Abstract
Excavations at Gird-iAshoan, An Archaeological mound in Piranshahr County in the Lower Zab Basin, provided remarkable insights into cultural traditions characterizing the region in the Late Chalcolithic. Whilst reflecting some indigenous peculiarities, its material culture exhibits broad affinities with Northwest Iran, Caucasia, and Anatolia. This evinces the spread of the Late Chalcolithic (LC) cultures, especially LC2‒3, over vast territories, which could imply either population movements or spread of a certain pastoralist subsistence system. of the total of four architectural phases presently known from the Chalcolithic deposits of Gird-i Ashoan, the two upper phases were recorded in the first season. Phase 1 consisted of dry-laid stone walls in the northern quadrant of the trench,while Phase 2 was represented by perpendicular mudbrick walls beginning from -3.43m and ending at -3.62m. The recovered mudbricks measured 40 × 60 cm. In this paper, an attempt is made to explain the cultural relations of the Zab basin with other regions by presenting a detailed stratigraphy, and an analysis of the recovered architectural remains. To conclude, observations made at Gird-i Ashoan suggest that in the fourth millennium, the Early Chalcolithic III‒II culture reached the Zab region, where it would eventually be replaced by the subsequent Hasanlu VII culture. In this article, we will introduce the Architecture remains and the methods. With its thick deposit of 8.65 m, Gird-i Ashoan in the Zab basin represents a key point in northwestern Iran.
Keywords: North-West Iran, Pisdeli, Late Chalcolithic Period, Mud-brick Architecture, Chaff-Tempered (CFW).

Introduction
The opening of the 5th millennium BC coincided with the arrival of the Dalma cultural tradition, which extended over vast territories (Hamlin 1975; Henrickson 1983; Henrickson and Vitali 1987). It was to be superseded in the mid-5th millennium or somehow later by the Pisdeli tradition (Dyson 1968; Dyson and Young, 1960: 20). The Pisdeli horizon, designated as Hasanlu Period VIII, was dated between 4300‒ 4500 BC (Voigt and Dyson 1992), which is also corroborated by radiocarbon dates (Danti et al., 2004). It was eventually replaced by the cultural tradition of the Late Chalcolithic in the region. An outstanding question about the period in northwest Iran concerns the little-known phases of Late Chalcolithic III‒II. The time-span is of particular import for the regional archaeology as it has a bearing on the phenomenon of social complexity and the beginning of the urbanization. Unfortunately, ambiguities remain about the chronology of the period due to the lack of regular excavations. Although recent discoveries have provided new information in this regard, the absence of serious excavations of the Chalcolithic deposits deprives us of the attributes of the coeval culture. Mellaart regards the Ubaid as a Late Chalcolithic culture (1966). Helwing splits it into three sub-periods, with the earliest being the Pisdeli (LCh I) (Helwing, 2012: 204) and the Chaff-Faced Ware (CFW) typifying the subsequent LCh III ‒II (Helwing, 2005). In Iran, related material is currently known from Gird-i Ashoan and Kul Tepe, while beyond the Iranian borders they occur at several sites, among them being Çadır Höyük, Kenan Tepe, Arslantepe, Barcın Höyük and Höyük in Anatolia and Leyla Tepe, Beyuk Kesik, Mentesh Tepe, and Alchan tepe in Caucasia (Baxşeliyev, 2010).
Following preliminary inspections, Gird-i Ashoan was selected for excavation in 2019 as the key Late Chalcolithic site. Among the main objectives of the present study were gaining an insight into the settlement sequence, examining the Hasanlu VIII cultural tradition of the Zab basin in light of recent archaeological finds, and investigating the cultural interactions of the local populations with the neighboring regions. Attempts were made to obtain a better understanding of the Late Chalcolithic cultural horizon. The excavation at Gird-i Ashoan yielded a assemblage of Pisdeli painted ware (LCh I), while the LCh III ‒II ceramics, the so-called Chaff-Face Ware native to northern Mesopotamia, were attested in abundance. In the period that immediately followed the Ubaid, North and South Mesopotamia each began to proceed along different directions culturally. Hence, the southern sphere witnessed the spread of the Uruk tradition, while the northern one would be overwhelmed by the Chaff-Faced Ware culture (Kepinski, 2011:65). This ware type occurs over vast territories, which also includes northwest Iran, where the related material culture and chronology share wide affinities with the sites of North Mesopotamia, Syria and East Anatolia, in particular by the latter half of the 4th millennium (Helwing, 2004:16). The location of Gird-i Ashoan close to northern Mesopotamia and eastern Anatolia significantly contributed to the materialization of the shared traditions. 
  East Anatolia, South Caucasia and Northwest Iran served as the milieus for the genesis and further development of the Chaff-Faced Ware tradition and later the Kura-Araxes culture. The regions have always been the crossroads of various peoples with diverse ethnic and cultural affiliations, and most of the migrant or invading groups would cross them in their east-west movements over the centuries. 
Geographic Location of Gird-i Ashoan 
The mound lies at UTM X.520062 Y.4057880 at an altitude of 1415 m, at the eastern fringes of the Piranshahr plain, on the east bank of the Lavin River. The northern and western flanks of the mound are about 330m and 450m off the riverbed, respectively. The site is within the boundaries of the modern village, flanked by its buildings. It is a mound with a circular base of about 55 m in diameter. Measuring about 55m north-south and 50m east-west, it occupies a total area of ca. 2750 sq. m. The east and south slopes gently descend against the walls of the villagers’ houses. 

Pottery
Pottery represents the most abundant category in the artefactual assemblage. The pieces are plain, with a profusion of chaff and fine grit added as temper to their fabric, leaving them with a pockmarked appearance, thus the designation “chaff-faced pottery.
The sherds from Gird-i Ashoan have brown, orange, and grey surfaces, are poorly fired, and bear a thick slip, though rare examples of thin slip are also attested. The applied ornamental elements include carved motifs and incised grooves. The ceramics of the Late Chalcolithic III and II are invariably chaff-tempered and handmade.
The pottery falls into three categories: plain, incised and painted. The last is represented by three sherds of Pisdeli type bearing black motifs on a buff ground. As regards morphology, the excavated pieces can be divided into several groups: 1. Open pithoi with everted rim, which are the most common form at Gird-I Ashoan and exhibit the closest ties with different regions of Anatolia, the Caucasus and Mesopotamia. 2. Open bowls. 3. Shallow trays, albeit in extremely limited numbers. 4. Closed jars. 

Architectural Remains
Mudbrick wall: Part of a brick wall (F.1017) was exposed along the southern section of the trench. It began from -2.35 m and continued to the depth of 3.19m. The individual grit and sand tempered mudbricks variously measured 60×40× 9cm, 56×39× 9 cm and 56×32× 9 cm, and ranged from brown-buff to red-brown in color. Both the bricks and the wall oriented north-south. The surfaces of the wall was lined with a clay coating that contained the same grit and sand particles. The small segment uncovered at the center of the trench near the southern section represented the corner of two perpendicular walls: the north-south wall of F. 1017a and the east-west wall of F. 1017b . The associated floor surface was recorded at -3.19m. It consisted of a compacted silt-clay deposit mixed with sand, charcoal particles and ash. In is notable that the floor surface sealed a layer of debris that was accumulated over time. 
At a depth of 3.62 m near the western section, a pottery vessel was found to be intentionally included into a 55×55 cm mudbrick. This poorly fired vessel was made of a chaff-tempered fabric with a black core. Quite interestingly, the embedded vessel was meant to serve as reinforcement.
Mudbrick floor: Near the western section, the mudbrick floor (F. 1021) was encountered at -3.5m. The structure was formed by laying down brown mudbricks of varying dimensions. Recorded were square (55×55cm) and rectangular examples as well as fragmentary bricks set, rather irregularly, into a red -brown clay mortar. In two cases, the mudbricks were reinforced by embedding insufficiently fired pottery vessels of a paste with black core. The exposed part of this flooring extended 0.7m north-south and about 0.4m east-west. A very small part of a second flooring (F.1022) was cleared in the southeast quadrant of the operation at the depth of 3.95m.
With its thick deposit of 8.65m, Gird-i Ashoan sited in the Zab basin represents a key point in northwestern Iran. 

Conclusion 
Excavations of Gird-i Ashoan revealed an LCA deposit, which extended from the depth of 1.00 m down to a depth of -9.65 m. Results from the excavations of the site are indicative of the interactions and cultural similitudes of the occupants of Gird-i Ashoan with northwest Iran, north Mesopotamia, Anatolia and Caucasia. The period is marked by the spread of the technological horizon of Chaff-Faced ware, a widespread cultural phenomenon covering vast territories, (Palumbi, 2011: 211; Helwing , 2012:  204) which displays fairly consistent cultural attributes (Helwing 2012:  207).
The material culture from the site exhibits close relationships with those of the coetaneous centers of the Lake Urmia region, on the one hand, and Anatolia, Caucasia and Mesopotamia, on the other. In effect, given the geographic location of the Zab basin as a cross-regional crossing, we may conjecture that Gird-i Ashoan might have served a transitional role in this communication network. The hypothesis seems to be confirmed by the discovery of the obsidian pieces. To conclude with, observations made at Gird-i Ashoan suggest that in the 4th millennium the Early Chalcolithic III‒II culture reached the Zab region, where it would be eventually replaced by the subsequent Hasanlu VII culture. 

Abstract
The ceramic analyzed in this article, labeled as Red White and Black (RWB) ware in the Mahidasht region, is a painted pottery tradition in the west of central Zagros. Our information regarding this was limited to published information on the Mahidasht 1975-78 project. So, more questions and hesitation remain about this ceramic that should be answered. What are the essential characteristics of Red White and Black pottery?  What is the exact chronology of this ware in the chalcolithic sequence of western Iran? So to answer these proposed questions and also to give an updated view from Red White and Black ceramic in the chalcolithic period studies in the west of Iran, the RWB ware of the Mahidasht project belonging to the Siahbid 1978 excavation stored at the National Museum of Iran was analyzed. In addition to the investigation of RWB ceramics at the National Museum of Iran, the published information concerning the most recent archaeological survey and excavations project done in the western parts of Iran has also been considered. This study has resulted in a complete and updated view concerning the different aspects of the Red White and Black ware studies, like chronology, settlement pattern, ware characteristics, dating. It became clear to us that some of the surveyed and excavated sites in different parts of western Iran date back to the early phases of the Chalcolithic period based on observation of Black On Buff (BOB) ceramics involving Red White and Black (RWB) ware instead of BOB ceramics and dating to later phases of chalcolithic period consequently. in addition to such dating that request future revision, our study on the Red White and Black ceramic in this article yielded more interested results in this regards. 
Keywords: RWB Ware, Mahidasht Project, Central Zagros, Chronology, Late Chalcolithic Period.

Introduction
In the prehistoric archaeology of the western regions of the Central Zagros, and especially the Mahidasht region, various types of engraved pottery have been reported. One of these pottery traditions that is also the subject of the present project is Red White and Black/RWB pottery. This pottery type and the others mentioned are related to the Mahidasht project. It was carried out before the Iranian Revolution and between 1975 and 1978 by the Royal Ontario Museum under the direction of Louis Levin in cooperation with the Iranian Archaeological Research Center. This project identified more than 900 ancient sites from prehistoric times to the Islamic centuries. Due to the Islamic Revolution, the project above was left unfinished. The reviewers remained and could not publish the complete data collected by this project (Levine, 1975; Levine & McDonald, 1977) (Figure 1). After nearly 50 years, a team of Iranian and foreign archaeologists resumed the studies of this project (Renette et al., 2021). Part of this revision project is dedicated to the study of pottery known as J ware in the final stages of the Neolithic and the early stages of the Chalcolithic (Transitional Chalcolithic). Data related to the Chalcolithic period between 5000 and 3200 BC is another doctoral dissertation’s subject (Figure 2). Among the data from this dissertation, which is also the subject of the present article, are the pottery known as Red White and Black/RWB. Given the limited information published, many ambiguities and questions about this pottery type exist. Consequently, to answer the aforementioned ambiguities and questions, the RWB pottery collection, all obtained from the 1978 excavations of the Choqha Maran site and currently preserved in the National Museum of Iran, was studied and examined. A detailed study of this pottery and a summary of recent research and excavations conducted in various parts of western Iran led to new results about this type of pottery. In addition to providing new results about the characteristics and features of this type and also determining the exact period of this tradition in the prehistoric sequence of the region, the results of this research revealed that the scope of this pottery is not limited to the western regions of the Central Zagros and that more areas beyond the western regions of the Central Zagros, such as the sites of Kurdistan Province in the northern part of the Central Zagros, are under the jurisdiction of this pottery tradition.

Discussion
As mentioned, the Red White and Black/RWB pottery is among the painted pottery of the Late Chalcolithic of the Mahidasht Project in the western central Zagros regions. The name of this type, like other painted pottery types of the western central Zagros regions, such as Black On Buff/BOB, Red On Buff/ROB, or Black On Red/BOR, is derived from the technical and visual characteristics of the pottery. The adjective Red refers to the color of the core of this type. The adjective White refers to the white covering of the body of this pottery, and the adjective Black refers to the black patterns on the white covering. In short, this type of pottery is made with Red core and white covering with black patterns on the white covering (Henrickson, 1985) (Figure 3). All information about this pottery type in the Mahidasht Project is limited to these general descriptions and a few black and white plates. This is while all the RWB pottery fragments obtained from the 1978 excavations of the Choqha Maran site are currently kept in the National Museum of Iran (Figure 4). A close study of this type, along with a summary of the results of the latest research and excavations carried out in western Iran, has provided a good opportunity to introduce this type fully and to resolve all ambiguities and questions about this type of pottery about its precise chronology, precise technical specifications and features of the pottery, distribution range, etc. What follows is to present an updated and new picture of RWB pottery in the prehistory of western Iran. In continuing to describe this type of pottery, it should be noted that the white clay covering of this type of pottery is of the evanescent type and, in some cases, is very weak, so that sometimes nothing of this covering remains on the surface of the pottery. However, the patterns are healthier, and in some cases, the pattern and the covering have disappeared. Most RWB pottery is made using the wheel-made technique, which has not been mentioned in previous descriptions. Forms in many cases include vessels with turned-out rims and vessels with flat rims. The designs on these Pottery are also often geometric with parallel bands and stripes, hanging triangles, successive quotation marks, irregular vertical stripes and chevron hatching and in some cases animal designs (often goats with round horns and snakes) in a geometric frame and sometimes plant designs (Figs. 4,5,6) (Table 1,2).

Conclusion
The pottery traditions in the western Central Zagros region, about which little information has been published, are the pottery type known as RWB. This pottery type is well-made with a red core, a white covering, and black patterns. Most of the published information about this type is limited to the Mahidasht project between 1975 and 1978. As a result, complete information about this project and, consequently, the RWB ware pottery has not been fully published, and there are many questions and ambiguities about this pottery style. It should be noted that the data of the Mahidasht project are currently kept in the repository of the National Museum of Iran. As a result, the Mahidasht revision project has allowed the study of these data and the RWB pottery closely and in detail. By summarizing the studies and investigations conducted on this pottery and the results of new excavations and research conducted in western Iran, a new and updated picture of this type of pottery was provided in the archaeology of the Late Chalcolithic period of Western Iran. Some of the results obtained in this research, especially the information related to the distribution range of this culture in western Iran, and provide new information. RWB pottery is placed in the prehistoric sequence of western Iran after the Siahbid horizon and in the Maran horizon in the early stages of the Late Chalcolithic 2 (LC2). Some Late Chalcolithic sites in western Iran, especially the Late Chalcolithic sites in Kurdistan province, have been attributed to black-patterned pea-like pottery known as Black On Buff/BOB. However, by obtaining RWB pottery and studying it closely, it was found that these sites were incorrectly dated and that their Black On Buff/BOB pottery belongs to the RWB pottery tradition. In addition, this research found that the range of RWB pottery is not limited to the western regions of the Central Zagros and its neighboring regions in southwestern Iran, but covers much broader areas of western and southwestern Iran. The tradition extends from the south to the Hakalan and Parcinah cemeteries in the Ilam province in southwestern Iran. This tradition extends from the north to the city of Marivan in Kurdistan province (Fig. 7-11). In general, what was presented in this research is the most recent and up-to-date picture available of the RWB pottery tradition in the archaeological studies of the Western Late Chalcolithic in Iran.