نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 گروه باستان‌شناسی، دانشکدۀ ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران (نویسندۀ مسئول)
2 گروه باستان‌شناسی و باستان‌سنجی، دانشکدۀ حفاظت مواد فرهنگی، دانشگاه هنر اسلامی تبریز، تبریز، ایران
3 گروه باستان‌شناسی، دانشکدۀ ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران
چکیده
گستردگی و مطالعۀ شاخصه‌های فرهنگ کورا-ارس یکی از موضوعات موردمطالعۀ باستان‌شناسان این حوزه است. یکی از مقوله‌های مبهم این فرهنگ، جایگاه دین، آئین، شواهد و مدارک آئینی در بین مردمان کورا-ارسی است. این ویژگی نه ݣݣبه‌دلیل جنبۀ معنوی و ماورا طبیعی، بلکه بیشتر به‌دلیل منابع کم، کمبود و ناشناخته بودن شواهد فرهنگی از اهمیت ویژه‌ای برخوردار است. شواهد این قسمت از فرهنگ کورا-ارس در کاوش‌ها همانند پیکرک، اجاق و شاید معماری(؟) ظاهر می‌شود و در تمامی قلمرو این فرهنگ از شمال‌غرب ایران تا شرق آناتولی و قفقاز جنوبی تقریباً در همه‌جا رایج بوده است. از مهم‌ترین اهداف این پژوهش، چگونگی هویت اجتماعی، باورهای آئینی جوامع کورا-ارس و شناخت نمادها، عناصر و نشانه‌های مذهبی فرهنگ کورا-ارس برمبنای مطالعات کتابخانه‌ای-اسنادی و داده‌های دست اول کاوش‌ها در ایران به‌صورت أخص و کل قلمرو فرهنگ کورا-ارس بوده است. همچنین این پژوهش در پی پاسخ به پرسش‌ها و ابهامات پیشِ‌رو است؛ مدارک و شواهد باستان‌شناختی چه پیشنهادهایی را در رابطه با باورهای آئینی-مذهبی جوامع کورا-ارسی در اختیار می‌گذارند؟ و به‌عنوان یکی از مهم‌ترین پرسش‌ها، باورهای مذهبی جوامع کورا-ارسی در ایران و قفقاز دارای چه تفاوت‌ها و چه تشابهاتی است؟ به‌طورکلی آیا می‌توان از باور، دین، آئین، مکان‌های مذهبی و آئینی در رابطه با جوامع کورا-ارسی صحبت به‌میان آورد؟ پژوهش پیشِ‌رو عمدتاً در تلاش برای پاسخ به پرسش‌ها و اهداف مطرح شده، خواهد کوشید تا بخشی از این پرسش‌ها و ابهامات را مرتفع سازد. نتایج به‌دست آمده نشان می‌دهند که این فرهنگ و مردمان آن، اگرچه مکان خاص و جایگاهی جدا برای دین و آئین خود نداشته‌اند (براساس یافته‌ها و نتایج به‌دست آمده تا کنون) اما از یک‌سو بازۀ زمانی (3500-2400/2500 پ.م.) و تداوم این فرهنگ، و از سوی دیگر فرهنگ‌های هم‌زمان، چون اوروک و غیره از دین و آئین بهره‌مند بوده‌اند و همچنین درمیان فرهنگ‌های عصر مفرغ رایج بوده است، مردمان و جوامع کورا-ارس را نمی‌توان یک فرهنگ بدون دین و آئین تصور کرد؛ اما نه به‌صورت یک فرهنگ یکجانشین و ثابت، بلکه اگر فرضیۀ نیمه‌کوچ‌رو بودن این فرهنگ را بتوانیم بپذیریم، شواهد آئینی کورا-ارس همانند پیکرک‌ها و اجاق‌ها از نظر حجم و وزن کوچک و قابل حمل بوده‌اند؛ پس در نتیجه، ریشه‌هایی از این اعتقادات آئینی را در این شواهد می‌توان دید و شاخصۀ آئینی را برای این فرهنگ می‌توان درنظر گرفت.
کلیدواژه‌ها
عنوان مقاله [English]
Ritual Practices in the Kura-Araxes Culture: Hearths and Figurines as Markers of Religious Identity
نویسندگان [English]
- Bohlool Khani 1
- Akbar Abedi 2
- Nasir Eskandari 2
- Ghader Ebrahimi 3
1 Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author)
2 Department of Archaeology and Archaeometry, Faculty of Cultural Materials Conservation, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz 15385‑4567, Iran
3 Lecturer, Department of Archaeology and Archaeometry, Faculty of Cultural Materials Conservation, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz 15385‑4567, Iran
چکیده [English]
The investigation and characterization of the Kura-Araxes culture is a key focus of archaeological research in this field. One of the enigmatic aspects of the Kura-Araxes culture is the role of religion, rituals, and associated ritual evidence among its people. This aspect holds particular significance not due to its spiritual or supernatural dimensions, but rather because of the limited, scarce, and largely unknown nature of the cultural evidence. Archaeological findings related to this facet of Kura-Araxes culture, such as figurines, hearths, and possibly architectural elements, have been uncovered across the entire expanse of this culture’s territory, from northwest Iran to eastern Anatolia and the South Caucasus. One of the primary objectives of this research is to explore the social identity and ritual beliefs of Kura-Araxes communities, and to identify the symbols, elements, and religious signs of the Kura-Araxes culture. This investigation is based on a combination of library-documentary studies and first-hand archaeological data from excavations in Iran and the broader Kura-Araxes cultural sphere. This research also aims to address the following questions and uncertainties: What insights do archaeological evidence and documents provide regarding the ritual-religious beliefs of Kura-Araxes communities? Additionally, what are the key differences and similarities in the religious beliefs of Kura-Araxes communities across Iran, the Caucasus, and other regions within the Kura-Araxes cultural sphere? More broadly, can we definitively discuss belief systems, religion, rituals, and associated sacred spaces in relation to these communities? The forthcoming study will focus on answering these questions and addressing the stated objectives to clarify some of these ambiguities. The results indicate that while the Kura-Araxes culture and its people did not have dedicated religious spaces or distinct places for their rituals (based on current findings and evidence), it is important to consider two factors: first, the temporal span (3500–2400/2500 BCE) and the continuity of this culture; and second, the contemporary cultures, such as Uruk, which were characterized by established religious practices. Additionally, religious and ritual practices were prevalent among Bronze Age cultures. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Kura-Araxes communities were devoid of religion and rituals. However, rather than a sedentary and fixed culture, if we accept the hypothesis of the Kura-Araxes culture being semi-nomadic pastoral, then their ritual artifacts, such as figurines and hearths, were likely small and portable. Consequently, these artifacts reveal traces of their ritual beliefs, allowing us to consider ritualistic characteristics as part of this culture.
کلیدواژه‌ها [English]
- Kura-Araxes Culture
- Hearth
- Figurine
- Ritual Practices
- Religious Identity
- Northwestern Iran
- South Caucasus
- Eastern Anatolia
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