Journal of Archaeological Studies

Abstract One of the most important reasons for the formation of cities is their geographic location. Sometimes these particular geographic conditions themselves cause the city to be displaced or it’s obsolete or abandonment. In some cases, cities are destroyed by factors other than natural ones; these types of factors are directly related to humans. The historic city of Torshiz, based on historical sources, is one of the most important cities of the Islamic era in Khorasan, which changed its location by changing the cultural landscape of Torshiz province, changing the location that displaced the city from the western part to the eastern part. The cultural area of Torshiz includes Bardaskan, Khalil Abad and Kashmar in the southwest of Khorasan Razavi. Before the transfer of the historic city of Torshiz to the eastern part (the political area of current Kashmare city) around the middle of the 12th century AH, this city has been located in the present day of Bardaskan city area, and this is well traceable from historical sources. This research is aimed at analyzing historical data and analytical types of archaeological data, statistical models in the geographic information system and suggested written sources for the location of the historic city of Torshiz. The results of the research, based on the knowledge of written sources, archaeological data, and the help of the GIS, eventually revealed the historic site of Firoozabad has been shown as the city of Torshiz, obviously the archaeological excavations can enhance our information in this field.

Abstract Bulbous domes are among discontinuous double-shell domes and has been developed in Iran since the middle of the 9^th century AH/ the 15^th century AD, concurrent with Timurid period. In this shape of domes, the dome profile was changed so that it began a return below the base of the arch, producing thereby a slight bulge that. The terminology for bulge in Iranian architecture is Avgun. Bulbous dome is considered as a part of Iranian architectural culture and the architects of this land have used this complex structure in a way that has been developing ever since its formation. It seems that this shape of dome requires a precise assessment in terms of design, mechanism of power transmission, and features of structural elements. The main purpose of this paper is to show the role of Avgun as an architectural structure in the bulbous domes, which supposed to have just an aesthetic function. In this study, the bulbous dome of Shah Mosque was simulated using Abaqus software. Then, its responses to the static and dynamic loads were tested. In order to show the Avgun role, this dome was compared with another dome, without Avgun, that possessed all similar architectural characteristics. The analysis revealed that Avgun is not just an aesthetic feature and that its prevalence had a structural reason too; So that Avgun reduces the amount of the dome's weight pressure on the dome chamber bases.

Abstract Among human productions, the art of pottery has significantly expressed the thoughts, ideas and mental creativity of human beings throughout history, among which, glazed pottery in the Islamic era with a special application has a special place. The function of Sphero-conical vessel has always been a controversial topic in the study of the Islamic temples of the middle Ages. The dispersion of the views presented along with the wide range of production and the limited historical range of the use of these containers is one of the factors that has contributed to the ambiguity in the functioning of these object. The main purpose of this article is to achieve the most logical hypotheses that have been presented so far. In this way, the most important assumptions that have been presented by researchers in about one hundred years ago were studied, among which were six major hypotheses: Fuqqa`a jar, mercury container, perfume flask, Laboratory containers, grenade and Vaporizer. According to the new evidence, it became clear that the hypothesis of the Fuqqa`a jar, first proposed by Abdullah Qouchani and Chahryar Adel, has a high degree of Accuracy. We used a descriptive-analytical method in this study and the library method in collecting information

Abstract Horand County is located in the most eastern part of Eastern Azerbaijan Province and is perhaps one of the few areas of Iran where major archaeological activities have not yet been carried out. Environmental factors play an important role in creating human settlements in any period. So in archaeology, in addition to the effects of the environment on the creation of each settlement, the degree of the adaptation of settlements to environmental conditions should be examined. One of the methods of studying the adaptation of settlements to environmental conditions is to analyze settlement patterns, that is to examine the formation of ancient sites in environmental contexts. Considering the geographical location and environmental potentials of a region, it is important to know which environmental factors have contributed to the creation, continuity, or abandonment of the grounds and how humans have dealt with their environment in choosing a lifestyle. For this purpose, 42 sites of Horand County, which have traces of the Bronze Age, are studied with the aim of determining the settlement patterns based on environmental variables. Through cluster analysis and using SPSS and ArcGIS software, the distribution of ancient sites in relation to natural variables is investigated. The location pattern of the sites in relation to the environmental resources shows that the settlement pattern of the Bronze Age at Horand is similar to the current settlement pattern and that, under the effect of the environmental conditions, two settlement patterns of sedentary farmers and nomadic herders in the region have always been observed.

Abstract Tepe Balan is one of the five ancient tepe that has been excavated as part of Sardasht dam’s salvage project. More than 900 diagnostic pottery pieces have been found during the first season from all the trenches, all the pieces used for this study. Since the site has just one period of settlement and so the pottery data is important. The primary aim of this article is to introduce and classification of parthian pottery from Tepe Balan . Thus, pottery data have been typified according to technical features, decoration and form. In terms of methodology of the study, initially the diagnostic pottery of the first season of the excavation have been documented, then these data have been compared with other data from central and northwestern Zagros and Mesopotamia, and finally some similarities have been detected. The forms for a better understanding have been classified into logical group with considering factors like mouth width and height and form of rim. The Latin characters have been used to distinguish them. The study indicates that forms A and B outnumbered by more than 60%, Technical characteristics reveals that they had storage functions. The forms F and B are comparable to local forms, The forms A and E comparable with ware of the Centraonl Zagros region.

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The manufacture of glassware was one of the historical knowledge and technics of pre-Islamic era of Iran, that was continued during Islamic periods. This research is about the glassware found in Hegmataneh and Bu-Ali museum during Islamic period. The glassware collection has been excavated illegally and until now no survey has been done on them. The method of research is done descriptively, historically and analytically. And that according to survey in museums, studies are done from libraries for comparison and history. Studies and comparisons on these wares show that they have been produced during three historical periods. The first group is related in the first and second lunar century. The second group is related to third till fifth lunar century. The third group is related to sixth and seventh lunar century. In regard to application, three groups of special glassware were in use for cosmetics and medicine. Glassware for Hejamat and for pitchers were classified. The production of technical glassware is also made by blowing freely and blowing in the mould. The decoration of this glassware is like carving, moulding  and wavy lines have been done on them. The main question that arises on this subject is that is this glassware comparable and history marking with other discovered glassware, are they scientifically surveyed. All the glassware’s capable for study, compared to other glassware, domestic collections and foreign that was related to Islamic period and that are obtained scientifically, they are chronologized and compared.

Abstract Elemental analysis and chemical composition of ancient glasses are widely used to determine the glass type, technique and raw materials used in their production and recipes. The results of elemental analysis of 23 glass vessels dated to the early Islamic periods kept in the Iran National Museum presented in this paper. The samples discovered during archaeological excavations in several Islamic sites. Elemental analysis of these samples done by micro-PIXE technique.The major and trace elements existing in these samples are measured. Glass type, raw material used in their production process and colorant (coloring agent) of the glasses in diverse sites investigated and determined based on our results. The results show that the glasses found in all sites are high soda-lime-silica glasses.
The results of the study compared with Iranian samples of the Corning Museum and glasses of Fustat and Qasr al-Hair. Since the amounts of magnesium oxide and potassium oxide in all analyzed samples but one sample are more than 2.5%, with the exception S10,S17. It is clear that the ashes obtained from halophytic plants considered as supplying source for sodium oxide. Sample 10 of this study as a natron–based glass fitted to a group labeled by N-1 (Levantine I) from eastern Mediterranean region.The results also show that the metal oxides such as manganese oxide, iron oxide, copper oxide, chromium oxide and cobalt oxide used in the samples as "coloring agent" or "decolorizing agent".

Abstract Pottery is one of the cultural evidences that its developments in different times are important archaeological indicators. Pottery can be viewed from different aspects. Appearance features such as form, shape, color, decoration and pottery production technology have changed over time. In this research, with the study of the technology of the pottery obtained from the excavation of the Sagzabad Tepe in Qazvin plain, which is one of the important areas of excavation in the central plateau of Iran, the period of the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age has been investigated. In this study, with focus on the pottery in this region, new information on the production of pottery has been obtained. To determine the chemical composition of the potteries, a series of excavated objects consisting of a selection of potteries from each period were analyzed using the ICP-OES method and a statistical comparison of the data obtained from the measurement of 40 elements was performed consisting of the major, minor and trace ones. The correlation coefficient of the analyzed samples also was   studied. Comparing the results obtained from the analysis of potteries according to the hypothesis suggests that all potteries are probably local productions and it is possible that they have been produced in the same region (clay sources) in different periods.is possible that they have been produced  in the same region (clay sources) in different periods.

Abstract During the Sassanid period, countless artworks have been created by artists that include types of motifs The study of animal designs two forms 1- Real animals 2- Mythical and mixed animals, and understanding the symbolic and mythical meanings of each one in this research And the question of the research is, what animals real or mythical and combined are involved in the rock reliefs,filets  and seals of the Sassanid period, and what are the concepts of these animals and which of these three works of art does each of these motifs have? The purpose of the research is to obtain concepts and categorize these animals in three types of rock reliefs,filets  and seals of the Sassanid period. As a result, the research is presented in a tabular form which shows that these elements are related to the astronomical, cosmic, Zoroastrian, and mythological concepts of Iran. The use of numerous animal designs for the manifestation of the gifts and blessings of life expressed in the form of visual arts by the artist and the Sassanian artist in symbolic roles is reluctant to express the reality, but his aim is to look after the scenes. In general, as we get closer to the end of the Sassanian period from the ancient times, the number of works with the role of mixed beasts and their godliness is diminished and associated more with Iranian mythology.Illustration in Sassanid art is of special importance according to the perspective in ancient Iran.

Abstract Archaeologically, and historically Indo Parthian kingdoms is not a well-known for us they have not has been mentioned in mythological history and in the historical resources of early Islamic period. They dominated the territory that Indo - Greeks and then Indo –Scythians were ruled there. Some scholars have not separated the Parthian and Scythian kings from India, and have not made any clear distinctions between kings of the two governments. Most of our knowledge of this government is based on the numismatic studies. The purpose of this paper is to analyses of the history of Indo-Parthian kingdom and their political relation to with Iranian Parthian Empire. The research method of the present study is descriptive-analytical method and an attempt has been made to pay attention to the ambiguities and complexities of the Parthian rule of India by relying on numismatic sources and reviewing historical researches and researches. The results of the study showed that the Parthians of India were politically independent from the Parthians of Iran, and although there appeared to be no hostile relations between the two governments; However, the Parthian rulers of Iran saw the Parthians of India as an intruder in their territory. Also in the sequence of Parthian kings of India according to numismatic documents, the following order can be considered: Gondophares (simultaneously with Orthagnes, and Guda), Abdagases, Pacores, Sanabares I, II and III and other kings named Parhas and Semara that are known of their names on the coins.

Abstract Archaeologically, analytical research of chemical elements on ancient objects gives important information on the raw materials and the production techniques. PIXE analysis is one of the non-destructive methods which is common for analytical researches on archaeological objects, especially on ceramics. Archaeological investigation at the ancient underground complex of Tappeh Ghaleh Aghaj in the Khomein county led to discovering some pieces of so-called luster ware. In the present study, a collection of luster potteries were selected to be analyzed to identify the nature, components and especially their provenance. To achieve our aims, a total number of twenty-five pieces of luster ware recovered from the site were analyzed by using PIXE method. Van De Graaf accelerator with 2MeV proton beam used to sample bombardment and High precision Si(Li) detector with 170KeV energy resolution chose to collected proton back scattered in 135 degree form incident beam. The sample, proton beam and detector were placed in 10-5Torr vacuum chamber. The analysis results were compared with the studied samples from other regions such as Kashan, Rey in central Iran and Takht-e Soleyman in North-West of Iran. The study showed that our samples present most similarity with the Kashan wares so it is evident that they were produced locally.

Abstract The first archaeological work in east of Fars, conducted by Sir A. Stein in 1934. However, an intensive survey, directed by De Miroschedji, was carried out in this region in 1971-72. Unfortunately, the materials of this survey were not studied in detail. So, the prehistoric cultures of the Fasa and Darab valleys remained unclear. To comprehend the prehistoric cultural developments of the east of Fars, the Miroscedji’s survey collections were studied first and completed with a stratigraphical excavation at Tappeh Vakilabad. The combination of the results of the survey and excavation provided an appropriate framework for the prehistoric cultures. These results affirmed that the prehistoric cultures of the east of Fars were entirely indigenous after the Bakun period to the beginning of the Kaftari era. The pottery styles of this era (Bakun-Kaftari), are introduced as Vakilabad, Zahak, Jouzjan, Roudbal, and Galyan. Furthermore, the settlement pattern analysis shows a reduction in the number of settlements in the Vakilabad period and more intensely in the second half of the fourth and first half of the third millennium BC. This pattern may indicate a shift in the subsistence economy of the large part of the society from agriculture to animal husbandry. The fourth and third millennium BC settlement patterns of the east of Fars are almost similar to KRB. However, in the second half of the fourth and first half of the third millennium BC, the KRB reached a complicated political and social developments, but the east of Fars became a peripheral region with the limited settled population.

Abstract Abstract: Sar-e Pol-e Zahab region in the western of Central Zagros is located between Central Zagros highland and Mesopotamia and Khorasan high road as only western- eastern road passes from that. In other hand this road after passing Sar-e Pol-e Zahab enter to Qasr-e Shirin and Mesopotamia low lands. Therefore, this region is very important in archaeological studies of Central Zagros and Mesopotamia. However, unfortunately, a few archaeological researches have been done in this region. The present study aims in representing a perspective about the Sar-e Pol-e Zahab during the Akkadian period as well as reviewing the written documents regarding the mutual relations and Akkadian cylinder seals discovered in archeological excavations in order to help the interpretations about the presence of Akkadians in this region. In this paper we will discuss about the  Mountainous Passage of western Central Zagros and Khorasan High Road on the Akkadian Seals and will explain the loucation of Sar-e Pol-e Zahab on the Akkadian Seals.

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The Late Bronze Age and Iron Age I represent significant alterations in material and non-material culture of people living in the Iranian plateau. The knowledge and taking advantage of iron were as a tremendous discovery in this period that has overshadowed all aspects of human life those days. The societies, by passing the Iron Age and having potential for globalization, have paved the way for establishing the vast empires. Therefore, this period can be called the period of the protohistory of Iran.
One of the most significant and important sites indicating these developments in northwestern Iran is the Shaharyeri archeological site in Meshkinshahr, Ardabil province. This site was discovered following surveys of Charles Burney in 1978 in northwestern Iran, and studied under the supervision of Alireza Hejbari Nobari during 2003-2005 with the aim of identifying the Iron Age cultures of northwestern Iran. We can study the Iron Age cultural indices of the east part of northwest Iran in a continuous cultural context. The most important architectural remain, from the formation period, is an early temple that included slab stones, mortar and mud brick, and monoliths that laid to the structure. Semi pastoralist societies populated the site since Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age following constructing a basic temple, whereas developed during Middle Iron Age by construction of citadel and a vast cemetery with up to 500 anthropomorphic monoliths next to a temple. Concluding remarks shows that formation of settlement at Middle and Late Bronze ages and archaeological marker of mentioned period is early temples and development of nomadic culture