Abstract
The Fars province is one of the most important areas in Iran in term of pre-history archeological studies. This region has good natural talent due to its diverse environmental infrastructures. During the Samnard’s archaeological exploration in the year of 1972 AD, according to the identification of polished red plain pottery in several sites of the Marvdasht plain and excavation of the Tel Bakun in layer 5A, an important period was identified in the Fars chronological sequence which called the Lapui period. Over the past few decades, due to limited recognition of the material-cultural characteristics of the Lapui period and the short duration of cultural continuity (3900-3400 BC), uncertainties such as the precise beginning and end of this period, livelihoods, socio-cultural mechanisms, specialized production and economic remains. The variety of cultural materials obtained has consisted of several layers of settlement, architectural structures, pottery, handicrafts and stone utensils, animal figurines, materials related to administrative and administrative techniques, ornamental and miscellaneous objects that have been studied and evaluated. The present study is related to the study of cultural and settlement materials obtained from the excavation of Lapui mound and its conclusion is a confirmation of the cultural-settling continuation of the 4th millennium BC and the Lapui period in Marvdasht plain which in this research has been addressed.
Keywords: Fars Province, Marvdasht Plain, Lapui Period, Excavation of Lapui Mound.

Introduction
The Kor and Syvand rivers are the important rivers in the Marvdasht plain that have been effective in establishment of settlements and sustaining of them. There are numerous mid- mountain plains along the course of these permanent rivers, the most important of which is the Bayza and Marvdasht plains. The beginning of archaeological activities and sequence identification of the Fars chronology is based more on the sounds of the Louis Vandenberg (Vandenberg, 1952: 54-75). The Lapui period is one of the most important phases of the pre-history chronology of this region and south of the Iranian plateau. This period was named by the characteristic pottery of layer A5 of Tal Bakun and derives from the name of the Lapui Village in the Zarghan area and was recorded in the Fars chronology. The cultural horizon of this period dates from about 3900 to 3400 BC and fills the gap between the cultures of the Bakun and Bansh.
Necessity and Purposes of Research: The importance and necessity of excavation of the Lapui Mound is actually the accumulation of cultural data within the archaeological deposits that have led to an understanding of objective relationship of the material and layers with each other, and so far this has not happened in the excavations of this cultural period in the Marvdasht plain. The main objectives of this study are to clear up the ambiguities mentioned above in the Lapui Period and to determine its cultural sequence in chronology of the South Zagros and Fars cultures in Marvdasht plain.
Research Question and Hypothesis: The most important question in this research is to study and analyze the cultural and settlement data which obtained from excavation of mound, in order to explain the 4th millennium BC of the Fars. To explain such a journey, the hypothesis of the achievements of excavation of this site can be stated that the diversity of cultural materials found in the various sections of architecture and the various cultural materials is categorical and noteworthy in some respects, identical and close to other similar cultural sites and some are unique.
Research Methodology: In this study, we tried to utilize the results of field research of Lapui Mound and comparative library studies. The most important method of data analysis in this research is based on statistical methods with comparison and analysis. By excavation of the site, significant quantities of cultural material have been obtained. Therefore, the identification of Lapui period and cultural features of this period on the Lapui Mound in the 4th millennium BC, based on the study and analysis of cultural data through field studies, documentary and interdisciplinary studies begin and has been dealt with.

Geographical Location of Lapui Mound
The Lapui Mound is located 3 kilometers south of the Kor River. Its height is about 2 meters, 140 meters’ length and 130 meters wide which cover an area of about 1.2 hectares. The mound is located 1573 meters above sea level (Abdi, 2016).

The excavated trenches in the Lapui Mound
The excavation focused on two trenches, T-1 in the middle of the mound toward to southwestern part of the mound and T.2 in the central part of the mound.

Material and Cultural Data from Excavation of Lapui Mound
During the excavation of Lapui Mound, a total of 6249 pieces of pottery with a total weight of 80.497 kg were obtained. According to the studies, the stone as raw material obtained in the excavation of Lapui Mound with a variety of heated stones, small stone decorative containers, artifacts and stone tools are mentioned.
Findings and evidence of politico-administrative and economic documents such as seals, seal impress, counting tokens, seal the container door and pieces of baked mud have been found in the settlement layers of the Lapui mound.
In all from excavation of the Lapui Monud from Trench 1 in layers 04, 05 and 06, five pieces of intact shale in type of bivalve and fragments of average length 6.5 cm (largest) and 3 cm (smallest), width 4.2 cm (largest) and 1.7 cm (smallest) obtained.

Conclusion
The most important achievement of excavation of the Lapui mound is the identification of archaeological deposits in the site that have been identified and classified into 20 layers and the settlement phases associated with that have been identified in the trenches and stratigraphic sound up to virgin soil. Cultural - material remains obtained from the excavated layers of the Lapui mound along with coherent architecture and variety of identified functions, including workshop, kitchen, residential, and uninterrupted settlement sequences identified in stratigraphy, as an integral part of studies Lapui mound has been great importance in the cultural explanation of the 4th millennium BC and the Lapui period of Fars. The variety of types of structures in the layers reflects the type of temporary settlement with a permanent architectural style, with a coherent and intensive architecture in the site. According to the studies, all the layers and cultural materials belonged to the Lapui period, which dates back to the 4th millennium BC. The results of study and analysis of the little cultural material obtained of Lapui mound indicate the presence of inhabitants of this site during the 4th millennium BC and coincide with the late Bakun period (new Bakun) and the beginning of the Lapui period until the middle of this period clearly and possibly later.

Abstract
The Kur river basin located on the center of Fars province is one of the main regions in Iran for the formation and development of prehistoric settlements. The Persepolis plain on the marginal areas of southeastern the basin has been a strategic and cross-cultural place for socio-economic exchanges from prehistoric times. The area during Chalcolithic period including Bakun and Lapui phases in 5th and 4th millennium B.C. has been settled by small villages such as Tal-e Bakun and Jalyan Archaeological sites. Jaylan is a complex site constituted of three parts and mounds that its name was the adaption of a neighboring village (Jaylan or Galyan), is situated 3.2 northwestern of Persepolis palaces and inside of its Buffer Zone. The site is completely flat on the farming lands, which can identify just by some surface finds, especially pottery sherds. The most important landscape complication of the ancient site is the Polvar (Sivand) river close to 100 m., and flows across the plain continuing southwest join to Kur river. Archaeological soundings at Jaylan excavated on the six trenches in various sizes between 7×5 m., 3×3 m., 2×6 m., and 2×2 m. Furthermore, 10 small test trenches at a distance of 10 to 50 m. from the center of site to recognize its core area and buffer zone that these didn’t have any cultural layers. So the area of the site is restricted to 0.5 hectares. a large quantity of Lapui pottery assemblage was found in lower levels, which generally divided into two categories including common ware and fine ware form to red, orange, and slight quantity in grey and buff colors. other significant finds are human burial and foundation of a large mud-bricks wall. Archaeological excavations at Jalyan show the site related to Lapui period, was a small settlement with two occupational phases. 
Keywords: Lapui, Jalyan, Kur River Basin, 4th Millennium B.C., Archaeological Excavation.

Introduction
The Kur river basin located on the center of Fars province is one of the main regions in Iran for the formation and development of prehistoric settlements. The Persepolis plain on the marginal areas of southeastern the basin has been a strategic and cross-cultural place for socio-economic exchanges from prehistoric times. The exchanges and transformations continued to the historic period with the formation of great ancient cities such as Persepolis and Istakhr during the Achaemenid and Sasanian eras. 
Tal-e Bakun is one of the diagnostic prehistoric sites on the area that formed from the fifth millennium B.C. identified by painted fine buff ware, several occupational phases, architectural spaces, and administrative documents such as seals and sealing. The last cultural settlements of the Tal-e Bakun found slightly thin occupational layers of the Lapui period during the late fourth millennium B.C. with plain fine red ware. In the period, new settlements were raised on the Kur river basin usually near the strings such as Tal-e Jalyan, which are commonly small in size.         
Lapui period during the first half of the fourth millennium B.C is the argumentative subject in the studies about prehistoric Fars region, providing some questions: why did abruptly change the pottery style during the transition from Bakun to Lapui period? How is the occupational nature of Lapui settlements? how sparsely small Lapui settlements transformed to the great city of Anshan (Tal-e Malyan) during the Banesh period on the late fourth millennium B.C.? and finally why Lapui period settlements of the Fars couldn’t develop akin to Susiana and Mesopotamian cities in the early of fourth Millennium B.C? how is the administration and socio-economic organization of the Lapui small settlements in the several plains of Kur river basin? 

The Site of Jalyan
Given the questions, it is necessary to do systematic surveys and archaeological excavations on some sites related Lapui period. Although firstly archaeological excavations on the Jaylan in 2019 found late Islamic layers on the surface levels based on the Geomagnetic survey results and anomalies, but by continuing of some soundings to get virgin soils old occupational phases from the Lapui period uncovered about 1 to 2.5 m. in dept. that established on the virgin soils.
Jaylan is an archaeological complex site constituted of three parts and mounds that its name was the adaption of a neighboring village (Jaylan or Galyan), is situated 3.2 northwestern of Persepolis palaces and inside of its Buffer Zone. The site is completely flat on the farming lands, which can identify just by some surface finds, especially pottery sherds. The most important landscape complication of the ancient site is the Polvar (Sivand) river close to 100 m., and flows across the plain continuing southwest join to Kur river. based on delimitation soundings, the estimated core area of the site is approximately 0.5 hectares with 2 to 2.5 m. the thickness of cultural layers.  
Archaeological soundings at Jaylan excavated on the six trenches in various sizes between 7×5 m., 3×3 m., 2×6 m., and 2×2 m. Furthermore, 10 small test trenches at a distance of 10 to 50 m. from the center of site to recognize its core area and buffer zone that these didn’t have any cultural layers. So the area of the site is restricted to 0.5 hectares.    

Finds
Besides some Islamic Pottery sherds on the upper levels, a large quantity of Lapui pottery assemblage was found in lower levels, which generally divided into two categories including common ware and fine ware form to red, orange, and slight quantity in grey and buff colors. Lapui fine ware has a hard dense buff or red body, with frequent lime inclusions, fired to a uniform red or buff through the core. Surfaces are smooth, sometimes with a slight luster, and scraping or burnishing marks are common. Lapui common ware has a coarse black grit-tempered body. An oxidized grey core is characteristic of many sherds and breaks leave a rough crumbly edge, as compared to the sharp smooth edge of breaks in fine ware. The surface is usually slipped, roughly burnished. Forms include bell-shaped or cylindrical beakers, open bowls, and restricted hole mouth or low necked jar. Rim forms are usually smoothly rounded but some are slightly thickened or pinched. Bases are usually flat although a few disk bases and ring bases are found. 
One of the significant finds on the excavation of Jalyan is a human burial found in trench 5 that form hole-shaped, constructed by chine wall surrounded it. Another burial from this period was just found at Tappeh Lapui on the Marvdasht plain, similar to Jalyan squat burial. Additionally, fauna and human bones were collected at the site with the number of 38 pieces and 384 gr. in weight. By the reason of little excavation in the Lapui deposits, there are small numbers of architectural residues. Nevertheless, the architecture show buildings constructed through mud-brick and chine walls. The foundation of a large wall was found in the Trench 4 with north-south direction, created by three rows of mud-bricks in light brown color, and 115 Cm. thickness. In parallel to other architectural samples in Lapui sites such as Tappeh Mehr Ali, Tol-e Spid, Tol-e Nurabad, Tol-e Bondo, and Tol-e Sozo, as yet hasn’t found the similar huge structure that could assume concerning to defense and monumental buildings of a complex society. 
Based on old satellite imagery such as Corona photos and also new imagery of Google and Bing, two other small sites are neighboring Jalyan that called Jalyan 2 (Tale- Kharkhane Ard-e Naghsh Rostam) and Jalyan 3 (Tal-e Gavdari) at a distance of 500 and 700 m. far from the site. Both sites also belong to Lapui period. Thus, the sites display this place was a cluster of small villages adjacent to Polvar river during Lapui period that confirm its important situation. Nevertheless, we should anticipate increasing the number of Lapui settlements to more than 96 sites on the Marvdasht plain, as specified by W. Sumner in former archaeological surveys. 

Conclusion
Archaeological excavations at Jalyan show the site related to Lapui period, was a small settlement with two occupational phases. Architectural remains, especially large mud-brick wall with around 1 m. thickness display a village settlement that established close to the Polvar river. however, the prehistoric village was abandoned after a short period. The site was ruined for more than five thousand years under sediments and natural deposits of Persepolis and Marvdasht plains on the Kur river basin, and at last, resettled again as a camp seasonal site by pastoral nomadic tribes during late Islamic periods. Indeed, natural sediments and also sporadically various historical ruins sometimes covered and protected a large number of prehistoric sites that it needs to revise essentially to archaeological surveys and methods.   
W. Sumner`s archaeological researches on the Kur river basin that was comprehensive and updated methods during same time need to review after 50 years. Nowadays many of the identified archaeological sites are destroyed through agricultural activities and developmental projects, but on the other hand, archaeological excavations at some sites such as Jalyan reveal that numerous prehistoric sites would be unseen by Sumner and other archaeologists. As, by the discovery of the sites, we should reconsider and change former settlement pattern analysis based on the regional surveys.