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Morteza Zamani Dadaneh, Hassan Fazeli Nesheli, Jebrael Nokandeh, Sirvan Mohammadi Ghasrian,
year 0, Issue 0 (3-2024)
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. Following the Iranian Revolution in 1978-79, the fieldwork of the Mahidasht project ended, leaving the data and particularly information concerning the Red White and Black (RWB) unpublished. 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? How is the distribution realm of this ware in the west of 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 analysed. 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 (RWB) ware studies, like chronology, settlement pattern, ware characteristics, dating, and.... 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.
Ahmad Azadi, Ebrahim Ghezelbash, Majid Kouhi Gilavan,
year 2, Issue 4 (9-2018)
Abstract

Abstract
Behbahan plain in Southwest of Iran, is a region where high peaks of the Zagros Mountain meet the lowland plains of Khuzistan. The plain, due to several rivers including the Maroun River which originates from the high peaks deep into the Zagros, and fertile lands has been a locus for nucleation and subsequent development of human settlements since prehistoric periods to the modern times. In August and October of 2007, the authors of this article were conducted a settlement survey in Mansour Abad area, North and Northeast of the Behbahan plain, covering 150 km. The principal aim of the survey was identification of ancient sites in an area which was subjected to seismic prospection for the Iranian Oil Company. In fact, it was a rescue operation to minimize the possible risks to the ancient sites of the area. The survey method was extensive using GPS to locate the surveyed sites on topographic maps with scale 1/25000. The surface materials were gathered using random survey. The surveyed region can be divided into several landscapes, including: Mansour Abad Plain, the hilltop rolling hills in North, East, Northeast and Northwest of the Behbehan Plain and the mountainous region including Khaeiz and Badil Mountains. The most important feature of the mountainous region is the existence of several valleies. At the end of the archaeological surveys of the Mansourabad region, in addition to known sites which have been identified previously during the Behbahan survey project, we could identify 55 sites ranging in date from the prehistory to the Late Islamic Period, with highest number at Middle Islamic Period. The surveyed sites could be divided into several types including mound, sherd/flint scatter, hill-top site, cave and various standing architectures including Imamzadeh (shrines), water-mills, fortresses, and settlement structures of the Islamic Period. These sites usually have low frequency of surface sherds, some none.
Keywords: Behbehan, Mansourabad, Archaeology Survey, Relative Chronology.    
 
Introduction          
The Behbehan plain, due to several rivers including the Maroun River which originates from the high mountains of Eastern parts of the Kohgiluyeh region, and fertile lands has been a locus for nucleation and subsequent development of human settlements since prehistory well into the modern times. The region, 150 km in area, was surveyed in August and October 2007. The main goal of the survey was identification of ancient sites in an area which was subjected to seismic prospection for the Iranian Oil Company. During the survey we identified 55 sites ranging in date from the prehistory to the Late Islamic Period. The survey method was extensive using GPS to locate the surveyed sites on topographic maps with scale 1/25000. Archaeologically, one of the important aspects of the Behbehan plain is its potential to track the cultural interactions between Khuzestan and Fars especially in the prehistoric period. Previous research in the region were excavations and surveys by Nissen (Nissen, 1971; 1973, Nissen and Redman, 1971) and Dittman (Dittman, 1984), conducted a few decades ago. The chance discovery of the Elamite Tomb of Arjan in the early 1980 striggered a series of research in the region (e.g. Alizadeh, 1985, Saraf, 1992, Majidzadeh, 1992, Stronach, 2003, Alwarezmon, 2006).  
Of these one may point to the archaeological survey of the Behbehan plain in the early 2000s (Abdi, 2008). New phase of the systematic archaeological research in the region has been launched by A. Moghaddam since 2014. In these investigations, in addition to excavation at the site of Chahe- Naft, a series of period-oriented archaeological surveys aiming identification of early settlements at the region were conducted (Moghaddam, 2014: 287-8). 

The Surveyed Sites 
As mentioned above, in general, 55 sites ranging in date from the prehistory to the Late Islamic Period were identified. The sites are belonged to the Protoliterate, Proto-Elamite, Elamite, Achaemenid, Parthian, Sassanid and Islamic Periods. Of Protoliterate period, just one site, Taytou, was identified. Stone tools collected from the surface of the site includ bladelet cores, end-scraper and a number of debitages. Three sites (Karayale Talaw, Zaminhaye Partaki and Gasawz) can be dated to the Proto-Elamite and Elamite periods. They are distributed at the foothills of the Badil Mountains. In addition to Tange Takab’s ossuaries, four sites (Zaminhaye Partaki, Talaw, Darebazar and Konar Tepe) which are sherd scatter and mounded sites, are datable to the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid periods. Of these, Zaminhay Partaki is located in the Mansourabad plain and other sites are distributed in the foothills of Badil Mountains. These sites range in area from 1.2 to 16 ha.   
The highest number of the identified sites belongs to the Islamic period. In total, 46 sites of several types including mounds, sherd scatters and various standing architectures including Imamzadeh (shrines), water-mills, castles, and settlement structures were identified. These sites are located in various landscapes of the region like high altitude, at the mouth and inside the gorges, rolling hills and the Mansourabad plain. Save for the site of Karatowal, which accoding to an inscribed sherd found on its surface belong to the Early Islamic centuries, most sites of this period are related to the Middle and Late Islamic Periods.  

Conclusion
At the end of the survey, in addition to known sites which have been identified previously during the Behbahan survey project, we could identify 55 sites range in date from the prehistory to the Late Islamic period, with highest number at Middle Islamic Period. The surveyed sites could be grouped into several types including sherd/flint scatters, mounds, hill-top sites, caves and various standing architectures including Imamzadeh (shrines), water-mills, fortresses, and settlement structures of the Islamic Period. A considerable number of the surveyed sites belong to settlements with stone structures dating to the Islamic Period. These sites usually have low frequency of surface sherds, some none.   

Nasir Eskandari,
year 2, Issue 6 (3-2019)
Abstract

Abstract
The western Lut desert is well-known in the archaeology of Southwest Asia because of the existence of an early urban center (Shahdad) that dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. The site of Shahdad, as one of the major urban centers of the Bronze Age of Southeastern Iran, plays an important role in the Near Eastern archaeological studies. After half a century of Shahdad excavations, it is time to have a new look at Shahdad and its objects in light of our present knowledge from the archeology of southeast Iran. Here is an assessment of Shahdad data obtained from Shahdad excavations such as seals, metal and clay objects. In another article, we discussed the rest of finds of Shahdad. In this study we tried to present a revised chronology for Shahdad. This article also provides information on the status of the regional and trans-regional cultural interactions of Shahdad.
Keywords: Shahdad, Chronology, Metal Objects, Seals, Cultural Interactions.

Introduction
The site of Shahdad is located at the base of an alluvial fan where it was in antiquity surrounded by the Shahdad River and a number of streams flowing east from their origin in the western mountains. In 1968, during a general geographical reconnaissance of the Lut depression, the Early Bronze Age site of Shahdad was identified. Excavations lead by Ali Hakemi of the Archaeological Service of Iran began in the following year and continued until 1978. The work concentered on a necropolis in which 383 graves were cleared including many with spectacular grave goods, including impressive human statuettes, elaborate metal objects such as a bronze standard, numerous stone and ceramic containers and ornamental finds. Hakemi also did some excavations in the east of the site, Operation D, which he identified as an industrial area of the urban center of Shahdad. Overall, excavations in necropolis and industrial area provided evidence for local craft activities and cross-regional contact. This article reevaluates the results of Shahdad excavations conducted by Hakemi.

Chronology, Seals, Metal and Clay Objects
The comparative study of the metal artifacts of Shahdad with those of the sites of Southwestern Asia revealed some results. First, the interactions of Shahdad with long-distance areas such as Indus valley, Central Asia, East, West and southwest of Iran were identified, then the evidence of the existence of a very homogenous style in metal objects in a wide geographical area was revealed and third, Shahdad was a metal production center with its own characteristics. Due to the comparative chronology, Shahdad metal artifacts date back from the mid third millennium BC to the early second millennium BC.
According to the comparative studies, Shahdad seals share some similarities and characteristic with those of Early Bronze Age sites such as Shahr-e Sokhta, Jiroft, Tepe Yahya and the remote areas such as Central Asia and the Indo-Iranian borderlands. It was also revealed that most of Shahdad seals are not comparable with those found from other regions and they had their own local characteristics. One-cylinder seal was also uncovered from workshop D that is not yet published. Due to erosion, its motif is not very clear. It seems to represent a winged goddess.
Two unique artifacts were found from Shahdad; one human statues and one house models. In total, 24 human clay statues were discovered from Shahdad cemetery which had ritual functions. The clay house models were uncovered from 33 graves of the cemetery of Shahdad. They are cubical and 20-30 centimeters long. Some researchers take them as a 3D example of house motifs on chlorite vessels. Hakemi called them shrines.
The comparative analysis of the funerary goods reveals that the cemetery A of Shahdad dates to the mid third millennium BC and lasts until the late third millennium BC (2500-2000). This dating is based on the comparative studies on pottery, chlorite and marble vessels, bronze objects and seals of Shahdad with the contemporaneous areas of southeastern Iran and neighboring regions such as Shahr-i Sokhta, Jiroft, Bampur, Tepe Yahya, Mundigak, Umm-al Nar, Susa and the sites of the central Asia. Also, the dating of the second half of the third millennium BC was proposed for the artisans ‘area (area D), the residential areas excavated by Kaboli and, in general, the entire area of the city of Shahdad. In other words, the flourishing period of this city is the second half of the third millennium BC. Furthermore, the early 2nd millennium BC was proposed for the culture after the collapse of the urbanization of Shahdad (cemeteries B and C).

Conclusion
The revision of Shahdad data yielded some new information. Shahdad had been inhabited for a long period from the middle third millennium BC to the early second millennium BC and it was flourished during the second half of the third millennium BC. By studying cultural materials found from Shahdad area, one can find cultural interactions of Shahdad with other regions. The impact of Shahdad on Central Asia through the Bronze and chlorite materials can be easily observed. Despite all the cultural interactions with all these regions, the local and regional cultural traditions dominated in Shahdad and it has all the characteristics of a city with local cultural character in 3rd millennium BC. In general, the similarity and harmony between the cultural materials of Shahdad and different parts of the Southwest Asia, from Mesopotamia and Southwest Iran to Central Asia, the Indus valley and the south of the Persian Gulf indicate the existence of a cultural interaction sphere in the west of Asia during the early and middle Bronze Age.

Milad Baghsheikhi, Mohammad-Esmaeil Esmaeili-Jelodar, Alireza Khosrozadeh, Alamdar Haji-Alian,
year 3, Issue 10 (2-2020)
Abstract

Abstract
Pottery as one of the major handcrafts of human societies plays an important role in rebuilding past culture and civilization. Classification, typology and chronology of pottery are of great importance in archaeological studies. The abundance and variety of pottery in situ has made it possible for the archaeologist to obtain the best cultural evidence for the recognition of ethnicities and communities. Pottery documentation and species identification is one of the technical principles in archaeological studies. One of the less well-known areas in the archaeology of Iran’s historical period, especially in the Sassanid period, is the present-day area of Isfahan Province in the Central Iranian Plateau. Introduction and study of Shirkouh Naein area previously carried out by Alamdar hajiAlian was selected for the research since it was evaluated in terms of statistical population and type of cultural materials of the Sassanian era from both architectural and cultural point of view. 
Keywords: Classification, Typology, Chronology, Sassanian Islamic Pottery, Epistemology, Shirkooh Naein.

Introduction
The research method is descriptive-comparative and the results have been analyzed based on comparative studies. In fact, this article focuses on documentary studies, especially and studying written documents and field studies. Also, using the results of archaeological field survey, the obtained pottery was classified, classified and finally compared with the key archaeological sites of this period, and their results were compared.
 
Describe the Area of Shirkooh Naein
Naein, in Isfahan province, is a town located in the desert margin. Pakooh region is one of the villages of Naein located in the northwest. The ancient site of Shirkooh is in the vicinity of Separo Village located 6 kilometers away from the west of it. Due to its strategic location, this region has always been suitable for human settlements. Among the evidence which represents a Sassanian settlement in Shirkooh, one can mention a fortress, a Čahārṭāq (four arches), and Soffeh (Terrace platform). Before briefly discussing the main topic of the article, each will be briefly mentioned.

Čahārṭāq (Four arches)
The Čahārṭāq of Shirkooh, located in the central part of Naein, can also be placed in this category. In 2002 (1381) the monument was listed as a national property of Iran with the registration No. 7222 and after that, it was restored by Shah-Hosseini. The Čahārṭāq of Shirkooh is a square-shaped structure with approximate dimensions of 10 meters. Its current height is 12/40 meters, dome height is 6/10, and the internal height is 6/59.

Shirkooh Fortress 
The position of this fortress is in such a way that on top of it the Čahārṭāq is visible and on the other hand, the fortress is pretty obvious from the center of Čahārṭāq. Thus, these two structures are not far from each other. The plan of the fortress is almost irregular and a steep slope makes it hard to reach. The materials used in the construction of the fortress are cobblestones for the walls, mud-brick in towers and plaster as the main mortar of the entire building. At the interior of the fortress there is a rectangular structure which its directions are north-east south-west and somehow overlooking the low level of the plain and the village. Due to unauthorized excavations inside the fortress, a piece of plasterwork was found; this piece is 16 cm long and 9.5 cm wide and its surface is engraved.

Terrace Platform of Shirkooh (Soffeh)
Terrace platform is located at 38 7.33 N, 52 59 24 E. It is constructed at the farthest end of the site which connects it to the mountain. The main construction material of this Soffeh consists of cobblestones of the river. Since this terrace platform is flat and elevated, from the top of it the fortress and Čahārṭāq are remarkably visible.

Classification and Typology of Shirkooh Naein Pottery Found
The Sassanian Islamic pottery of the Shirkooh area of Nain County is varied in form Data were obtained from three Čahārṭāq sections, Shirkooh fortress and Soffeh. A total of 760 pieces of pottery (Sassanian and Islamic) were collected in the study of Alamdar haji Alian. Then, during field re-examination by the authors, 80 pieces of pottery (Sassanian and Islamic) were collected from the surface of the site; The present study was classified 63 stratigraphic fragments, typology and finally chronology. From a comparative study of 63 pieces of pottery obtained from surface examination, the number of fragments is as follows: edge 52, body 3 and floor 8; From the above-mentioned pottery, 42 pieces from the Sassanid era and 21 pieces from the Islamic era were identified. The color of the pottery is one of the most prominent features of pottery considered in the classification of pottery. This color is divided into three main groups of brown, pea, and red in the Sassanian Shirkooh pottery.
In addition to the aforementioned cases, the classification of the studied pottery of Shirkooh Naein into its fragments has also been considered. Accordingly, the rim components can be classified into eight distinct groups. Based on the typology of the pottery, five types were identified: Bowls, jars, earthenware, dish and bottles that make up the largest number of bowls and jars in the earthenware collection.

Suggested Chronology of Sassanian Shirkooh Pottery
One common way to identify the presence or absence of communication between cultural communities in neighboring areas is to compare their cultural artifacts with each other. To relate these potteries to relative chronology, to match the samples to Sassanian sites excavated and to have chronologies and sites found from archaeological excavations in Iran: Hajiabad, Mellian, Abou Nasser Fars Palace, Yazdgerd Castle, Oltan Ghalasi Dasht Moghan, Torang Tapeh Gorgan, Defensive Wall, Bandan Darges, Siraf and ete, and out of Iran archaeological excavations of Tal Aboushrifa, Kish and Bergotiat in Iraq, Kusad United Arab Emirates. Accordingly, it was found that the type of pottery studied in Shirkouh was most similar to the set of pottery obtained from surface surveys of Farsan plain, Torang Tapeh excavations in northeast of Iran, Yazdgerd castle and Tall Abusharifah in northwestern Iraq. Given this, Shirkooh is one of the Sassanian sites in the Naein region that has pottery traditions of this period.

Conclusion
Specifications of Shirkooh pottery and their comparison with different Sassanid zones indicate the taste of Sassanian pottery in this region and similar shapes in different periodic zones Sasanian is recognizable. Therefore, Shirkooh pottery is a local and indigenous species that can be seen in other areas. In general, the Shirkooh region is culturally influenced by western evidence such as Yazdgerd castle area and central Iranian plateau, especially east of Isfahan province, Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province and Farsan plain. In fact, based on the typological studies and comparisons of pottery with other Sassanian and Islamic sites, it seems that the settlement is located in Sassanian and early Islamic periods. As we know, the pottery at the end of each period is usually early or even later in the period and does not disappear all at once, such as the area where the Sassanian pottery of the early Islamic Times There has also been a continuing trend and it is difficult to identify.

Ali Karimikiya, Reza Rezaloo, Akbar Abedi, Ardeshir Javanmardzadhe,
year 5, Issue 16 (9-2021)
Abstract

Abstract
Northwestern Iran and the South Caucasus have relatively favorable environmental conditions for the formation of ancient settlements. These include the Urmia Lake basin and the Aras shores in northwestern Iran, and the Kura River, the Mil-Moghan (mountainous areas) in the South Caucasus region. The archaeological evidences and recent researches in two geographical areas illustrate the cultural shares and similarities of the period. The main purpose of this article is to introduce the areas and pottery traditions and to identify the sequence of chronology in the areas of study. The following questions will be raised in order to achieve cultural interactions in the geographical area studied in the Chalcolithic Period: How is the condition of chronology sequence in the two cultural domains? The main hypothesis in this regard is the existence of approximately the same chronology (the beginning and the end of the Chalcolithicperiod) in the two geographical locations. How do the layers of settlement and the sequences of residence from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic Periodin ancient sites indicate the theme of cultural continuity and transition? The present article is written by descriptive-analytical method. As a final result, it can be pointed to the similarities and differences of the archaeological data, including thepottery features, architectural structures, burials, etc. By studying the areas such as Dalma Tepe, Jolfa’s Kul Tepe, Khoy’s Davagöz, etc. in northwest of Iran and Leila Tepe, Galayeri, Puylu Tepe, Boyuk Kəsik, Soyuq Bulagh, Brikil Dibi, Kawtskhevy, Tekhvot have been obtained in the South Caucasus region and chronologically covers the millennium from 5000 BC to 3700/3600 BC. 
Keywords: Chalcolithic, Northwestern Iran, South Caucasus, Cultural Interactions, Chronology.

Introduction
The northwest of Iran and the Caucasus have long been a prominent site for archaeological studies due to their proximity to important cultural sites such as Anatolia, Zagros, Mesopotamia and Central Asia. Most of the ancient sites both in the Caucasus region and in the northwestern Iran, which were inhabited by the Chalcolithic period, were also inhabited during the Neolithic period, suggesting that the human and animal habitat conditions and the environmental conditions are favorable. The following questions will be raised in order to achieve the cultural interactions in the geographical area under study in the Chalcolithic Period: 1. What is the status of the chronologysequence in the two cultural areas? The main hypothesis in this regard is the existence of a same chronology (beginning and end of the Chalcolithic Period) at two geographical points. 2. How do the layers of settlement and settlement sequences from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic Periodsindicate ancient sites, cultural status, and the cultural continuity and transition themes? Most of the ancient sites both in the Caucasus region and in the northwestern Iran, which were inhabited by the Copper-Stone period, were also inhabited during the Neolithic period, indicating the existence of afavorablehabitat and environmental conditions for both human and animal. Although there are also single-period enclosures among them.

Discussion
In recent years, one of the most significant issues in introducing and studying the Chalcolithic culture of northwestern Iran havebeen the ambiguity and darkness in the timing chronology of the Chalcolithic Period of this region. Because, this period was introduced after the late Neolithic period, was identified in areas such as Haji Firouz, Hassanlu, Yaniq Tepe, etc., with a break of almost a thousand years. Dr Abedi’s recent years’ excavations atJolfa’s Kul Tepe and Khoy’sDəvə Göz have eliminated the gap in the timing of the Chalcolithic Period of northwestern Iran (Azarbaijan). The archaeological studies are divided in twostages; and its early stage dates back to the 19th century and is known as the Eneolit cultural period. The archaeologists in the North Caucasus geographical area of have identified two culturaltypes of Kura-Arax and Maikop in the Chalcolithic Period, hence, the two Kura and Araxrivers in the Caucasus Basin are named as the Mesopotamia of Caucasus.
One of the most important cultural data of the Chalcolithic Period is the rectangular architectural structures which are made of white raw clay. Inside the structure, large crumbs, food storage wells and numerous stoves, along with the data such as mortar, and grindstone, and burned remnants of grains such as barley, wheat and lentils have been obtained. The burial variety ofthe Chalcolithic Period is more diverse than the Neolithic period. The most repeated type of burial in the Chalcolithic Period is the pits burial, but more recently therehave also been found two other burial types such as burial in earthenware, and kurganburial.

Conclusion
One of the most important issues of Chalcolithic culture in the South Caucasus is anunbroken continuation of the Chalcolithic Period after the Neolithic period. This continuation can be seen in Mentesh Tepe, Aratashen, Khatun Ark- Aknashen, and theChalcolithic Period begins unbroken after the Neolithic periodin these areas. But after the Neolithic period, the Old Bronze Age beginsinNakhchivan’s Kul Tepe. Scientists consider the climate change as the main cause of cultural disruption. In the southern Caucasus, the earlyChalcolithic phasehas been dated from 4800/5000 to 4600 BC, and themiddle andthe lateChalcolithic phases from 4600 to 3200 BC, and some new areas, such as Nakhchivan Tepe, Uchan Aghil, Uzun Oba, is derived from the earlyChalcolithic Period that are closely related to Dalma culture.

Mojtaba Safari, Rahmat Abbasnejad, Haasan Fazli Nesheli, Christopher Thornton, Judith Thomalsky,
year 5, Issue 17 (12-2021)
Abstract

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

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

Conclusion 
The present article is the first comparative study of the Bronze Age in Mazandaran Province based on the information acquired from stratigraphic excavation of Ghal e-Ben archaeological site. It presents a relative chronology of the Bronze Age in Mazandaran Province based on the ceramics from excavated, C14-dated contexts. The results show that gray ware ceramics were decorated with diverse ornamentation, from polished and burnished patterns to carved patterns, which can be compared in terms of form and pattern to the ceramics found in the type-sites of northeastern Iran including Hissar IIB-IIIC, Shah Tepe IIA-B, Tureng Tepe IIA- IIIC, and Narges Tepe III as well as at major Bronze Age sites of Mazandaran including Gohar Tepe, Taghut Tepe in Behshahr, Tepe Kelar in Kelardasht, Tepe Ghale Kosh in Amol, Ghale Pey and Tepe Turkam in Sari, Gomishan Cave, and Tepe Abbasi in Neka. It is also interesting to note that material remains of Transcaucasian culture (Kura-Araxes) from the third millennium BCE (ca. 2500-2400 BCE) are observed in Mazandaran and the Gorgan Plain, which indicates cultural ties between these regions and the northwest of Iran during the Bronze Age. A number of ceramics were found in the Early Bronze Age layers at Ghal e-Ben archaeological site that compare to Kura-Araxes ceramics discovered at Tepe Kelar in terms of production technique, color, fineness, and patterns. To what extent these foreign ceramics found together with local types can be indicative of the influence of Transcaucasian cultures must be the subject of further studies, and horizontal explorations can help in this regard. However, it is clear that the comparative study of ceramics discovered in Ghal e-Ben and other Bronze Age sites of Mazandaran suggests cultural ties between this region and both the northwest and northeast of Iran. 
Ghal e-Ben archaeological site in Babol was inhabited during the late fourth millennium BCE and was abandoned gradually around 1500-1400 BCE. Such abandonment events have been observed in most other archaeological sites in the north and northeast of Iran, and we do not know exactly how to connect the Iron Age in Mazandaran to the Bronze Age, as the Iron Age emerged in northern Iran around 1100 BCE. These are the questions that will be hopefully answered by future studies on cultural sequence of Mazandaran during the second and first millennia.
 
Maryam Dehqan, Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei,
year 6, Issue 21 (12-2022)
Abstract

Abstract
The ancient site of Dinavar, known by the locals as the city of Khāvarān, is located northeast of Kermānshāh, on the Kermānshāh-Sonqor road. The importance of the site is still evident despite environmental damage such as floods and earthquakes and agricultural development. Historical findings and archaeological evidence show that the central hill and the surrounding areas were inhabited from the Seleucid period to the present day. This site is the city of Dinavar. A city that was one of the cultural centers of western Iran in the first centuries of Islam and this issue is received from the list of thinkers attributed to Dinavar. During the surveys, in addition to the potteries, a collection of mills and large weights were observed, which indicates a pressing workshop in the site. The typology of the pressing method in this workshop and its chronology is the main issue of this research, which is addressed by asking two questions: first, what period does this data belong to, and second; What products have been produced in this workshop? Given the needs of urban communities and the need to manage and plan workshop activities, a hypothesis based on the data belonging to the time of the flourishing of the city of Dinavar and the production of oil and grape syrup is proposed. Based on the comparison and study and study of environmental data, written sources and documents of archeology and ethnoarcheology, Dinavar workshop to the time of growth and prosperity of this area in the 2nd to 4th AH. It is attributed and in addition to the production of grape syrup, the possibility of oil-pressing is also raised. Since known specimens from central and western Iran belong to the late Islamic centuries, the site data reveal part of the history of this activity.
Keywords: Pressing, Dinavar, Archaeology, Typology, Chronology.

Introduction
The study of ancient technologies is one of interests to many researchers. Archaeologists study technology to make social and economic analyzes and study human societies. Pressing and related objects are one of these ancient technologies. The ancient site of Dinavar, whose data are classified from the Seleucid era to the present day, has been one of the cultural centers of the Islamic world and one of the most important cities in the Jebāl province. Some of the archeological data of this area show that the pressing workshop was active in it. This study identifies the pressing in Dinavar with the aim of relative chronology of this method. Pressing workshops that have been built since the Safavid era near the important cities of that time provide significant signs of technical architecture, access to these structures and the continuation of the activities of some to this day, they have led to a detailed study of these works. However, it is not clear what the workshops were before the Safavid era. The present study tries to deal with how this activity took place in the pre-Safavid period. The most important questions are: 1. What period does the pressing data of the Dinavar area belong to? 2. What products have been produced in Dinavar Workshop? Considering the environmental and ethnographic data, and the necessity of managing and planning the workshop activities that are possible in the shadow of the urban system, in answer to the research questions, the hypothesis of the activity of the Dinavar workshop at the time of flourishing and Its urban growth; And the production of oil and grape syrup is measured. Field survey data are compared with similar samples to determine how this activity works, and environmental data measure the oil and grape syrup production hypothesis, or grape syrup. Archaeological and pollenological data trace evidence of olive use in the fertile crescent to ancient Paleolithic and before the beginning of agriculture (Niklewski and van Zeist, 1970; Liphschitz et al., 1991., Lovell et al., 2010 and Zohary et al., 2012). But pressing in the general sense have arisen following the complexity of societies. Pollen and archeological data show that suitable species of this practice have existed in prehistoric Iran (Van Zeist and Bottema, 1977; Djamali et al., 2010, 2016 and Mashkour et al., 2010), but the mode of operation is known only on the basis of data from the late Islamic centuries.

Materials and Method
The Dinavar is a complex site including the central hill, the religious complex and the cemetery, the remains of a castle and a Qājār bath. In a recent study, the authors found stone objects in the north of the central hill, including a healthy mill sandstone, five damaged millstones of various conglomerate dimensions, and four large conglomerate weights. The data do not provide complete information on how to press, but due to the presence of weights and the presence of four millstones, the upper surface of which shows a depression with a depth of 10 to 20 cm. The use of lever and weight pressing is discussed. In Dinavar Plain, whose vegetation has changed due to agriculture, oilseeds are native. Written evidence of pressing silenced in and around the study area, but in addition to the Celine and Satyr, the Bistun object and the stone of Tāq Bostān collection, which is obtained from the east of Kermānshāh and is considered a part of Roman mill, shows that pressing was common in this region. Ethnorchaeological studies also confirm the use of castor oil as a lamp fuel in the Qājār period up to the Pahlavi. It is worth mentioning that Dinavar community has always been a rural community and its economy has been based on agriculture, from the beginning until today. This society became one of the cultural centers of the Islamic world in the beginning of Islam. It seems that the spread of workshop and production activities such as pressing is also possible in such a structure and with the help of management and planning of the urban system, as the establishment of similar complexes near large cities has been common and pressing the ones that have been identified so far show the economic prosperity of the great Safavid cities.

Conclusion
Pottery production, pressing, milling, and in general workshop and production activities, along with labor and energy, require management and planning. This management is formed in urban system and in order to meet the needs of the urban society. Historical texts about Dinavar urban society have been silent in the first centuries of Islam, but the splendor of this society and its cultural growth is evident from the long list of thinkers attributed to this land. In this urban society, which is formed in the bed of a rich plain, the pressing of fruits and oilseeds is common. The rich vegetation and vineyards of the region confirm the production of grape syrup and oil. Extraordinary data of the area and their location near the central hill where it was located from the beginning of Islam to the ninth century AH. It goes on to show that this activity was common in the form of lever and weight, and its growth was at least from the 2nd to the 4th AH, at the same time as the establishment and development of Dinavar city and culture. Accordingly, pressing objects in Dinavar provide the basis for the study of pressing from the beginning of Islam.

Behrouz Afkhami, Saeid Sattarnezhad,
year 7, Issue 23 (5-2023)
Abstract

Abstract
Due to the climatic conditions and cutable stones, the cultural landscape of Sablan Mountain is one of the main foci of the formation of Troglodytic Architecture spaces in the northwest region of Iran. In this region, various Troglodytic Architecture spaces have been carved in different cultural periods, one of the most well-known of which is the Troglodytic Architecture collection of Abazar Nair. This collection, in the previous studies of some researchers, generally belongs to the Parthian era with the use of “mehrabah”; or the Islamic era with the use of “Buddhist temples-tombs”. However, the cultural data in this collection rejects the Mehri and Buddhist monastery hypothesis with sufficient and archaeological evidence. This research is fundamental in terms of qualitative objective and it was conducted with descriptive-analytical method, comparative studies and data collection with the help of field studies and documents-library resources and seeks to answer the following two basic questions: 1- Based on the remaining surface data. Mande, the chronology of Troglodytic Architecture Abazar space belongs to which cultural period(s)? 2- What were the functions of Troglodytic Architecture spaces (number 7) of Abazar Nair collection? The results show that the Troglodytic Architecture space in question, like other spaces in this area, had a livelihood function in the Islamic era. Other results of the research determined that the set of enclosed spaces of Abazar is generally influenced by the climatic conditions of the region and is comparable to other cut rock villages in the Sablan and Sahand mountains. The recent archaeological activity of this collection can be useful and open the way in understanding the functional nature and chronology of other cut rock spaces on the slopes of Sablan Mountain.
Keywords: Sablan Mountain, Troglodytic Architecture, Abazar Nir, chronology, Function.

Introduction
Abazar area of Nair city is the first Troglodytic Architecture area in Ardabil province that has been noticed by researchers. However, the remaining cultural materials in this area have received less attention from researchers and the most focus has been on the rocky texture of the spaces (Mohammadi-Far and Hemti-Azandariani, 2015; Azad, 2015 and 2016). This factor has caused the chronology and function of this area not to be determined precisely, and one of the empty spaces of this complex (space no. 7), regardless of the architectural elements and cultural materials left in it, is known as Mehri temple belonging to the Parthian era (Shekari). niri, 2019) and Mughal-Temple (Moradi & Omrani, 2020) of the Islamic era. This is while the main differences between the usage and chronology presented for this collection in general and the space of Troglodytic Architecture No. 7 in particular are seen, on the basis of the need to review the chronology and usage presented for this Troglodytic Architecture collection. There is especially space number 7). By examining the surface of the site and studying its cultural findings, while reviewing its chronology and function, referring to the data of the site, the authors are looking for answers to the following questions: 1- Based on the remaining surface findings, what cultural period(s) does the chronology of Troglodytic Architecture Abazar spaces belong to? 2- Handy spaces (number 7). What functions did the Abazar collection have? Carrying out this research will be an important step in the architectural studies of Troglodytic Architecture in the Sablan Mountain range, so that in future studies, along with the careful examination of the sites and the study of the remaining cultural materials, the chronology and explanation of the function of the Troglodytic Architecture spaces of this area can be achieved.

Discussion
Based on the study of the authors, it was found that the Abazar area consisted of several subsurface manmade spaces (10 units) and surface manmade spaces. These spaces were closely related to each other and all of them formed the fabric of Abazar village. Over time, the man-made spaces on the surface were completely destroyed, and today the remains of the foundations and debris of these structures remain on the surface of the area. The texture of the villages in the mountainous areas of North-West Iran has a similar architectural structure. So that in the analysis of this area, what was obtained is that Abazar area in terms of location pattern (access to water sources, location on the mountainside, proximity to pastures), structure and architectural elements and plan of spaces are similar to many others. It is one of the villages on the slopes of Sablan and Sahand mountains.  These villages were formed in a hand-made way near the water sources and the slopes of the hills. Due to the cold seasons of the year, one of the common patterns in the villages of the Sardsir districts of Azerbaijan region is to have small underground spaces where the families lived next to their cattle during certain days of the year. Such a pattern of settlement has been in place until recent years in the village of Kandavan (Razani et al., 2015), Khatb Maragheh (Starnjad et al., 2016), Ganzeq Sarein (Khanali, 2017), Yai Shahri of Maragheh, Sur Bonab. In these villages, the living spaces are located under the surface man-made spaces. Due to their living use, the subsurface spaces generally lacked complex and special architectural and artistic elements common in ritual-memorial spaces (elements such as inscriptions, altars, artistic motifs). And it only has a long manger, niche and spaces for providing light. Such elements can also be seen in the spaces of Troglodytic Architecture Abazar, therefore Troglodytic Architecture No. 7 cannot be considered separate from other spaces from the point of view of architecture and even the nature of the function. The generality of this space is exactly the same as the other spaces of this collection.

Conclusion
What was discussed in the text of the article, the environment of Abazar, like the fabric of the villages in the mountainous regions of Azerbaijan, Iran, consists of hand-made spaces. Handicapped spaces are carved under the man-made spaces, and in terms of architectural structure, plan and practical elements, many similarities between these villages can be observed. The accuracy of the cultural materials and architectural elements remaining in the hand-built spaces of this collection showed that the spaces have many relative similarities to each other and have followed a single pattern. Based on this, a touch space (space number 7) cannot be considered as a space that is excluded from other spaces. All the architectural elements such as the manger, niche, skylight, porch and the way to access the spaces show that these spaces in general and the architectural space number 7 in particular are designed and carved according to human living, based on that. Due to the lack of decorative and practical elements specific to ritual-memorial spaces (such as inscriptions, artistic motifs, columns, luxurious carving style of spaces, etc.), this complex (space number 7) cannot be considered as a space related to He considered the shrine (mehrabah). On the other hand, the nature of the prayer spaces and Buddhist tombs was also very different from this complex, therefore this complex does not have the characteristics of Mehri and Buddhist temples. The chronology of the site was based on the cultural findings left on the surface of the site. Based on these data, evidences from the historical period (especially Parthian) were not identified. These data show the most important settlement period of the site, which coincides with the Middle Ages of Islam. During this period, a cemetery with prominent tombstones was formed in the vicinity of the village. In general, the comparative study of the texture of this complex with the similar areas of Sablan and Sahand mountain slopes shows many similarities between them. Due to the cold climate of the region and to protect their lives and property, the villages of these areas used to create residential spaces in two ways: hand-made - hand-made. 

Acknowlegment
All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.
 

Afrasiab Garavand, Ardeshir Javanmardzadeh, Mehdi Hosseyni Niya, Fatemeh Malekpur,
year 8, Issue 27 (5-2024)
Abstract

Abstract
Khoy county, as one of the archeological fields of Iran, has been one of the most important centers for the presence of human societies, and the process of formation of ancient societies from prehistoric to historical and Islamic eras is quite obvious and can be explored. One of the landmarks of this city is Shams Tabrizi, which is located in the northwest of Khoy county between Rabat neighborhood and Imamzadeh neighborhood, and on its southern front, there is a monument called Shams Tabrizi minaret. This area was excavated in 2007, in 2018, with the aim of studying the layers and archaeological deposits and being aware of the existence of cultural periods, by creating 3 boreholes in the northern and eastern parts. This research is the result of studying the pottery data of the mentioned area. Accordingly, the main question of this research is posed as follows; Given the diversity of pottery species and their adaptation to other sites, what cultural periods does the site chronology include? Findings of this study; The pottery of this area is classified into two main groups of glazed pottery (monochrome pottery, multicolor painting on glaze and painting under glaze and Esgrafiato) and unglazed (molded and ordinary pottery) based on the typology of pottery. And their adaptation to other areas should be said; Shams Tabrizi Khoy area is a settlement belonging to the Middle Ages to the late Islamic period. The peak of prosperity of this area was related to the Middle Islamic centuries and it should also be noted that the pottery index species show close similarities with other centers in the northwest and west. It indicates the existence of an extensive communication and cultural network in the region, and historical texts and travelogues reinforce this conclusion.
Keywords: Khoy County, Shams Tabrizi Area, Pottery, Chronology.

Introduction
The city of Khoy has been an important gateway and a crossroads for trade in distant and nearby lands. This area, due to its location in communication centers, connects to the Urmia Lake basin on one side, the southern Caucasus region on the other side, and the eastern Anatolia, making it strategically important for prehistoric societies and significant in studies related to the formation of societies. The region’s archaeological explorations indicate that the oldest settlements in the area date back to the late Neolithic period (sixth millennium BCE). The environmental and biological components of the region have created favorable conditions for permanent and temporary settlements in various cultural periods, playing a very important role throughout history. Despite its great importance in Iranian archaeology, this region has received less attention. However, archaeological findings and historical documents attest to the significance of this region in cultural periods. In the field of archaeology, ceramic findings in the stratigraphy of sites and the study of cultural changes are of great importance. Systematic research on the types of ceramics in the Shams Tabrizi Khoy area is no exception to this rule. Given the lack of attention to this site in Iranian archaeology studies, it is necessary to investigate and study these data, as archaeological findings and historical documents indicate the importance of this region in cultural periods. The study of ceramic typology in this region is essential for understanding the prosperity and decline of the city, as well as cultural and trade relations with neighboring regions. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to study the Islamic period ceramics of this site, their typology, and relative stratigraphy. In the study of ceramics resulting from excavation and considering the type of data, the following questions are raised: 1) Which areas have similarities with the incised ceramics in this site? 2) Which regions have similarities with the turquoise-black ink ceramics of this site? 3) Based on the comparative study of ceramic types, what are the fundamental steps in understanding the prosperity and decline of the city and its cultural and trade relations with neighboring regions?

The Text of the Article
The Shams Tabrizi complex is located in the northwest of the city of Khoy, situated between the Rabat and Imamzadeh neighborhoods. Three trenches were created in the north and east fronts of the complex for identifying layers and accessing cultural deposits. Regarding the typology of ceramics in the Shams Tabrizi complex and their similarities with other complexes, it can be said that similar ceramics have been found in regions such as Rey, Sultaniyeh, Saveh, Sultanabad, Kashan, Hamadan, Bojnourd, Aqkand, Yazkand, Sultaniyeh, Sheikh Tappeh in Urmia, and others. Khoy was part of the Seljuk territories, especially under the Seljuk Rum branch, due to its strategic location on the trade route between the East and West. During the reign of Sultan Sanjar Seljuki, he appointed Khoy as a peer to Rey and considered Khoy and Rey as part of his special territories. The similarity of ceramic types with Rey is evidence of this statement. After flourishing during the Seljuk era and suffering damage during the Mongol invasions, especially in 628 AH, Khoy gradually regained its prosperity during the Ilkhanid period. Ceramics from the Ilkhanid period have been found in this complex, comparable to complexes of that time. In the Safavid era, Khoy gained attention from Shah Ismail I, who chose it as his winter capital. Historical sources indicate that Islamic historians attribute Khoy’s prosperity and fame to the middle centuries, particularly the 5th to 8th centuries AH. Ceramics from this period show undeniable similarities with complexes in eastern, western, and central Iran, likely due to cultural, economic, and trade exchanges between Khoy and those centers. Key ceramic types in this complex include multicolored underglaze, simple turquoise glazed ceramics, red and beige ceramics with black, blue, and purple patterns under and over turquoise and white glazes, orange and reddish ceramics with black patterns under yellow, turquoise, white, and aubergine glazes, orange ceramics with black and crackled (sgraffito) patterns under turquoise glazes, and unglazed ceramics.

Conclusion
Based on the archaeological studies and historical texts such as Ibn Hawqal, Masudi, Hamawi, and Emad al-Din Zakariya, Khoy has been a prosperous city during the Islamic period, especially from the 5th to the 8th centuries AD, due to its location on the East-West trade route. The pottery collection unearthed from the archaeological excavations of the Shams Tabrizi area also indicates that this region had cultural, commercial, and economic interactions with other centers during that time, reaching its peak during the Seljuk and Safavid periods. However, due to political and historical events, especially during the Ilkhanid and Safavid periods, all its cultural achievements were destroyed by invaders such as the Mongols and Ottomans (during the reign of Suleiman, Murad III, and Murad IV). Nevertheless, it has managed to regain its dynamism and greatness.
In this regard, the Shams Tabrizi area in Khoy is one of the prominent Islamic settlements in the region, possessing valuable cultural data, including diverse pottery artifacts. These pottery artifacts, classified based on comparative typology, belong to the Middle to Late Islamic periods and are divided into two main groups: glazed and unglazed pottery. The unglazed pottery consists of molded pottery and ordinary pottery, while the glazed pottery includes single-colored glaze, multi-colored glaze, overglaze painting, underglaze painting, and sgraffito. Due to the diversity of pottery types in terms of form, they mostly consist of various pottery bowls, and in terms of technique and decoration, they include distinctive types such as sgraffito, molded pottery, underglaze painting, and overglaze painting. Therefore, it can be said that pottery known as sgraffito in other regions such as Aqkand, Yazkand, Sultaniyeh, Sheikh Tappeh in Urmia, Hamadan, Kangavar, Taq-e Bostan, and Takht-e Soleiman, has been obtained, and in terms of style and technique, there are similarities between the turquoise pottery of this area and other regions in some cases. Similar turquoise pottery from this area has been obtained in Sultanabad, Kashan, Sultaniyeh, Hamadan, Bojnourd, and other regions, and can be compared to them in this respect. The results of the study of different types of pottery in the Shams Tabrizi area indicate that the pottery of this area mainly belongs to the Middle Islamic periods.


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