Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Associated Professor, Department of Archeology, Faculty of Literature and Human Science, Varamin-Pishva Branch, Islamic Azad University, Varamin, Iran.
2 Ph.D. Candidate of Prehistoric Archaeology, Islamic Azad university of Science and Research, Tehran, Iran.
3 Assistant professor of History & Archeology Department, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Recent archaeological research at Tepe Hissar, located in the northeast of the Central Iranian Plateau, has provided concrete evidence for the presence of the Proto-Elamite phenomenon at this site. The main focus of this study is a comparative analysis of the gray ware pottery and the cylinder seals recovered from the layers of the Hissar II period (second half of the fourth millennium BCE), with well-known samples from other Proto-Elamite sites. The findings indicate that the gray wares of Hissar, in terms of clay composition, firing technique, form, and decorations, display clear similarities with the standard Proto-Elamite examples from Tepe Sofalin, Pishva. The analysis of the Hissar cylinder seals—regarding material, manufacturing techniques, and iconography—reflects the cultural connections of Hissar with southwestern Iran and its role in the exchange and artistic networks of the Proto-Elamite era. This body of evidence positions Tepe Hissar not merely as a point of contact, but as an active and innovative link in the cultural interactions of the late fourth millennium BCE, highlighting the need to reconsider prevailing models for the transmission of Proto-Elamite culture to northeastern regions. Based on ceramic and seal data, Tepe Hissar should be viewed not as a passive intermediary, but as an active agent in the communication networks and cultural developments of the Proto-Elamite period in northeastern Iran—a site that, through the selection and reinterpretation of imported and local elements, contributed to the formation of distinctive cultural traditions.
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