboring spheres. Various motifs are discernible. Animals, birds and fish occur in abundance. Birds appear as stylized representations on jars and bowls with decorations always reserved for the base or close to it. Also present are very simple geometric designs, bands raging from plain examples of undulating lines to those of a very intricate combination of nested designs, horizontal grooves or hatches, zigzags and doted patterns, rows of geometric motifs like lozenges with adjoining triangles filled with a various combinations of incised dots in diverse arrangements, swastikas, small lozenges and slanting motifs. Spirals and concentric circles were applied in incised form and evolved into an excised form with the related patterns filled with a white paste or lime. A frequent motif is the sharply angled triangles evoking the mountain motif as is the incised patterns imitating cuneiform signs. They are much finer compared with the ordinary handmade pieces. The Kura-Arax II material from Yanik Tepe find parallels in Geoy K1, Yakhvali, Ravaz (Kohna Shahar), Baruj, Haftavan VII and Godin IV (Burney 1961, 1962; Kleiss and Kroll 1979; Asurov 2000).
Typical to the Kura-Araxes III assemblages are the incised spirals and loop handles attached to the rim. The concentric circles occur in a higher frequency (Burney and Lang 1971, 67; Seyedov 2000, 19). Nakhichevan lugs show a gradual decline. Related pottery is known from Geoy K3, Godin IV, Shengavit IV, Kul Tepe of Nakhichevan, Kvatskhelebi in Georgia and sites in the Koban area of East Anatolia (Burney 1961, 1962; Burney and Lang 1971; Sagona 2000).

Abstract
According to the common chronology of the Bronze Age and Iron Age of Iran, the period (2000) 1900 to 1500 BC is known as the introduction of the new Bronze Age and about 1500 BC is known as the beginning of the Iron Age. Archaeological evidence does not provide a clear picture of the chronological and cultural sequence in most of the sites of this period in the northern half of Iran. This limitation is mostly due to the nature of the materials and documents of this period, which are often the result of excavations in cemeteries, and the information available about the exact sequence of stratigraphy in the settlements of this period is scarce. At the same time, the available evidence shows that most of the main centers of this period, especially in the eastern half of the Iranian plateau, southern Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan to the Indus and Punjab valleys, between 1700 to 1500 BC. They are abandoned and there is an obvious cultural and chronological rupture in the settlement sequence of these areas. Hypotheses have been made regarding the causes of the abandonment of the sites of this period and the rupture created in the middle of the second millennium BC. Most of these hypotheses, with an archaeological approach to cultural materials, especially the study of changes in pottery traditions, have justified the causes of the rupture and factors such as migration and invasions of new peoples and cultures, environmental changes, and suggested a change in the way of subsistence economics as the reasons for the rupture. In this article, based on the results of linguistic studies of religious texts attributed to Vedic-Gahani Indo Iranian, a hypothesis has been proposed that the changes resulting from the religious reforms of Zoroaster in the period from about 1700 (1800) to 1500 BC. In the east of the Iranian plateau, alone or in combination with other factors can be the main driver or factor influencing and accelerating the process of abandonment of centers and areas of the end of the Bronze Age of the eastern half of the Iranian plateau and one of the main factors in the transition Communities from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age.
Keywords: Bronze Age, Iron Age, Transition, Northern Half of Iran, Northeast and East of Iran.

Introduction
One of the archaeological questions of the second millennium BC in the northern half of the Iranian plateau is how (and causes) societies transitioned from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age (Mousavi, 2008: 105). In this regard, some hypotheses have been proposed (Mousavi, 2001: 15). These hypotheses generally justify and interpret the trend of cultural developments at the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age in the northern half of the Iranian plateau, and the nature and reasons for the phenomenon in the societies of this period have not been addressed.
The invasion hypothesis is one of these hypotheses that was based on changes in pottery traditions and other cultural materials between the Gian II (Bronze Age) and Gian I (Iron Age) periods (Contenau and Ghirshman, 1939: 76, Mousavi, 2001: 15). These studies led to the assumption that migratory cultures from the second half of the second millennium to the beginning of the first millennium BC entered the Iranian plateau from the northwestern regions (Caucasus crossing) and settled in the Kashan plain (Mousavi, 2005; 94, Ghirshman, 1939: 62). In general, the hypotheses based on displacement, invasion and cultural substitution are based on the results of “Indo-European linguistics” studies (Bahar, 1996: 135, Sankalia, 1963: 312, Weidengren, 1998: 10, Muscarella, 1966: 121).
Another hypothesis presented in this regard is the hypothesis of “gradual evolution” (Medvedeskaya, 1982: 96), which is based on the results of the excavations of Yaniq Tappeh (Burney, 1994: 50, Dyson, 1969: 15,). Based on this hypothesis, a special type of gray, black, and black pottery indicates the presence of new (Iranian) tribes from the beginning of the third millennium BC. In the northwestern regions of Iran and its gradual expansion through the Caucasus Pass (Burney and Lang, 1972: 116) or the northeastern routes into the Iranian plateau (Burney, 1994: 47 and Derakhshani, 1998: 33, Schmidt, 1937: 112).
The hypothesis of “cultural movement and substitution” is another hypothesis in this regard (Young, 1965: 59, Mousavi, 2001: 17). This hypothesis formed the basis of the theory of “cultural dynamism at the beginning of the Iron Age” (Young, 1967: 34, Dyson, 1989: 125). Based on this hypothesis, some researchers have suggested routes for ethnic and cultural migration at the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age (Deshayes, 1969: 16, Muscarella, 1974: 140).
Hypotheses have also been made regarding the causes of chronological rupture at the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age of the northern half of Iran. The theory of “urban crisis” is one of these hypotheses. According to this hypothesis, the imbalance between population growth and environmental capacities and increased utilization of natural resources led to population displacement and the resulting cultural disintegration (Young, 1985: 372).
Another hypothesis, emphasizing “change in the Method of economic production”, considers the extinction of Bronze Age cultures in northeastern Iran as a result of changes in the livelihood system of these cultures (Mousavi, 2005; 94 Ghirshman, 1977: 25 Ghirshman, 1939: 104). 
Zoroastrian Religious Reforms and Its effect on the Abandonment of the Bronze Age Areas of Northeast and East of the Iranian Plateau
According to the theory of linguistics, the religious reforms of Zoroaster took place in the eastern regions of Iran between the 18th and 15th centuries BC. In line with this hypothesis, the time and Locality of the emergence of Zoroaster and the social conditions of this period are examined as the basis for the formation of developments.
In relation to the time and Locality of Zoroaster, there are a total of three theories (Christiansan, 1997: 17) including the traditional theory of Zoroastrians, the theory of ancient Greek philosophers and sages, and the theory of linguistics and history (Ashtiani, 1987: 78).
In traditional theory, the time of Zarathustra is mentioned around the 6th century BC (late Median, early Achaemenid) and its Locality is in western Iran (Aria, 1997: 87, Khodadadian, 2000: 63, Vermazen, 1993: 21). According to the theory of ancient Greek philosophers and sages, the time of Zoroaster is mentioned 6000 years before Xerxes’s invasion of Greece (480 BC) (Razi, 1993: 3, Rajaei, 1993: 69). Linguistic and historical theory is also based on comparative studies of the remaining religious texts attributed to the Aryan tribes. The oldest of these texts is the Indian Rig Veda which most scholars believe belongs to the Vedic era (Khodadadian, 2000: 43, Abazari et al, 1993: 155, Aria, 1997: 86, Boyce, 1998: 43, Shaygan, 1966: 4, Ashtiani, 1987: 87). On the other hand, the Gathas are the oldest part of the Iranian Avesta (Celns, 2007: 12), which is attributed to the poems of Zoroaster himself (Dushan Gimen, 1984: 42, Pourdavoud, 2006: 63, Christiansan, 1997: 20, Binas, 1993: 450). From the point of view of comparative linguistic studies, the lexical connection and common linguistic roots between the Rig Vedas and the Gatas are very close (Widengeren, 1998: 95, Jalali Naeini, 1993: 4, Boyce, 1998: 93, Ashtiani, 1987: 83). However, Gataha and Rig Veda are almost simultaneous in terms of linguistic features and belong to the Vedic era, ie between 1700 and 1500 BC, and consequently the time of Zarathustra also belongs to the Vedic era. At the same time, linguists believe that the language of the Gataha is not Western Iranians, but Eastern Iranians (Moule, 1998: 112, Christiansan, 1997: 21, Vermazen, 1993: 16; Weidengren, 1998: 95) and consequently Zoroaster. He has lived and appeared in eastern Iran.
The social context of Zoroaster’s message, based on the ancient texts of the Avesta (especially the poems of the Gatha) shows that his teachings and message, especially in the beginning, were strongly opposed by important sections of society, especially the nomadic warrior tribes, affluent classes and followers of the clergy. The ancient Indo-Iranian religion (Kavis-Usigs and Karpans) was the result of civil wars and conflicts and social disintegration (Weidengeren, 1998: 99 and 102).

Conclusion
According to the Collection of documents presented, if we accept Zarathustra and his religious reforms belong to the Gataha or Vedic era (ie between 1800 and 1500 BC) and consequently accept the environment and social context in which Zarathustra appeared and religion It is the eastern regions of Iran. According to the image presented in the Avesta religious texts regarding the social, political and religious situation of this period, it is possible that Zoroastrian society in the Gataha era is a reflection of a society in transition. Imagined Basically, the emergence of social reformers is the product and result of a society whose stability and social system has lost its effectiveness and requires a new plan to create new social stability and get out of the current stalemate. According to religious texts, Zarathustra’s message inevitably went beyond social reform and approached a fundamental reform of the social, economic, and religious structure of society. However, it can be said that the society of the time of Zoroaster is really a society that has been at the peak of tension and has reached a dead end, and such a society evokes the characteristics of a society in transition in social, political and economic. A society that has lost its primary stability (Vedic-Gahan system) and is transitioning to secondary stability (Mazd-e Yasna system). Such a situation (willingly or unwillingly) puts society on a path called the “transition path.” The end of this path is either the achievement of re-stabilization (secondary stability) or chaos and collapse. From an archeological point of view, it may be possible to find an important part of the materials and documents of cemeteries such as Qeytariyeh, Khorvin, Sialk (period V), Sarm, etc. They have the Bronze Age of the Northeast, the product of such developments, and as cultures in transition in the period from about 1700 to 1500 BC. Cultures that are changing by keeping in touch with the previous period. Changes that develop over the next century or two (beginning of the Iron Age) as characteristics of a stable culture in large parts of the northern half of Iran. The culture that in the process of its evolution in the first half of the first millennium BC, was consolidated, stabilized, gained strength and finally was able to change the socio-political equations of the ancient East by presenting a new plan, after about a millennium of Semitic culture.

Abstract
Qal’eh Ganj is situated on the south of Kerman province, on the border of Sistan & Baluchistan and Hormozgan provinces. The first season of archaeological survey of this area has been carried out in 2016. This survey resulted in discovery of 66 archaeological localities dating from Palaeolithic to Islamic periods. In the present article, we try to determine cultural connection of study area with surrounding regions and it is the reason that we can present a relative dating for the prehistoric sites (Chalcolithic and Bronze Age sites). Based on the comparative dating, chalcolithic sites encompass two periods of fifth and fourth millennium BC that introduce cultural periods of southeastern Iran, respectively, Yahya VA, Mahtoutabad I and Aliabad. The Study of surface data from Bronze Age sites indicate a cultural connection between southern Jazmurian to areas of Halilrud Basin (Konar Sandal south), Soghun valley (Tepe Yahya) and Eastern Jazmurian (Bampur Tepe) and include a time range from late fourth millennium to early second millennium BC. There were found various stone structures in Bronze Age sites which suggests different functions including graves, residential spaces and water management systems. Based on dispersal of the Bronze Age sites and their strategic location as a connection between Bampur area and Persian Gulf, It assumes that the seasonal rivers and straits have had a role in bridging the two mentioned areas. The results of this research introduce the study area as an intermediate area for cultural linking between the eastern regions of Jazmourian and Halilrud Basin at Bronze Age and Chalcolithic period.
Keywords: Jazmurian Basin, Qaleh Ganj, Chalcolithic and Bronze Age, Southeastern Iran.

Introduction
Qal’eh Ganj is located on the most southern part of Kerman province. Chāh-e Khodādād is one of two districts of the present Qal’eh Ganj county, on the border of Sistan & Balouchestan and Hormozgan.
In 2016, the first season of archaeological survey and reconnaissance of county of Qal’eh Ganj has been carried out as a part of the Iranian National Archaeological Map Project in which the authors tried to clarify the cultural status of the region in different periods.
In addition to these purposes, the present research attempts to analyze the results of this research in order to identify regional and trans-regional connections and interactions with the neighboring areas. 
Geographically, this region has a strategic situation because it appears to link three significant cultural zones of southeast of Iran (Mokrān, Persian Gulf and Halīlrūd basin).
This survey resulted in the discovery of 66 archaeological localities dating from Palaeolithic to Islamic periods. The sites are morphologically influenced by the geographical factors of their places that can be categorized into two different types: plain areas and highlands (foothill and mountainous areas). 
Based on the surface data, 39 sites can be assigned to prehistoric times (Bronze Age and Chalcolithic period) matching the cultural sequence of southeastern Iran. Here, we aimed to answer two following questions: 1) what were the patterns of prehistoric settlements in this area? 2) How this area interacted with the other regions of southeastern Iran?   

Data and Materials
In southeastern Iran, our information about the prehistoric times is limited to the old excavations of Iblis and Yahya. Recent excavations in Jiroft (Konar Sandal sites and Varamin), Tepe Vakil Abad in Orzouiyeh, Tepe Dehno in Shahdad have revised our knowledge about the chronology of the region which made us able to form a chronological frame for relative dating of the study area materials.      
Based on this comparative dating, Chalcolithic sites include two periods of fifth and fourth millennium BC including three cultural periods of southeastern Iran. 
In spite of chalcolithic site locating on both of plain and highlands, no Bronze Age site was found in the plain. Bronze Age sites only dispersed on highlands and seasonal river beaches expanding from the southern Jazmurian to northern Persian Gulf shores.
The stone fences and platforms, graves and remains of great stone architectural complexes are the shared elements of all the Bronze Age sites. We can suggest different functions for theses structure including graves, residential spaces and water management systems.
Chronologically, Bronze Age in this area coincides to cultural periods of Yahya IVB and Bampur I-VI in south eastern Iran. Unlike the chalcolithic sites which are located on both plain and highlands, we found no Bronze Age site in the plain, they all were scattered in the highlands.
 
Conclusion 
Based on the relative dating, it is realized that the Chalcolithic settlements date back to fifth and fourth millennium BC presenting three cultural periods of southeastern Iran, respectively Yahya VA, Mahtoutabad I and Aliabad.
Bronze Age sites are dispersed on highlands and seasonal river beaches expanding from the southern Jazmourian to northern Persian Gulf hinterlands.
 Regarding to dispersion of the Bronze Age sites and their strategic locations, the straits and seasonal rivers are considered as the natural corridors to link Jazmurian to the northern bank of Persian Gulf.
Based on the pottery evidence, a cultural continuation is evident from Bronze Age to early second millennium BC. 

Abstract
The site of Narjuiyeh III is located on the eastern natural mounds of the Narjuiyeh village, from the west overlooking Halil River. Scattering of the fourth millennium BC, especially typical Aliabad type are visible on these mounds. Traces of illegal excavation are also available as pits and holes all over the site. Aliabad ceramics are pottery dating back to the fourth millennium BC (Chalcolithic) in the southeast of the Iranian plateau, first excavated and reported by Caldwell from Aliabad in Bardsir of Kerman, and then have been found and reported from fourth millennium layers of Tell Iblis (Iblis IV) which eventually became known as Aliabad Culture (Caldwell, 1967).      Ali-Abad culture potteries (Chalcolithic age) dates back to the 4th millennium BC in southeast of Iran which the distribution of its potteries include the regions of Kerman, Balouchistan and Pakistan. Aliabad pottery in the south-east of the Iranian plateau is one of the most important and prominent pottery types in the Chalcolithic period (Eskandari and Mollasalehi, 2017), which for more detail understanding about this culture in addition to archaeological studies, requires scientific archaeometric analysis and methods; therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate, study and further understand the fourth millennium BC pottery of Aliabad culture from Jiroft’s Narjuiyeh III site and understanding the expansion of this culture by using structural and technical studies of pottery of this period. At the same time, it has been attempted to use the method of mineralogy (petrography) to get information about how to process the paste, clay type and used temper, conditions, heating and temperature of baking in the furnace, as well as the understanding of the origin of pottery of this area. Archaeological studies show that Aliabad culture in the southeast of the Iranian plateau was the dominant culture of the region in the fourth millennium BC. In this study, it has been attempted to obtain mineralogical information regarding pottery (Aliabad pottery) using library and thin section petrography studies. The polarized binocular microscope JamesSwift made in the United Kingdom at the Petrographic Laboratory of the Institute for Restoration and Conservation was used for microscopic study of the studied pottery.
Keywords: Archaeometry, Petrography, Aliabad Culture, Narjuiyeh in Jiroft, Southeast of Iran.

Introduction
From the textural point of view, the pottery was divided into two main categories of fine-grained and coarse-grained specimens. In fine-grained specimens, the components are less than 0.5 mm in size, and the components are finely crystallized in the texture of pottery. A group of pottery has immature silty texture. In the texture of these potteries, there are fragments of different sizes next to each other, and there is some clutter and disarrangement to the size of the minerals in the pottery. In terms of composition, all available pottery has the same composition and their difference are in the percentage of pieces in the pottery texture and their size. In all available ceramics, there are several minerals, including quartz, in the form of monocrystalline (monocrystalline) and polycrystalline, which are more abundant in monocrystalline form. This mineral has angular to semicircular margins indicating that quartz fragments have been added as secondary to the primary source. In some samples, minor amounts of plagioclase, pyroxene and amphibole with mica are observed. Mica minerals are mostly muscovite grains that are orange-colored, but sometimes orange-yellow muscovite grains can also be seen in the samples. This reaction is due to the change in the optical properties of the grains at a temperature of approximately 1000 degrees Celsius, which can be partially detected the temperature the pottery tolerated on during the heating process. In some samples igneous rock, chert and quartz rock fragments were used as fillers. In some pottery, calcite minerals can also be observed and used to detect its temperature range. Therefore, it can be concluded that due to the geology of the region and the presence of calcium carbonate in the sedimentary deposits of the region, the absence of calcite mineralization in some samples indicates that the temperature of the ceramics is higher than 800 °C, and in calcite-clay ceramics, the baking temperature of the clay is less than 800 °C (Reedy 2008; Riederer 2004). The two N9 and N7 specimens differ in composition from the other specimens. In these two samples calcite minerals are associated with the clay texture, whereas in the other samples this is not the case.

Conclusion
Based on the petrographic study of the pottery, it can be deduced that the source of the pottery studied was identical and their source material was from the same region in Kerman. However, the origin of manufacture and extracting of soil mines cannot be determined definitely, because the geology of the Kerman region is very large and vast especially the studied areas are in volcanic formations, which, the mineralogical composition and sequence of some of them are granite, granodiorite to quartz. Metamorphic, plagioclases, clinopyroxenes, and mica minerals and igneous and metamorphic rocks are within the geological family of the area, which exactly similar compounds can be found with the minerals in the pottery. There are also three different groups for these pottery: 1) Pottery with homogeneous texture. In this type of pottery, fragments and minerals are seen floating and scattering in the texture. 2) Pottery in the texture in addition to clay and fine minerals, phyllosilicate minerals (mica) exist in combination with the texture. 3) In these ceramics the combination of the texture of mineral carbonate calcium (calcite) together with the clay texture is visible, a situation not seen in the other samples. This indicates that the pottery used has different manufacturing techniques, therefore, several pottery makers have been involved in preparation and procurement of early paste and clay of the pottery. Pottery samples N5, N6, N7, N8 and N9 contain calcite minerals. It can be suggesting that the baking temperature of these pottery was less than 800 degrees Celsius. In the samples containing muscovite minerals, some of the grains show changes from orange to yellow, indicating that these ceramics have been sustain a temperature of approximately 950-1000 °C. Based on the results and even the buff-orange color of the ceramics, it should be noted that the analyzed pottery were baked in an oxidation condition and in a closed furnace. The type of baking and precision used in baking the pottery in high quality, especially the 4th millennium BC pottery, is very high, indicating that the technique used in baking pottery was also very professional. Some ceramics, such as (N1, N8, N9) have porphyry texture and in their texture quartz mineral, chert stone and igneous rock have been used as filler and temper. In most cases, the edges of quartz minerals are edged and sharp, which, indicates the use of primary soil and its paste processing and resultant of grinding of core and ore extractive mining because all fragments and sherds have sharp and angular angles as well. It should also be noted that there is no evidence of the use of organic materials as temper in pottery making.

Abstract
Using laboratory of XRD & XRF, this research project was performed to identify the component of the pottery related to Seleucid/ early Parthian period. In excavations performed in western Iran, a number of Seleucid & Parthian site were identified, regarding shape and technical formatting roughly homogenous pottery pieces were found. It could not exactly be determined how many of the discovered pottery pieces of the Seleucid/ Parthian period’s -whether found from surface or stratigraphy excavations- had a regional origin. Determining their homogeneity which was solely based on external similarities and typology has given rise to possibilities of widespread trading of pottery or major centers of production. The main problems in research include How was the selection of consumables for the production of stained glassware in western Iran in two periods of Seleucid and Parthian? How can one know about the similarity and difference between the soil elements and the percentage of pottery and logic soil, whether they are indigenous or imported? Despite the apparent similarities, is the conditions and technique of pottery baking types in the western region in two periods, or has it changed with the evolution of governance in the fabric of pottery? This research is qualitative and has a descriptive-analytical nature. The research method in this paper is a combination of archaeological field activities, laboratory studies, and librarian compilation. Awareness of the explorations carried out in the Seleucid-Parthian sites of the western part of Iran, as well as mineralogical studies based on library information. However, as no archaeological evidence has been found to indicate the existence of such centers, such hypotheses could not be considered. The XRD & XRF methods were used to study the building elements in the excavated pottery samples. Using these methods, the similarities and differences between the clay used in making Seleucid & Parthian period’s pottery and the clay found in the region were studied. Ten sample pieces collected from Delfan, Alashtar, and Nahavand regions, were studies. The samples were selected from archaeological site of Chogha Taghi, Pat-Koole, Zarin Deh Sefid tepe, Hassanabad Sanjabi, Cheshme-Kaboud tepe, Aliabad, Molaghala Adlabad, Shaelie (Shahian), and Laodicea. The 10-pottery sherd often have a bright red peppermint, a dense bubbled glaze, a soft mineral mixture, and geometric paintings and images of birds and animals that are painted in brown and black. The shape of the dishes often shows small bowls and small cups that are well polished and polished and cooked at a proper temperature. However, as these methods usually because a great damage and in most cases destroy the samples, smaller and less important pieces which had these componential characteristics were used. The results of this study indicates that, matching the raw materials of the pottery with the geological structure of the region, it can be noted that the pottery was produced in the studied area. Also, the type, technique, and their baking technique from pottery are similar to each other and confirm that its local production and it dismisses the change in the production process or the non-localization of the production of clay crowns during the Seleucid period.. 
Keywords: Seleucid Period’s, Parthian Period’s, Pottery, XRD, XRF, Western Iran.

Introduction
Our recognition of the western Iran Seleucid/ early Parthian painted pottery is so little in limited due to so many various reasons. The potteries as such are painted and fragile and belong to Seleucid era and early Parthian period party in the period in question is an outstanding type which sounds unobtainable or minimally scarce in considerations. The pieces as such mostly attain light red and beige natural disposition, light rose-colored mantle painted like similar to the metal, fine mineral allegation, geometrical paintings, and animals in birds’ pictures being drawn ocher brown and black. The Potteries shape almost always indicates soft, ting bowls and cups the surface of which is well polished well-furnished and baked in a convenient temperature. The external similitude between late Seleucid and early Parthian potteries nourishes the persisting thought of such a tradition from Seleucid to Parthian. This research is to examining the recognition of the absence/presence of the production and business tradition of the Western Iran area in Seleucid/ early Parthian era. Therefore, using XRF and XRD methods, attempts have been made to deal with the identification of the compounds and elements used in grain utilized conforming western Iran painted pottery.
The propounded hypothesis in this regard is that they did discovered pottery type/species in the west area is possibly none native and imported. The native inference or pottery’s being imported deeply depends upon its natural disposition minerals compound similitude percentage with the minerals present in the area’s soil. In line whit this debate, three questions are replied:
1- How much similar to and different from one another are the soil elements used in Seleucid/ early Parthian painted potteries, compounds, being discovered excavated from some of the Iran Zones? 2- How homogeneous are the elements, present in texture and composition of Seleucid/ early Parthian painted potteries -being discovered in the west of Iran-, whit the structure elements and area geology zone? 3- Are these potteries similar to/different from one another in terms of composition, elements type, and baking conditions?
The selected samples of this research are prominent pieces which are picked up from three areas of Delfan, Alashtar, and Nahavand on ten of which laboratory experiments have been implemented. Among these prominent samples the option of each environment has been done. The XRF experiment on powdered samples has been done in Tarbiat Modarres university and XRD experiment has been implemented in Hamedan Bu-Ali Sina University physics lab, Tehran. These potteries are named as follows: Samples number 1(L.CH.T) from Chogha Taghi in Noor Abad City; sample number 2 (L.P.K) from Pat-koole; sample number 3 (L.Z.D) from Zarrin Deh Sefid tepe; sample number 4 (L.H.A.S) from Hassanabad Sanjabi; sample number 5 (L.CH.K) from Cheshme-Kaboud tepe; sample number 6 (L.A.A) from northern district of Noor Abad city; sample 7 (L.M.GH) from Adl-Abad village; sample number 8 (L.SH) from village Shaeile in Qalaei City; sample numbers 9 & 10 (H.N.L.1) & (H.N.L.2) from Loudich of Nahavand. 

Discussion
The results show that the silicon (oxide) rate is high in the samples obtaining low calcite (like sample number 9, and in the samples with high calcite, the silica (oxide) rate is low. Regarding the composition’s present in potteries body, making use of XRD and XRF methods, it can be inferred that the samples productions are associated with the area itself. Moreover, it can be stated that there are compounds such as Quartz in all soils, which is one of components of soil. There is calcite in all samples because of the presence of the calcareous sediments’ presence. The presence of the calcium carbonate and diopside in the potteries body indicates that the temperature of these potteries is less than 750 degrees centigrade. Three compounds of Aluminum oxide, Silica in Calcium carbonate (SiO2, Al2O3, Cao). Additionally, the percentage of the scarce elements in sample number 3 is different from the other ones. Except for these two, it seems that all of the samples are more or less similar to one another. The pottery’s body color is due to this element (Iron) and its oxidation, and red patterns upon potteries contain Iron as well. Pondering upon most of the painted potteries samples of early Parthian / Seleucid era from  Western Iran, it seems that their color is not that beige in comparison with the Clinker pottery type from Parthian era, which are mostly related to the middle and late of this era, and less homogeneity is observed in their color in comparison white Clinker pottery. These results assert that the production of Seleucid/ early Parthian period painted pottery in comparison with Parthian period Clinker pottery should be considered from a different or perspective. There is Manganese in some of the samples number (7 & 9 and little rate in sample 3) the black color of which possibly contain such an element. The presence of Calcium can be because of the calcareous sediments (probably) or some gypsum in the sample. The presence of sediment on all of the samples stems from burial area, moisture, and its omission then, and formation of calcareous sediments as well. The other elements such as Sodium, Potassium Phosphorus, and Titanium are among the ones present in the soil, the rate of which is from some percentage to a few hundred percent.

Conclusion 
The results of XRF & XRD analysis show that the major part of the examined potteries samples including three compounds of Aluminum oxide, Silica in Calcium carbonate (CaO, Al2O3, SiO2). This compound indicates that there is a share of the soils of the transformations stones (SiO2) in the soil used in building mentioned potteries in addition to calcareous soils (Al2O3, CaO). There is Manganese in some of samples (number7, 9, and a little rate in number 3 simple) which possibly has been because of the pigments usage for decorating the potteries patterns. Moreover, the existence of calcium can be possibly due to calcareous sediments or some plaster in the sample which implies the presence of sediment on all of the samples because of the burial area moisture, and then it’s elimination and calcareous sediments formation. The results demonstrate that the Seleucid/ early Parthian period painted potteries obtain more silica (oxide) rate in comparison with Parthian period Clinker pottery (the late and middle of this period), bring analyzed in western Iran, and also it attains a lower Calcite rate in comparison with Clinker potteries type. According to the potteries external features in terms of color and patterns, the similarity between- the ingredients of raw material (soil) is obvious in making pottery, indicating the production of the Portway in research area of although these painted  potteries of Seleucid often there is less homogeneity in their color in western Iran; and also, their baking technique and mode from pottery are similar with one another, and improve their native and domestic production (it is worth mentioning that there has no analysis regarding  Seleucid/ Parthian period painted pottery in the other areas been done) and it eliminates the issue of importing production of  Seleucid/  early Parthian period painted potteries. 

Abstract
Bampur historical complex is located in Makran – Jazmourian Basin in a flat plain in the Northwest of Bampur city, the capital of the region and 4 km to the North of Bampur River (20 km to the east of Iranshar). Extensive firing and burnt vestiges are one of the most characteristics phenomena at Bampur Castel. The evidence of firing is scattered nearly all over the site and it is not limited just to spaces like pits or kitchens. The diversity and abundance of brunt materials (seed of cereals, fruit remains, woods, charcoals and mat-made shoes) allowed us to use them for archaeobotanical studies. Due to the limited archaeological excavations especially in prehistoric sites, Iranian Baluchestān has so far been less-known from archaeobotanical and history of vegetation point of view. This research present the results of studies on the plant remains obtained from some pits and firing debris belonged to the Qajar period’s layers. The purpose of the study was to recognize the vegetation around the site and the type of plants used by the inhabitants during that period. Microscopic observations and analyze of 2301 charcoal fragments, woods, seeds, rachis segments and fruit remains showed that the vegetation cover around the Castel included trees such as tamaris, willow, acacia, musquit bean and date palm. They used the wood of these trees to meet their fuel needs (especially tamaris) or as construction materials (willow, acacaia and mesquites). Given the current ecology and geographical distribution of these species, it is reasonable to assume that the identified trees are native to the area and have grown around the Castel. Also the remains of Cereals (wheat and barley), fruits (date palm) and Cucurbits (Watermelon and melon) found in the firing debris testify agricultural activities. In addition, further evidence is attested by the presence of burnt seeds of the wild plants or weedy such as rye, bermuda grass, brome, wild grass, vetch milk, vetch, medic, goosefoot family, knotweed, seepweed, cowherb, asphodel and sedge family (present in the fields along with agricultural products).
Keywords: Archaeobotany, Bampur Castle, Wood utilization, Qajar Period, Southeastern Iran.

Introduction
The study of vegetal remains is not solely limited to climate change that occurs normaly over a long period of time. It could be used for reconstruction of vegetal cover, cultivation patterns or the introduction of non – native species compatible with the environment of a specific region. 
Bampur castel is located, in a flat plain on the northwest side of Bampur city, 4 km north of Bampur River and 20 km east of Iranshahr. The castel have a rectangular – oval shape in the northeast- southwest axis. Due to the best state of conservation at the site, large quantity of vegetal remains including seeds, fruit remains, woods, charcoals and reed mat and other artefcats were found in archaeological contexts. 
The present research will study plant data obtained from the excavated layers in the second season of excavations at Bampur castel conducted by Nozar Heydari in 2018 (heydari 2018). Here, we will try to answer to the following questions: 1. What was the vegetal cover around Bampur in the late Islamic period (Qajar period)? 2. Which kind of woods were used by the inhabitants of the region during that period? 3. What plants species were cultivated by the inhabitants as food resources?
Unfortunately archaeobotanical studies have not been realized in Iranian Baluchestān. Henece, for the first time archaeobotanical studies have been applied to identify the vegetation history of the area, the plant resources and the possible existence of non – native species. The Information on the agriculture and plant economy of Pakistani Baluchestān during the prehistoric times has been available (Tengberg, 1998; 1999; Tengberg & Thiebault, 2003; Costantini, 1981; 1990). However in the Iranian Baluchestān, no specialized study has been conducted in this field. In the southeasten part of the Iranian Plateau and in the Indo-Iranian Borderlands (Sistan, Baluchestān and Kerman) several long-term environmental studies have been carried out in some prehistoric sites by iranian and foreign experts resulted in obtaining valuable information on the history of agriculture and vegetal cover of the area (Costantini & Costantini-Biasini, 1985; Costantini, 1977a-b;  Costantini, 1979; Meadow, 1986; Shirazi & Shirazi, 2012; Tengberg, 2008; Mashkour et al., 2013 ; Vaezi et al., 2019; Hamzeh et al., 2016; Gurjazkaite et al., 2018; Shirazi 2019; Kavosh et al., 2020).

Material and Method
In the second season of excavations a total of six trenches were excavated including:  W1.T2, W1.T3, W1.T4, W1.T5, W1.T6, W1.T7. The archaeobotanical data were obtained from W1.T2, W1.T3, W1.T4, W1.T5. Extensive traces of fire and ashe were scattered all around the castel. Considering the diversity and large quantities of plant remains (grains, fruitstones, charcoals, woods and artefacts) it was decided to select them for archaeobotanical studies. In total, 10 samples from contexts such as pits and fire debris have been collected. From 153 litres of collected debris by water sieving, about 5690 ml. plant remains including seeds, fruitstones and rachis segments were obtainted. Laboratory studies of these data have been done in the Archaeobotanical Laboratory of the World Heritage Site of Shahr-i Sokhta.

Discussion
A total of 310 fragments of charcoal and woods and 1991 seeds, fruit stones and rachis segments were studies. Anthracological digramme indicates the presence of various trees and shrubs such as tamaris (Tamarix spp.), willow (Salix sp.), date palm (Phoenix dactylifera), acacia (Acacia sp.) and mesquites (Prosopis sp.). The relative abundance of tamaris and willow is higher (79%) than other plants. Tropical plants such as acacia and mesquites (15%) and fruits like date palm (6%) are in the second and third ranks respectively. This evidence shows that the inhabitants used the wood of tamaris as fule and willow, acacia and mesquites as construction materials. Given the habitat and geopraphical distribution of the actual vegetation, it is quite reasonable to assume that the identified trees are native to the area.
In addition to the identified trees, carpological digramme indicates the existence of various crops like cultivated cereals  (emmer wheat/Triticum dicoccum), bread wheat /T. aestivum, club wheat /T. compacteum and barley/Hordeum vulgare), fruits and cucurbits (date palm, melon and watermelon), wild grasses (rye, bermuda grass, brome), wild pulses (vetch milk, vetch, medic), and wild plant or weedy (goosefoot family, knotweed, seepweed, cowherb, asphodel and sedge family) that were present in the fields along with agricultural products.

Conclusion
According to our study, plant resources around Bampur includs trees such as tamaris, willow, acacia, date palm and mesquites. Tamaris is the main source of fuel in the region and willow, acacia and mesquites have been used as construction materials (beams for building strengthen). The remains of charcoal and wood of these trees in the explored contexts show that the inhabitants of the castel did not need to import wood from other areas to meet their needs and were completely self-sufficient in this regard. In addition to these tree, which grew naturally in the past as they do today, Baluchestān also enjoyed favorable conditions for cultivation of cereals (emmer wheat, bread wheat, club wheat and barley), cucurbits (melon and water melon) and other fruits especially date palm. 

Abstract
Inscriptions in the decorations of building of the Islamic period have been noticed by artists since the early Islamic centuries. Overtime, inscriptions are damaged by various factors and need to be restored. Considering that every year in the country, a large amount of restoration operations are carried out on damaged historical monuments, including inscriptions. It was seen through the investigation that in most cases the restorations are tasteful and sometimes incorrect. In order to find the most important causes of incorrect restoration in written inscriptions, the qualitative method was used, and the grounded theory method was used to analyze the data. This research is practical in terms of purpose. The data was collected through field observations and interviews with 12 people related to the restoration of inscriptions and by purposeful sampling, and the data continued until theoretical saturation was reached. The results of the research showed that in addition to the lack of criteria that agree with the theoretical foundations of restorations, due to the prominence of the calligraphy and category, factors such as self-centered empiricism, the variety of viewpoints, knowledge and awareness of the traditional master craftsman and the rules of restoration and the lack of the artistic perspective of the traditional master craftsman. For various reasons, inscriptions have led to incorrect restorations, and of course, the lack of training courses by the institutions in charge of restoration has also been involved. Also, the variety of approaches in the restoration of inscriptions and lack of attention to the rules governing the art of inscriptions are considered as the most important consequences of the restoration of inscriptions. 
Keywords: Written Inscription, Incorrect Restoration, Foundation Data Theory, Architecture of The Islamic Period of Iran.

Introduction
With the beginning of the Islamic era and the restoration of human and animal depictions, the use of inscriptions with religious, literary and historical themes reached its peak with various calligraphy methods and styles. This enduring art that is inscription is still performed by artists to this day. Inscription like other historical works, suffer from various physical, chemical, biological and human damages, and from various perspectives of value, aesthetics, originality, legibility, unity and integrity they suffer serious damage. Therefore, despite the important characteristics mentioned about this category of written works, the need to pay attention to this category of work is revealed in restoration operations. The importance of paying attention to the issue among other valuable historical and cultural work is important in the sense that there is a lake of criteria in accordance with the theoretical foundations of restoration, for the restoration of areas lacking in this category of valuable written works. Although in most cases, the restoration of this category of works is often done under the supervision of restoration experts, the approach and methods of doing the work in different examples are not subject to scientific principles and are mostly tasteful and sometimes incorrect and without regard to the ruling principles, they are restored on the art of calligraphy and inscriptions and it has caused distortion and sometimes loss of the of the inscription, its values and message.
According to examples of the restoration of written inscriptions ,when the restoration of a written inscription is done incorrectly , in fact, readability , integrity and beauty ( Beauty is in  harmony , balance, proportion , even beauty in observing the rules and recognizing the values and materials have been used (Qutbi, 1352, 31) the inscription is distorted and the audience , when viewing an inscription that has been incorrectly restored , gets the visual pleasure of seeing the harmony and connection between the words in an inscription will bs deprived. In fact, carrying out the restoration operation should reduce the inconsistency caused by the lack of space and help to read the work better.

Method Research
The upcoming research is applied research in terms of its purpose, because the researcher seek to obtain information that can be used in practical situations or solve a problems by means of them and obtain a solution to a problem. This research is a qualitative research in terms of method and in terms of data collection, it is based on field studies, interviews, observation and collection of documents and texts within the framework of the grounded theory method. The interview was conducted with the purposeful sampling method and until the theoretical saturation was reached 12 people were interviewed among the restoration experts, inscription artists and master traditional craftsmen. Grounded theory and systematic coding were used to analyze the interviews.

Research Background
Although restoration of inscriptions has always been one of the concerns of restorers, it seems that a comprehensive, coherent and effective study has not been done in this field. For example, the following can be mentioned: the Scientifics specialized and professional restoration community has not restoration of inscriptions of mosaic tiles in Iran (Soleimani et al., 2014), researchers have criticized the methods of restoration of mosaic tiles but there is no mention of the causes of its correct restoration. Also, sources such as Quchani (1365: 51), Bler (1394: 30) and Qader (1391: 86 &103) mention the non-original restorations of the reason for that has not been discussed. By checking the databases related to non-Persian theses, unfortunately, no example similar to the subject of this research was found. In line with above investigations, Persian sources were also carefully checked. 

Conclusion
Inscriptions are one of the most important and valuable works of the Islamic period and they are a living document from different perspectives such as historical, artistic etc. Restoration of inscription has always been one of the concerns of restorers. But the results of the interview and data showed that the main factor in the variety of approaches in the restoration of inscriptions and the lack of attention to the rules and regulations of inscriptions in the process of restoration operations is self-centered empiricism. Among the traditional craftsmen and even the scribes who are somehow related to the restoration process of the inscriptions, ignorance of the restoration rules or even ignorance of the different aspects of the inscriptions can be seen. Also, looking at the conducted interviews, it can be pointed out that the role of the custodian institutions in relation to the restoration of inscription is weak, unfortunately, in this field , training courses are not held for the inscription writers and traditional masters, and it seems that by holding training courses and obliging inscription writers and traditional masters to participate in these classes, recognizing the values of the works and observing various aspects in the matter of restoration are institutionalized. Even though in most cases, restoration operations are carried out under the supervision of restoration experts unfortunately, due to the lake of standards in the restoration of inscriptions shortage areas, diversity of approaches in the restoration of inscriptions and even incorrect restorations can be seen, also, it seems that one of the challenges in the field of protection and restoration of written inscriptions is the theoretical issues related.
To the restoration of this category of valuable written works: because the theoretical reliance of the theoretical discussions of conservation and restoration is often focused on Western theorists and their studies and theories, which have been explained from the viewpoint of a group of researchers and following the statements of summits, charters and such. Especially, when these theoretical rules are put forward in a general way and without considering the spatial, temporal and cultural background, they usually face constructions. In order to correct and solve these problems, attention should be paid to the local knowledge, which can be a way forward in view of the existing knowledge in the field of Iranian architecture and the rules governing the art of inscriptions, and in order to add new concepts and foundations to the field of conservation knowledge and restoration can be considered. 

Abstract
In recent decades, cultural heritage-related concepts have been widely investigated, and agricultural heritage has been adopted as a concept of cultural heritage because of its contribution to livelihoods, food security, and the world economy. This consideration from 2002 to 2018 led the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to develop a framework known as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) and to introduce global agricultural heritage sites accordingly. The GIAHS committee presented five criteria for incorporating the sites in the list of globally important agricultural heritage. Biodiversity, local awareness and techniques, socio-cultural values, food and livelihood security, and visual landscape were included in the five categories; thus, this article aims to evaluate historic farmsteads in the central Iranian regions. Historic farmsteads were thought-about an efficient agricultural production system characterized by architectural, economic, social, and cultural features in the past, the traces of which are still available. The main research subject concerns the growing destruction of farms following climate changes, the migration of owners and beneficiaries, and the lack of community knowledge about their nature. The research main goal is to introduce Iranian historical farmsteads as a globally vital agricultural heritage system. Thus, the research seeks to investigate the issue through an interpretive approach and an interpretive strategy and to use field studies and document research to respond to research questions on Iranian historical farmsteads in conjunction with global agricultural systems. This research concludes that the potentials of historical farmsteads meet GIAHS standards. The GIAHS secretariat can also identify the Iranian historic farmsteads in the first stride and then register them internationally. It will help many historical farmsteads as a large part of the Iranian agricultural heritage to be dynamically conserved. 
Keywords: Historical Farmsteads, World Agricultural Heritage, GIAHS, Iran.

Introduction
In recent centuries, traditional agricultural activities have decreased, considering numerous reasons, along with the rapid development of cities (Oosterveer & Sonnenfeld, 2011). In the meantime, preserving cultural heritage for a sustainable livelihood has received much attention as many studies on sustainable development have focused on people, the environment, and cultural heritage (Ojomo, 2010). As a result, a new concept known as agricultural heritage was added to cultural heritage. Then, in 2002, the conception of globally important agricultural heritage systems (GIAHS) was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the international arena. The first global GIAHS summit was held in 2018 after 16 years (Behzadnasab, 2019:9). GIAHS was introduced to the world not as a specific product or geographic area but as a recognized system. The National Committee of GIAHS was established in 2014 in the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture Jihad called NIAHS, investigating issues such as the irrigation of aqueducts and migration of nomadic Qashqai tribes (Joafshan-Vishkaea, 2015:18). Each GIAHS site should have a historical and contemporary aspect and can be restored and developed to the benefit of future human generations. 
Therefore, many sites with agricultural heritage potentialities in Iran can be regarded as possible candidates in the future. This article aims to focus on “historic farmsteads of central Iran” as a proposal for inclusion in the GIAHS list to evaluate them according to the five criteria mentioned above. In the central regions of Iran, especially Qom, Kashan, Niasar, Semnan, Isfahan, Meibod and Yazd, these farmsteads have two physical and functional characteristics, but some criteria for their implementation have already been established (Raie, 2017:230). Historic farmsteads were efficient agricultural production systems of the past with architectural, economic, social and cultural features, the remains of which can still be seen today. Presently the main problem is the non-recognition of such historic farmsteads as globally recognized agricultural heritage. They are considered to be threatened by various factors, such as climate change and migration by landlords and beneficiaries. The research aims to introduce these farmsteads as a globally important agricultural heritage system. Thus, the research seeks to investigate the issue through an interpretive approach and an interpretive strategy and to use field studies and document research to respond to research questions on Iranian historical farmsteads in conjunction with global agricultural systems. 

Data
Farmsteads in the past had two functional and physical systems. These systems, which are based on lived knowledge and techniques, are experience-oriented and traditional and have caused the formation and consistency of farmsteads from the past to the present. Much data related to traditional knowledge about architecture, agriculture, civil, economic, legal, cultural, social, and political fields can be introduced and revived in the heart of Iran’s historical farmsteads.

A) Physical system
1. Order of position and formation including; Methods of choosing the location of farmsteads with two priorities of water and security (Raie, 2020: 59);
2. Order of form, including; Building a farmstead based on two forms; Agricultural castles (figures 7 and 8), and agricultural complexes concerning the security (Moradi et al., 2016: 6-13);
3. Order of Water and agriculture lands including; Methods of exploiting and extracting the water of the rivers, Qanats (figure 3), wells and springs, irrigation and water supply and the like (Tavangar Marvasti, 2015: 269);
4. Formation order of physical elements, including; Methods of construction and maintenance of dependent structures (figure 4) such as; the Lord’s and serf’s castles, reservoir, mill, caravanserai, bath, mosque, Hosseiniyeh and Selkh (Beheshti & Raie, 2016: 10).

B) Functional system
1. Order of ownership and exploitation, including; types of ownerships, customary law for planting and harvesting, the terms of exploitation between the lord and the “Diwan”, methods of assigning real estate and land, endowed farmsteads (Lambton, 1966: 250; Foran, 1999: 57; Pollak, 1982: 351; Sheikh Al-Hakmaei, 2009: 9 and Safinejad, 1989: 43);
2. Social and demographic order, including; compilation of the social pyramid of the farmstead by the lord, methods of selecting serfs and residents of the farmstead from tribes far and near the farmstead, settlement methods and living standards in castles attached to the farmstead and the like (Tavangar Marvasti, 2015: 298- 305 and Yaghmaei, 1990: 296);
3. Order of economy and livelihood, including; Methods of collection and audit of taxes and tributes by Diwan and lord, rules of income generation, selling and sending products, communication between the lord and serfs and the like (Taleb & Anbari, 2008: 153- 155). 
 
Discussion
The FAO provided five criteria for identifying agricultural heritage systems worldwide; biodiversity, traditional knowledge and technology, socio-cultural values, food and livelihood security, and visual landscape. This research investigates the locality of Iranian historical farmsteads in conjunction with agriculture heritage criteria. Regarding the first criterion, there is a significant relationship between historical farmsteads and agro-biodiversity. The presence of water in different regions diversifies agricultural products, livestock and poultry.
Planting of damask rose and the production of rosewater in Niasar farmstead, as well as straw oil extraction in Nahchir farmstead in Isfahan, can be cited as good examples in this regard. Concerning the criterion of local knowledge, the farmsteads are said to be based on living experiences and old knowledge. These problems are recognized in terms of two physical and functional characteristics. The third criterion deals with cultural values and social entities at the farmsteads. Fixed population rates and the presence of a group of beneficiaries and stakeholders suggest that farmsteads have achieved sustainability with the collaboration of these groups of people over time. The fourth criterion concerns food and livelihood security. Historical farmsteads have, at various periods, been regarded as economic and production businesses for people, landlords and the government, making significant contributions to the agro-tourism sector. The fifth criterion evaluates the farmsteads’ landscapes. The population, physical environment, and agricultural lands can all be used, to illustrate the natural, cultural, and historical landscapes of central Iranian regions. Landscapes are presented on both an internal and external scale.

Conclusion
The study concludes that the historical farmsteads in Iran significantly met the five criteria after carefully examining them. In addition to their historical significance, historic farmsteads continue to exist today and contribute to food and agricultural security in various places. They have gradually adapted to their surroundings, producing assorted products based on cultural and economic values while retaining and increasing agro-production knowledge and practices.
Local residents and stakeholders have worked together in this regard throughout time to maintain the farmsteads. Farmsteads have been a product of continuous human presence in the environment, creating cultural, historical, agricultural, and visual landscapes. The GIAHS secretariat can first identify historic farms in the central regions of Iran and then have them registered globally using executive guidelines. It makes it possible to study a variety of vital and previously disregarded farm data, leading to their dynamic conservation based on location and time needs.

The correct position and the determining role of the second and first millennium BC cultures in the Fars region (Marvdasht plain) which we know as the Shoqa/Timuran cultures and the importance of this culture in the transition from the prehistoric to the historical period (Achaemenid) are still not well known. Despite of extensive archaeological research that has been done in the Marvdasht plain and the presence of significant sites of this period, due to the limited and generally very old excavations in these sites, it is still difficult to understand these developments. During that time, huge developments were taking place in Khuzestan and Fars regions; Changes usually created many conflicts between native cultures and southwestern cultures origin (Elamite).Some archaological findings, such as weapons, are signs of the height of such conflicts in the past. This paper will study and introduce the collection of weapons of Toll-e Shoqa, which were obtained from the excavations of Mahmoud Rad in 1942 and Vandenberg in 1950 in that site, those are now kept in the National Museum of Iran. These collections have been studied recently in the inventory project in the National Museum of Iran archives. So far, few cultural materials from Toll-e Shoqa have been published and more emphasis has been placed on its pottery; the pottery is the basis of the relative chronology of this period in the Fars region. Unfortunately, the results of the archaeological excavations in Shoqa were never fully published and all its cultural materials were not introduced. In the organizing project of the National Museum of Iran which will be described and analyzed in this paper.

Abstract
Saqanefars are kinds of wooden ritual monuments with religious functionality, found only in Mazandaran province, north of Iran, and date back to the Qajar era. In these buildings, the mourning of Muharram and other mourning rituals are held every year. Despite the cultural importance of Mazandaran’s Saqanefars, the type of wood used in these buildings has not yet been identified and researches have been focused on their architecture and paintings. In this research, the wood used in different structural members of five Saqanefars in different areas of Qaemshahr including Ghadikola Nokandehka (GN), Seyed Abosaleh (SA), Reykandeka (RK), Ahangarkola Bishesar (AB), and Vostakola (VK) were examined macro- and microscopically. After extracting a list of wood anatomical features from the stained microscopic sections, each specimen was identified. All studied specimens were of ring-porous hardwoods. Except for GN, other wood samples turned the water golden after immersion. The wood species used in the Saqanefars of SA, RK, AB, and VK were identified as Zelkova (Zelkova carpinifolia) while the Saqanefar of GN were made of Persian oak (Quercus macranthera). Both kinds of wood are durable, have little moisture uptake, and do not require much repair and maintenance work. Oaks and other tree species with high-quality constructional timber were as widespread as Zelkova in the forests near studied Saqanefars. Hence, the preference for Zelkova could not solely be related to its availability and technical quality. Considering that from the 16th century onwards, Zelkova wood became one of the most popular types of timber for the construction of historical and religious buildings in the Far East (especially in Korea and Japan), and the similarity of the architecture and painting of wooden Saqanefars to the temples in these countries, choosing this wood could partly be influenced by cultural exchanges.
Keywords: Wooden Structure, Cultural Heritage, Sacred Building, Wood Identification, Iran.

Introduction
A Saqanefar is a kind of ritual monument in Mazandaran province, north of Iran. Some older Saqanefars are completely wooden and were built in the late Safavid and early Qajar periods, and due to cultural exchanges between the local people and Chinese merchants, they are partially influenced by the architecture of Buddhist temples. Despite the cultural importance of Mazandaran Saqanefars, the type and age of the timbers used in them has not been investigated so far, and researches have been limited to their architecture and surface paintings. However, knowing the type of constructional timbers used in ancient wooden structures and objects can provide many unknown facts about the history, culture and trades in a region. Moreover, for the maintenance and renovation of ancient buildings, it is essential to know the type of wood used in them. In this research, the types of used timbers in the historical Saqanefars of Qaemshahr city were identified and discussed. The main hypothesis of the research was that due to the sacredness of Saqanefar s, lumbers from a certain tree species was used in their construction.

Materials and Methods 
Five Saqanefars were identified in different areas of Qaemshahr city, located in the villages of Ghadikola Nokandehka (GN), Seyed Abosaleh (SA), Reykandeka (RK), Ahangarkola Bishesar (AB), and Vostakola (VK). Small wooden samples were extracted from different parts of each monument, using a handsaw or an increment borer. The transverse surface of the samples was sanded and first examined macroscopically. Then, thin sections were cut, stained, and analyzed, microscopically. The anatomical features of the wood of each sample were extracted based on the IAWA list of microscopic features for hardwood identification (Wheeler et al., 1989) and finally, each sample was identified.

Results and Discussion 
With the macroscopic and microscopic examination of the samples, it was found that all samples extracted from different structural members of a Saqanefar are made of the same wood species. The wood used in the four Sqanefars of SA, RK, AB, and VK were all from zelkova trees (Zelkova carpinifolia), while the Sqanefar GN was made of Persian oak (Quercus macranthera). This distinction was evident in the golden color of the water after immersing the wood of the first four Saqanefar and the absence of such a state in the last one. Zelkova is a high-quality wood and is known as one of the best construction timbers. Zelkova wood has a low moisture uptake, and in addition to wooden structures, it was also used to make the door and window frames of mosques in Iran (Browicz, 1982). This wood was widely used for construction of historic timber structures (Hwang et al., 2009) and places of worship in the Far East, and is considered the most important hardwood in building of old temples in South Korea (Kim & Choi, 2016). In Japan, Zelkova wood has been used to build temples since the 16th century. In fact, it was the Chinese carpenters who taught the Japanese how to work with this tough wood and suggested its use in the 15th century (Mertz, 2016). Oak has been one of the most popular type of wood for building timber for centuries due to its high durability and the little need for maintenance and repair. 

Conclusion 
Most of the old, timber-structured Saqanefars in the villages of north Iran were made of zelkova, and only one of the five investigated structures was from oak wood. Considering that these two woods are of good and comparable quality, and almost the similar abundance of these two species in the forests around the location of Saqanfears, the preference for using Zelkova is not only due to technical and economic issues, and could be related to cultural reasons. Zelkova wood is mostly used for the construction of shrines and religious sites in the Far East and especially in Korea, and due to the similarity of the architecture and painting of Saqanefars to the temples in these countries, the choice of Zelkova timber for the construction of these places can be partly influenced by cultural exchanges.