Journal of Archaeological Studies

Archaeological inquiries into the Islamic period show both in quantity and quality that targeted and wide-ranging studies aiming to identify the pertinent monuments and sites have obvious ... Read More Archaeological inquiries into the Islamic period show both in quantity and quality that targeted and wide-ranging studies aiming to identify the pertinent monuments and sites have obvious limitations, and for this very reason our understanding of this time period is mainly limited to the information deriving from textual evidence. Accordingly, with the aim of identifying and studying the Ilkhanid sites on the banks of the Aras, a season of reconnaissance survey was carried out in 2019. Focusing on the Sham Valley region of Jolfa County on the border of the two Iranian provinces of East and West Azerbaijans, the fieldwork recorded 53 monuments and sites (Afshari,2019). Given the region’s strategic, geopolitical position in the vicinity of such regions of Caucasia, Turkey and Central Asia as well as its obvious location on major regional lines of communication, several different cultures flourished there spanning in date the second millennium BC to the latest periods. In other words, the foremost factor responsible for the formation of settlements was the region’s location on trade routes and its easy intra- and extra-regional communications, especially during the Ilkhanid period, which played a conspicuous part in the cultural evolution of the Sham Valley. Concurrently, given the region’s religious importance under the Ilkhanid rulers which echoes their religious clemency as part of their foreign policies, revealing data were obtained regarding the local social and religious structures in different periods, especially the era in question. In other words, the correspondence between the field survey’s findings and the historical texts make it clear that the Ilkhanids’s lack of religious prejudice, termed as religious toleration, was an upshot of a series of apparent and latent factors, which in general stemmed from the political orientations they adopted towards religious convictions (Morgan,2004؛ Torkamani Azar,1992 ). Recruitment of Christian females in the court (Bayani, 2011), employing Christian advisors and agents, maintaining contacts with Christian businessmen, missionaries and priests, and the particular attentions paid to the affairs of the Christian populations in Iran were all driven by the prerequisites underpinning their internal and external relations as it is evidenced by the fact that the changes in such relationships in the later Ilkhanid period would be associated with changes in the religious approaches due to political developments

Research Paper

The Archaeological Survey of Shahivand Region in Chegeni County, Lorestan Province

Mohammad Bahrami

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 25-51

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2023.357444.143193

Abstract

Chegani County is situated in the western portion of Luristan province. In pursuit of comprehensive studies and investigations within Luristan province, the author conducted a survey ... Read More

Research Paper

Typo-technological Classification of the Chipped Stone Assemblages of Hotu Cave from the Mesolithic to the Transitional Chalcolithic: Reflections on Local Raw Material Procurement in the Caspian Sea Littoral Ecozone

Mozhgan Jayez; Mojtaba Safari; Sana Ghasemi

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 53-86

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2023.357605.143194

Abstract

Prehistoric investigations in the southeastern region of the Caspian Sea commenced more than a century ago, resulting in the identification of several prominent archaeological sites, ... Read More Prehistoric investigations in the southeastern region of the Caspian Sea commenced more than a century ago, resulting in the identification of several prominent archaeological sites, notably the caves of Kamarband, Hotu, Komishan, and Altappeh. These caves have become well-known for their rich archaeological deposits, spanning from approximately 16,000 years ago in the Mesolithic period to the Historic period. Hotu Cave, situated on a cliff along the northern slope of the Alborz mountain range, gained significant attention following its initial excavation in the 1950s by Carleton S. Coon. Excavations conducted over two field seasons lasting nine weeks each revealed valuable insights into the region's prehistoric occupation. In 2021, a team led by Hasan Fazeli from the University of Tehran undertook the re-excavation of Hotu Cave, unearthing 124 archaeological contexts spanning from the Mesolithic to the Historic period. Among the notable findings were 1,539 chipped stone artifacts, predominantly crafted from locally sourced Behshahr chert. The chipped stone assemblage from Hotu Cave exhibits distinctive characteristics indicative of different periods, including pressure removal technique evident in blade-lets and sickle trapezoids dating back to the Neolithic period, alongside ubiquitous scrapers and notched-denticulated tools found across all layers. Technological shifts within the chipped stone assemblage, observed during the recent excavations, reflect changes in subsistence patterns inferred from archaeozoological research on animal remains. However, the interpretation of these technological and subsistence changes is nuanced, as it remains unclear whether they occurred locally and gradually or resulted from external influences, such as demographic movements or the diffusion of ideas from neighboring regions. The chronological gap between the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods complicates the determination of the precise mechanisms driving these transformations solely based on material evidence from Hotu Cave. Further interdisciplinary research integrating archaeological, chronological, and environmental data is warranted to elucidate the dynamics of cultural change in this region during the transition from the Mesolithic to the Neolithic period

Research Paper

Explaining the Role of Ecological Variables Affecting the Survival Process - Development and Stagnation of Ardabil Islamic City Life

Seyyd mehdi Hosseyni nia; Karim Hajizade; Habib Shahbazi Shiran; Reza Rezaloo

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 87-108

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2019.284959.142750

Abstract

The city of Ardabil, due to its unique geographical and strategic location, was known in the early Islamic centuries as a crossroads and the most important city of Azerbaijan in economic, ... Read More

Research Paper

Reading the Archaeological Landscape through Contemporary Perception (a Case Study of Ozbeki Tepe)

Fatemeh Heidari; Homa Irani Behbahani; Bahman Firuzmandy Shirehjin

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 109-130

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2021.315621.142968

Abstract

The living environment of today is the outcome of the relationships between the people who have lived in it and nature, from the time of the emergence of the human species on Earth ... Read More The living environment of today is the outcome of the relationships between the people who have lived in it and nature, from the time of the emergence of the human species on Earth to the present day. Human activities and the changes resulting from them in the context of place have taken place under the influence of beliefs, needs, and natural restraining and reinforcing factors, and with the change of generations and climate change have taken on various forms, the remnants of which we are witnessing today. The current landscape, which bears the marks of the past, is called the archaeological landscape, which is the result of the combination of objective and subjective elements. The objective part is the archaeological remains, but the subjective part includes the relationships between societies, culture, and its changes, which are often overlooked; however, this often-overlooked part has been very dynamic and has played a significant role in shaping the existing objectivity. This paper attempts to present a method for reading the archaeological landscape in the perception of the contemporary human being through the archaeological landscape phenomenology. The phenomenology of the landscape requires a comprehensive approach in which we pay close attention to "nature" and "culture”, to places with and without evidence of change or human activity. By considering the hierarchy of historical-cultural events and the objectivity that remains from them, as well as the connection of the people who lived there with the surrounding natural environment, this method provides a reading that, in addition to emphasizing the protection of ancient objective structures, preserves the continuity of these landscapes with their context and transforms the archaeological landscape from mere protection to a dynamic and interactive landscape with contemporary humans. Therefore, understanding the evolution of archaeological landscapes and their values is of fundamental importance for conservation and planning strategies. These landscapes possess inherent natural and cultural values, which necessitate the integration of objective and subjective aspects into methods for their conservation and presentation

Research Paper

A Typological Investigation of Ground Stone from Tol-e Chega Sofla, a Middle Susiana Period

Abdulwahab Dahdouh; Abbas Moghaddam; Nasir Eskandari

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 131-154

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2023.355732.143185

Abstract

The Middle Susiana period in southwestern Iran has several characteristics, the most important of which are the development of agriculture and animal husbandry alongside growing numbers ... Read More

Research Paper

A Preliminary Study of Sasanian Bullae Held in the Shahrood Museum

AbbasAli Rezaeinia

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 155-183

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2024.359374.143208

Abstract

The Shahrood Museum holds 32 Sasanian clay bullae that were confiscated in 2005. These bullae hold invaluable information, contributing substantially to our understanding of Sasanian ... Read More

Research Paper

Systematic Survey and Site Formation Process of Khaneh-sar 1, a Paleolitic site in eastern Mazandaran

Hosein Ramzanpour; Kamaleddin Niknami; Sajjad Alibaigi

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 185-205

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2021.322540.143010

Abstract

The archaeological site of Khaneh-sar 1 represents a geological facies comprising Pleistocene deposits situated southeast of the Caspian Sea, approximately 700 meters east of Komishan ... Read More

Research Paper

Archaeological Survey of the Water Supply System and Water Cycle at the ʿĀli Qāpu Palace of Isfahan

Elahe Rouhollahi; Ali Shojaee Esfahani; Saeed Ghaseminezhad

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 207-230

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2023.360435.143214

Abstract

The Āli Qāpu Palace, one of the grand constructions erected during the Safavid period (907-1135 AH) in Isfahan, stands out as one of the most renowned architectural marvels of its ... Read More

Research Paper

Forging Historical and Cultural Monuments in Iran

Mohamad reza Zahedi; Hasan Karimian

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 231-251

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2020.285309.142753

Abstract

Since the onset of the Enlightenment in the early 18th century, and the subsequent establishment of museums, galleries, and private collections, the acquisition of cultural artifacts ... Read More

Research Paper

Iconographical Analysis of the Royal Hunting Scene on the Sasanian Bear Hunting Plate of Abkhazia Museum

Esmaeil Sangari; Farzad Rafieifar; Sara Yousefi

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 253-275

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2024.366742.143237

Abstract

The bear hunting silver plate housed in the Abkhazia Museum stands out as a distinctive example of artwork from the Sasanian period. Its portrayal of bears being hunted, alongside the ... Read More

Research Paper

Semantic Analysis of Rock Art in the Villages of Moin-Abad, Darbar, Haftan, and Qaleh Gandam-Koh of Tafarsh City

Maryam Mohebali; Ahmad Aliyari

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 277-297

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2023.359699.143221

Abstract

The artists of ancient times created pictures with simple lines and engraved their mark and identity on them. With its special features, this art encourages us to examine the carved ... Read More

Research Paper

The Qumis Earthquake of 856 CE:A Review of Paleoseismological Studies of the Astaneh Fault System, Central Alborz

Hamid Nazari; Jean-François ritz; Magali Rizza; Reza Salamati; shenon mahan; mohammad ali shokri; J-L Michelot; m Massault; mohammad foroutan; Shirin Zarei

Volume 16, Issue 1 , February 2024, Pages 299-328

https://doi.org/10.22059/jarcs.2023.358711.143202

Abstract

The Astaneh Fault is classically described as the source of the most destructive seismic event in the history in Northeastern Iran, the 856 CE Qumis earthquake with an estimated magnitude ... Read More

Volume 16 (2024)

Volume 15 (2023)

Volume 14 (2022)

Volume 13 (2021)

Volume 12 (2020)

Volume 11 (2019)

Volume 10 (2018)

Volume 9 (2017)

Volume 8 (2016)

Volume 7 (2015)

Volume 6 (2014)

Volume 5 (2013)

Volume 4 (2012)

Volume 3 (2011)

Volume 1 (2009)

Volume & Issue: Volume 16, Issue 1 - Serial Number 34, February 2024, Pages 1-338

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