Journal of Archaeological Studies

Abstract According to the Geographical and environmental situation, the Kur River Basin have been occupied from the Middle Paleolithic to the modern times. Of the ancient cultures of the region, the 3rd Millennium B.C cultures contemporary with Proto-Elemite and the Elemite Dynasties have less known. Despite to the importance of this span of time, there is not clear understanding on the transition from the proto-Elemite /Banesh to Early Elemite/Kaftari in Fars yet. Of the reasons of such understanding are the rarity of the excavation, incoherency of the undertaken excavations, limited published reports and narrow use of the archaeological science; in addition, according to the some parameters such as environmental factors, the location of the settlements are relocated all the time as it is difficult to find a site containing the whole prehistoric sequence of Fars. Some archaeologists such as Sumner have believed in a gap in between of given periods in Fars. Sumner and Miller however, have recently believed that there are limit amount of population were settled in Malyan at this span of time. The excavation at Tol-e Gap-e Kenareh as a site containing the 3rd Millennium B.C cultures of Fars cultural sequence i.e. Banesh, transition to Kaftari and Early Kaftari can shed light better understanding of given cultures. This paper is based on the excavation at Tol-e Gap-e Kenareh, and trying to open a discussion on the 3rd Millennium B.C. cultures of Fras.

Abstract Sagz?b?d Mound was one of the first areas excavated in the course of archeological surveys conducted by the University of Tehran in Qazvin Plain. Findings indicate its permanent establishment since the end of the third millennium up to the mid-first millennium B.C.; However, during the recent explorations made by the University of Tehran in October and November 2008, absolute dating was carried out on Sagz?b?d Mound as a result of which the area was estimated to have been established at around 1700 B.C., in addition to the southern part of the Mound which contained layers established since the mid-fourth millennium B.C. Excavations revealed that the area between the two regions of Sagz?b?d and Qabrest?n is likely to contain layers established in the second half of the fourth millennium B.C. buried under a large amount of sediment. Accordingly, it is most probable that in the New Chalcolithic (Copper-Stone) Age the establishment of Qabrest?n Mound must have been towards the east.