Babak Shaikh Baikloo Islam | Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch (original) (raw)

Uploads

Videos by Babak Shaikh Baikloo Islam

گفتگویی با بابک شیخ بیکلو، دکتر باستان‌شناس و پژوهشگر دیرین‌اقلیم

10 views

Papers by Babak Shaikh Baikloo Islam

«زیست‌بوم‌شناسی انسانی» و «باستان‌شناسی محیطی» رویکردهایی میان‌رشته‌ای برای بررسی، تحلیل و تفسیر ... more «زیست‌بوم‌شناسی انسانی» و «باستان‌شناسی محیطی» رویکردهایی میان‌رشته‌ای برای بررسی، تحلیل و تفسیر برهمکنش‌های متقابل انسان و محیط پیرامون او در چارچوب جستارهای هم‌زمانی و درزمانی هستند. نیازمندی‌های مُبرم باستان‌شناسان به توصیف روشمند و تببین علّت ومعلولی پدیده‌های زیست‌بومی و بهره‌برداری‌های مسلم آنان از رهاوردهای شناختی و نتایج چه‌بسا تأویلی محیط‌پژوهی را — به‌ویژه پس از تحولات نظری و روش‌شناختی باستان‌شناسی در پی دگرگونی‌های بنیادینِ ورای جنگ جهانی دوم — نه می‌توان انکار کرد و نه می‌شود نادیده گرفت. در واقع، نگرش سیستمی به ارتباط نظام‌مند انسان و زیست¬بوم باعث «نفی جدایی فرهنگ از محیط»، «توجه به مجموعه روابط مؤثر در برهم‌کنش‌های فرهنگی ـ اجتماعی» و «توضیح زمینه‌ها و عوامل دخیل در تغییرات فرهنگی» شده است. این دستاوردِ «باستان‌شناسی نو» شناسایی بهتر متغیرهای زیست‌بومی و نسبت آنها با رفتارهای فرهنگی را به دنبال دارد. آنچه از رهگذر مرور پژوهش‌های باستان‌شناسی در حوضة سد کانی سیب — و درست‌تر «درة کانی سیب» — مغفول، به‌جا‌نیامده و بر زمین‌مانده به نظر می‌رسد، تفحص‌های زیست‌بوم‌شناختی و جستارهای محیطی و استفاده از نتایج بکر آنها در معرفی‌های نوآورانه و پردازش‌های جامع‌تر تفسیری در باب یافته‌های میدانیِ زیرسطحی است. با چنین دیدگاهی این مقاله — بدون وجه تأکیدی بر محوطه، دوره یا فرهنگ باستان‌شناسی خاصی — در پی تبیین ارزشها، تأثیرها و معنادهی‌های رویکرد «زیست‌بوم‌شناسی» (انسانی یا فرهنگی) به‌ویژه در چارچوب و ساختار پژوهش‌های باستان‌شناختی ِپیشنهادی برای رسیدگی به استعلامهای عمرانی (خصوصاً گونه‌های بزرگ‌مقیاسِ مصوب در پهنه‌های زیست‌بومی گسترده) است تا بانی لحاظ چنین نگرشی و مروج استفاده از چنان نتایجی در نوشتارهای گزارشی یا مقاله‌ای سپسین شود، موضوعی که آن را به استناد مشاهده و مرور مقاله‌های مندرج در این مجموعه غالباً تاکنون نادیده مانده می‌یابیم و معمولاً شاهد ارضا و اقناع پژوهشگران از یکسو و پژوهشکدة باستان‌شناسی از سوی دیگر به گزارش‌دهی‌های صرف و چه‌بسا تکرار و بازنشر آن‌ها هستیم. بخش مکمل نوشتار حاضر، به تابش شعاع‌ها و طرح چشم‌اندازهایی از وضعیت معاصر دشت میانکوهی پیرانشهر و پارة به‌آبگیر تبدیل شدة آن می‌پردازد و در پرتوی تبیین‌ها و برداشت‌های کلی زیست‌بوم‌شناختی ـ باستان‌شناختی به ترسیم کلیتی برای جزییات سپسین می‌نشیند.

Journal of Research on Archaeometry, 2020

Climatic conditions have dried up since the late 5th millennium BC as if Paleoclimate research in... more Climatic conditions have dried up since the late 5th millennium BC as if Paleoclimate research in the northern hemisphere, particularly Iran and neighboring countries, shows unfavorable climatic conditions and several periods of severe drought during 4th millennium BC. Also, based on environmental sedimentological studies on archaeological sites such as Mafin Abad of Islamshahr and Meymanat Abad of Robat Karim in Tehran province and Ghara Tepe of Qomroud in Qom province, it has been determined that all three sites were flooded by neighboring rivers in the mid and late 4th millennium BC. The occurrence of these floods coincided with the severe droughts in the 4th millennium BC. The enormous floods caused by severe centralized rains are, in principle, one of the main features of climate change and droughts. As the drought intensified, especially since the late-4th millennium BC, human populations in the cultural region of North Central Iran have decreased, leading to a cultural decline during the Bronze Age. This research tries to study the destructive impacts of climate change on ancient societies of the Tehran plain and the Qomroud-Gharachay basin, located in the western part of the North Central region of Iran. For this purpose, paleoclimate research of the Holocene Age and environmental sedimentological studies of ancient sites contemporary with Sialk III period have been used. Also, during environmental surveys of the Mafin Abad site, evidence of an ancient stream (possibly one of the branches of the Karaj River) belonging to the mid-4th millennium BC, was discovered. It is probable that the uprising of the same river destroyed the ancient village. The XRD analysis on the sediments of this river indicates the deliberate selection of this location for establishment of the important settlement in 5th and 4th millennium BC. According to the sedimentology, the ancient stream has been one of the most valuable mine of pottery clay in the whole of North Central Iran. Previously, there was one of the largest ceramic factories near Mafin Abad, which uses peripheral soil. Also, the existence of very fine and excellent pottery of Mafin Abad, belonging to the Cheshmeh Ali Culture with 3mm thickness is another reason to support this hypothesis. Thus, Mafin Abad has great environmental potential for attracting human communities, but has failed to reach the threshold of urbanization. Mafin Abad and Ghara Tepe in the mid-4th millennium BC and Meymant Abad in the late-4th millennium BC ended their lives. Although it is not yet known exactly where the Meymanat Abad settlement was formed after the Mafin Abad collapse, but because the most recent Mafin Abad cultural material belongs to the early Sialk III phase and the oldest Meymanat Abad cultural material belongs to the same period, it is likely that after the end of Mafin Abad due to the flooding of the ancient stream which was a branch of the Karaj River, Meymanat Abad has been established. Since the absolute dating of Meymanat Abad indicates the oldest settlement at around 3700 BC, it may be possible to attribute this date time to the flood in Mafin Abad. As noted, most of the paleoclimate researches confirm the occurrence of a climate change and drought in about 3700-3500 BC. Also, the eventual collapse of Meymanat Abad in

Climate Change Research, 2023

Climatic conditions shape the environmental situation of each region, something that the subsiste... more Climatic conditions shape the environmental situation of each region, something that the subsistence system of societies depends on and the belief system is based on. Therefore, any oscillation in the climate is not only able to change the way of life of humans but also affects their ideology and spirituality. Human cultural evolutions in the past twelve thousand years have been accompanied by abrupt climate events. These events have marked many ideological changes. In fact, from primitive rituals to advanced religions, all have been linked to the climate in some way and have had a strong connection with environmental conditions. During the pre-civilization period, a belief evolution occurred in the transition from the Younger Dryas to the early Holocene, which gradually developed into the middle Holocene. In the 4th millennium BC, with the emergence of urbanization, the formation of primitive priest-king governments, and the classification of society, the worship of natural phenomena turned into the worship of gods. Today's major religions, which have emerged since the second millennium BC, form two general groups that have completely separate natures according to the type of climate and environment of their origin. Indian polytheistic religions belonged to the villagers of wet and forested regions and Abrahamic monotheistic religions belonged to the pastoral-nomadic tribes of dry and desert regions. In this article, the relationship between climate and ideology in the course of human cultural evolution from the Neolithic to the Modern age is investigated. The main purpose is to raise awareness about the important mission of religious leaders in changing, modifying, and adjusting effectively some religious laws in line with the current climate change resilience, adaptation, and mitigation programs. This can also significantly reduce the possible domestic socio-political threats of the developing countries that are more involved with the climatic consequences of global warming.

Payām-e Bāstānshenās, 2023

In the archaeological research of the Iron Age of Iran, the study of human-environment interactio... more In the archaeological research of the Iron Age of Iran, the study of human-environment interaction has been largely neglected. Besides, due to the occurrence of climatic oscillations over the cultural period, conducting research with this approach seems necessary. The biggest limitation of this study was the shortage of absolute datings and reliable relative chronologies for most Iranian Iron Age sites. In addition, the studied sites, which are mainly cemeteries, do not allow for cultural stratification. In this research, the abundance and spatial distribution of the Iron Age cemeteries and settlements excavated and surveyed in the North Central, North, Northwest, and West regions of Iran are analyzed from the perspective of climate change. Paleoclimate researches in Southwest Asia indicate the intensification of arid climatic conditions during the Iron Age II (1250-800 BC). Based on the analysis, it is probable that the decrease in population in some regions and the displacement of human communities, as well as the subsistence system relying on mainly pastoral-nomadic during the Iron Age, were related to arid climatic events.

Journal of Research on Archaeometry

Arabian Journal of Geosciences, Jan 19, 2023

Human health and subsistence have always been, directly and indirectly, affected by climate chang... more Human health and subsistence have always been, directly and indirectly, affected by climate change events. Although the general trend of temperature in the Late Holocene has been toward cooling, due to the growing population and intense human activities over the past 150 years, the global temperature has risen. To mitigate climate change, the widespread use of renewable energy and the reduction of fossil fuel utilization are feasible solutions. The largest source of renewable energy is solar radiation, and Iran is one of the countries with high solar energy potential. In this study, technical research is done on the potential of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant installment in Lut Desert, located in eastern Iran, to provide all electricity consumption of the country. This region receives the maximum solar radiation per year. In the proposed power plant, 305 WLG solar panels and 60 kW SMA solar inverters are applied. The modeling of this project has been done in PVsyst software with the annual temperature data of the Lut region. The results show that this project requires 140 solar PV power plants with a 1 GW capacity in an area of 2100 km 2 .

Journal of Sistan and Baluchistan Studies, 2021

During the third millennium BC, while most parts of Iran were in cultural decline, the civilizati... more During the third millennium BC, while most parts of Iran were in cultural decline, the civilizations of the southeast were experiencing a period of prosperity. It was only at the end of this millennium that the stress of the 4.2 ka BP dry event (2200-1900 BCE) was able to lead to the collapse of the Bronze Age civilizations. The Akkadian dynasty, the old Egyptian kingdom, and the Indus Valley civilization were also affected by this great drought. The climatic event was probably due to a decrease in solar energy and, as a result, the cooling of the North Atlantic waters and a drop of westerlies and monsoons related rainfalls. The climate of southeast Iran, which is mainly dominated by monsoons, had been absorbing relatively good humidity for most of the third millennium BCE, but with the occurrence of the 4.2 ka BP event, witnessed a significant drop in rainfall, which led to the gradual decline of civilization in this region. Furthermore, the beginning of the cultural decline of this region from around 2200 BCE could be due to the severe economic recession and the instability of the political system of Mesopotamia due to the pressures of drought, famine, migration, and war that affected the economic system throughout the region. Since then, luxury goods consumers have likely lost their purchasing power due to economic weakness. Besides, the occurrence of severe droughts at the peak of the Mesopotamian population growth no longer allowed the country to export grain. Therefore, the regular customers of Kerman region products decreased sharply, and as a result, these workshops went bankrupt. This article, while reconstructing the climate of southeast Iran in the third millennium BCE based on paleoclimate research of Iran and neighboring regions, tries to explain the direct and indirect effects of climate on the cultural evolution of human societies and the history of ancient civilizations of the Middle East. It seems that unbalanced population growth and socio-economic complexity of societies have been the main reasons for the inability of civilizations of the third millennium BCE to adapt to climate change.

Tissaphernes Archaeological Research Group., 2022

Climatic events, especially severe droughts, have played a key role in cultural evolution and the... more Climatic events, especially severe droughts, have played a key role in cultural evolution and the challenge of civilizations. Climate change, which affects the natural resources and, consequently, the health and subsistence system of human societies, can lead to increased violence, migration, war, and the spread of epidemics. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the possible effects of climate on important events of the Sassanid era. Extensive regions of the Near East and Central Asia have been more vulnerable to droughts, which often recurred during cooling periods, due to semi-arid to hyper-arid environmental conditions. From the second half of the fifth century AD with the beginning of the cold event of the early Middle Ages, the occurrence of droughts and cold waves caused famines and epidemics. These tensions seem to have triggered many social and political events in the Sassanid realm and neighboring regions. These conditions in the sixth and seventh centuries AD caused the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Sassanid government due to Arab invasions. Historical and paleoclimate studies show that successive wars with Central Asian invaders in dry periods, and the frequent outbreak of plague associated with falling temperatures, especially following the floods of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in AD 628, were affecting factors in the dynasty’s weakness and collapse. Besides, some civil wars and revolts, such as the Mazdaki movement, can be considered as indirect effects of climate tensions that contributed to the gradual decline of the Sassanid Empire.

Persica Antiqua, 2022

Climatic events, especially severe droughts, have played a key role in cultural evolution and the... more Climatic events, especially severe droughts, have played a key role in cultural evolution and the challenge of civilizations. Climate change, which affects the natural resources and, consequently, the health and subsistence system of human societies, can lead to increased violence, migration, war, and the spread of epidemics. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the possible effects of climate on important events of the Sassanid era. Extensive regions of the Near East and Central Asia have been more vulnerable to droughts, which often recurred during cooling periods, due to semi-arid to hyper-arid environmental conditions. From the second half of the fifth century AD with the beginning of the cold event of the early Middle Ages, the occurrence of droughts and cold waves caused famines and epidemics. These tensions seem to have triggered many social and political events in the Sassanid realm and neighboring regions. These conditions in the sixth and seventh centuries AD caused the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Sassanid government due to Arab invasions. Historical and paleoclimate studies show that successive wars with Central Asian invaders in dry periods, and the frequent outbreak of plague associated with falling temperatures, especially following the floods of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in AD 628, were affecting factors in the dynasty’s weakness and collapse. Besides, some civil wars and revolts, such as the Mazdaki movement, can be considered indirect effects of climate tensions that contributed to the gradual decline of the Sassanid Empire.

PAZHOHESH-HA-YE BASTANSHENASI IRAN, 2019

Drawing on hospital-based interviews and fieldwork in a deprived Parisian suburb, this paper anal... more Drawing on hospital-based interviews and fieldwork in a deprived Parisian suburb, this paper analyses the spatio-temporal dynamics of risk, exposure, and mobilities in individual stories of undocumented Pakistani male migrants, and asylum seekers-receiving treatment for single and combined diagnoses of HIV, and Hepatitis C and B. Inviting alignments with the 'sexual' turn in mobility studies, it prioritises the interface of all-male undocumented migration, mobility, sexuality, and homosociality in circumscribing disease transmission geneaologies. It questions the extent to which illegal migration routes are transmission routes, and risk environments assume different levels of intensity in everyday life in Pakistan, during the journey, and in France. It emphasises inadequately addressed epidemics of HIV and hepatitis in Pakistan, the significance of unequal routes to migrant healthcare in France, and the transnational adaptation of homosocial and sexual behaviours, including MSM. These factors interplay with intensified vulnerabilities relating to childhood sexual abuse, family traumas, sexual risks related to illegal migration and undocumented status in France, chronic stresses leading to depleted mental and physical health, and restrictions on heterosexual sex facing marginalised migrants. Further, temporal vulnerabilities relate to the colonial criminalisation of homosexuality in Pakistan, widespread sexual violence-and forms of contemporary exclusion and hostility regarding Muslim migrants in Europe. Particularly, we emphasise the paradox, and need to sensitively address, a complex confluence of hidden risks that are deeply embedded in ethnic communities of solidarity and support. The findings trouble the tendency to partition global hepatitis and HIV prevalence rates by 'developed' and 'developing' country variation.

Climate change is significantly affecting the livelihoods and health of human societies. During t... more Climate change is significantly affecting the livelihoods and health of human societies. During the Holocene, climatic events have occurred repeatedly. These events typically have affected large regions between 100 and 600 years. Paleoclimate studies of the Northern Hemisphere have identified climatic events of 9.2, 8.2, 5.2, 4.2, 3.2 ka BP, Roman warming, the early medieval cooling, medieval warming, and Little Ice Age. Also, by adapting the archaeological studies and the paleoclimate research of Iran, other periods of climate change such as 7.5, 7, 6.2 and 4.8 ka BP can be introduced. Due to the vastness and geographical diversity of Iran, the impact of each of these events in different parts of the country has been different, but, in general, during droughts related to climate change, semi-arid to arid regions of Iran have been more vulnerable, and therefore, people were using a variety of strategies to resilience and adapt, such as changing subsistence patterns, managing water r...

Documenta Praehistorica, 2020

During the Bronze Age, the cultural region of North Central Iran (NCI) suffered a longterm cultur... more During the Bronze Age, the cultural region of North Central Iran (NCI) suffered a longterm cultural decline, probably due to severe droughts. According to paleoclimate research, during the overall period c. 5.4–3.5 ka BP, four widely observable climatic events occurred at c. 5.3–5.0, 4.9–4.7, 4.2–3.9, and 3.8–3.5 ka BP, and these appear to have caused widespread environmental damage in the Near East. Archaeological evidence of the NCI-region reveals political events that can be associated with the observed climatic variability. Paleoclimate research and archaeological studies can attribute, in combination, the cultural decline of NCI during the Bronze Age to the Late Holocene climate change.

Prehistoric archaeological sites in the center of the Iranian Plateau suddenly disappeared around... more Prehistoric archaeological sites in the center of the Iranian Plateau suddenly disappeared around the end of the 4th millennium BCE. At Tepe Sialk, near Kashan, the last cultural period, namely Sialk IV - probably established around 3400 BCE after the last settlements of Sialk III6-7b - was abandoned approximately after 500 years. The material culture of this period, known as Proto-Elamite period, is very different from the previous one, showing similarities with Susa III. This period belongs to the same horizon of Uruk III in Mesopotamia and similar evidences were discovered also at sites such as Sofalin, Shoghali, Pardis, Chaltasian, Meymanat Abad, Gholi Darvish, Maral Tepe (Uzbeki), Ghabristan, Arisman and Hissar. With the abandonment of Sialk IV, cultures affected by Uruk in Near East were simultaneously abandoned. This trend of abandonment documented in the center of the Iranian Plateau continued for about 500-1500 years. Palaeo-climatological studies show that this period coin...

8_Conf_Geomorphology, 2021

تا پیش از قرن بیستم و افزایش تصاعدی و نامتوازن جمعیت‌، تأثیر بشر بر اقلیم زمین بسیار ناچیز بود. ب... more تا پیش از قرن بیستم و افزایش تصاعدی و نامتوازن جمعیت‌، تأثیر بشر بر اقلیم زمین بسیار ناچیز بود. بنابراین، رویدادهای تغییر اقلیم پیشین منشأ طبیعی داشتند و پس از طی کردن دورة خود، به پایان می‌رسیدند. در دوران تاریخی، جوامع انسانی در برخورد با تغییر اقلیم و مخاطرات جوی ناشی از آن، راهبردهای گوناگونی برای تاب‌آوری و سازگاری ابداع کرده و به‌کار می‌بردند. در ایران که اقتصاد معیشتی اغلب بر پایة فعالیت‌های کشاورزی و دامپروری استوار بوده است، مدیریت آب، مهمترین اقدام در مواجهه با خشک‌سالی و سیل به شمار می‌رفته است. در این مقاله‌، پس از بازسازی اقلیم ۲۵۰۰ سال گذشته ایران بر اساس پژوهش‌های دیرین‌اقلیم، تعدادی از پاسخ‌های فرهنگی مردم ایران به رویدادهای اقلیمی خشک ارائه می‌شوند. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهند که بومیان این سرزمین از قرن‌ها پیش متوجه وقوع تغییرات اقلیمی بوده‌اند و تا جای امکان سعی می‌کردند معیشت خود را با اقلیم خشک و تبعاتش تطبیق دهند، ضمن این‌که توازن جمعیت نیز بر توانایی سازگاری ایشان افزوده بود.

Proceedings of the 5th International YES Congress, 2019

Water and Soil Management and Modeling, Jun 30, 2021

Introduction The flood is a devastating event that occurs both due to natural causes and due to m... more Introduction
The flood is a devastating event that occurs both due to natural causes and due to mismanagement of human factors. During periods of climate change, catastrophic floods have occurred, mainly due to extreme rainfalls, leading to widespread damages and heavy economic losses, displacement, migration, the spread of epidemics, and the mortality of many people. Psychological research related to current global warming also indicates the appearance or exacerbation of mental disorders after the occurrence of this natural event. In this study, the socio-economic and health consequences of floods have been studied, and also, using paleoclimate, archeological, and historical researches, some severe and extensive flood events from prehistory to the present have been presented. Finding reports of flood events from historical documents and discovering evidence of floods among the cultural layers of ancient sites, along with paleoclimate and paleo-flood studies, can yield more accurate results from past climatic and environmental conditions. In the studies of environmental sedimentology of some ancient sites of Iran, evidence of catastrophic floods belonging to the mid-fourth millennium BC has been found and some also have been reported in the historical books of the Islamic period. These events coincide with periods of climate change called medieval warming and the Little Ice Age and occurred mostly in Iran due to extreme rainfalls and flooding of rivers and seasonal streams.
Materials and Methods
In this study, first, the devastating social, economic and health consequences of floods are explained. Then, archaeological evidence is examined, some of which are the result of field research. Finally, historical documents and reports that mention the occurrence of great and influential floods from the early Islamic period to the present are presented.
Results and discussion
Occurrence of heavy rains in a country like Iran, due to its special climatic and topographic features has always caused various natural disasters such as floods and landslides and as a result, has caused great and irreparable economic and social losses (Farajzadeh, 2013: 112). Floods kill more than 2,000 people each year and affect 75,000,000 of the world's population. The reason is the geographical distribution of alluvial fans and shore lines that have long been attractive for human habitation (Mohammadi, 2010: 73).
The occurrence of floods, due to the extreme rainfalls related to climate change, mainly overlapped with drought periods. One of the most important and obvious archeological evidence of floods dates back to the fourth millennium BC. According to the high resolution paleoclimate research of Lake Neor in Ardabil, from about 4200 to 3000 BC, there was a very dry period with increasing dust (Sharifi et al., 2015). During this period, at least two periods of severe drought occurred, 3700-3600 BC and 3250-3150 BC, which are shown by the paleoclimate research of Soreq Cave in the west of Jerusalem (with a resolution of 3 to 20 years) (Bar-Matthews and Ayalon, 2011). Archaeological evidence of floods in the middle and late fourth millennium BC as a result of environmental sedimentology and archaeological excavations in the sites of Mafin Abad Islamshahr, Meymanat Abad Robat Karim and Qara Tepe of Qomroud in North Central Iran, as well as in the sites of Shoruppak, Kish and Ur in Iraq Have been identified (Shaikh Baikloo et al., 2020).
The flood of 628 AD, which occurred due to the flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia, was probably one of the main reasons for the fall of the Sassanid dynasty. Blazari, the historian of the Islamic period, in Fotouh Al-Baldan (1958: 414-415), attributes the occurrence of this great flood to the end of the reign of Khosrow Parviz. This event has not only led to the death of many people, but also had more unpleasant consequences such as the destruction of crops, famine, displacement, and the spread of plague.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be said that if flood prevention and control in Iran are not managed efficiently and effectively, extreme rainfalls related to current climate change (global warming) can cause serious damages and irreparable losses.

Parseh Journal of Archaeological Studies

گفتگویی با بابک شیخ بیکلو، دکتر باستان‌شناس و پژوهشگر دیرین‌اقلیم

10 views

Journal of Research on Archaeometry, 2020

Climate Change Research, 2023

Payām-e Bāstānshenās, 2023

Journal of Research on Archaeometry

Arabian Journal of Geosciences, Jan 19, 2023

Journal of Sistan and Baluchistan Studies, 2021

Tissaphernes Archaeological Research Group., 2022

Persica Antiqua, 2022

Climatic events, especially severe droughts, have played a key role in cultural evolution and the... more Climatic events, especially severe droughts, have played a key role in cultural evolution and the challenge of civilizations. Climate change, which affects the natural resources and, consequently, the health and subsistence system of human societies, can lead to increased violence, migration, war, and the spread of epidemics. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the possible effects of climate on important events of the Sassanid era. Extensive regions of the Near East and Central Asia have been more vulnerable to droughts, which often recurred during cooling periods, due to semi-arid to hyper-arid environmental conditions. From the second half of the fifth century AD with the beginning of the cold event of the early Middle Ages, the occurrence of droughts and cold waves caused famines and epidemics. These tensions seem to have triggered many social and political events in the Sassanid realm and neighboring regions. These conditions in the sixth and seventh centuries AD caused the gradual decline and eventual fall of the Sassanid government due to Arab invasions. Historical and paleoclimate studies show that successive wars with Central Asian invaders in dry periods, and the frequent outbreak of plague associated with falling temperatures, especially following the floods of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in AD 628, were affecting factors in the dynasty’s weakness and collapse. Besides, some civil wars and revolts, such as the Mazdaki movement, can be considered indirect effects of climate tensions that contributed to the gradual decline of the Sassanid Empire.

PAZHOHESH-HA-YE BASTANSHENASI IRAN, 2019

Documenta Praehistorica, 2020

8_Conf_Geomorphology, 2021

Proceedings of the 5th International YES Congress, 2019

Water and Soil Management and Modeling, Jun 30, 2021

Parseh Journal of Archaeological Studies

Journal of Archaeological Studies , 2020

The archaeological site of Mafin Abad, located in the central part of Islamshahr city and 3 Km to... more The archaeological site of Mafin Abad, located in the central part of Islamshahr city and 3 Km to the south of Mafin Abad village, was excavated under the supervision of Ahmad Chaychi Amirkhiz in two seasons in 2005 and 2006 (Maps 1-2). Moreover, they have dug some trenches around the site for environmental sedimentology. Findings concerning prehistoric pottery in Mafin Abad are contemporary with cultural periods of Sialk II to Sialk III4-5. However, a few pieces of pottery belonging to Sialk III6-7b are found as well. Sedimentological data shows that a layer of dense sedimentary soil, on a grey and black layer, is covered by Sialk III4-5 pottery, which suggests flood events of an ancient river near the site. Mafin Abad had probably changed to a basin catchment for a relatively long time. Paleoclimate studies show that despite the overall optimum climatic conditions during the Mid-Holocene in the westerly-dominated regions in West Asia, this period is punctuated by episodic dry spells, particularly during the fourth millennium BC. Such abrupt climate variability has probably been accompanied by extreme weather events, such as severe droughts and torrential rains which have potentially led to river overflows and massive floodings in the plains and alluvial fans. Detachments in habitats of the Tehran Plain in the late Sialk III4-5 period and the reduction of settlements in Sialk III6-7b and Sialk IV periods, and then, the cultural decline of the Bronze Age in North Central Iran, may be associated with the climate changes during the latter half of the Mid-Holocene.
Due to its special geographical location, the effect of the air circulation system, subtropical high pressure, and other factors, Iran generally has a semi-arid to the arid climate and a semi-desert to desert nature. The cultural region of North Central Iran overlaps with two large basins of the Salt Lake and the western part of the Central Desert. Most of the prehistoric sites belong to the Salt Lake basin. In this part, several sub-basins are resulting from the permanent rivers of Jajroud, Karaj, Qarachay, and Qomroud. The mentioned rivers and their branches have formed the main pattern of human settlements since the Neolithic period in the cultural region, because these human societies needed sufficient water resources for permanent settlement and agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as industrial activities and, finally, the formation of government and civilization. Climatic changes have had devastating environmental effects, disrupting the development and cultural transformation of ancient societies; Severe hurricanes, heavy rainfall, severe prolonged droughts, heat waves, and cold spells are some of the outcomes of climate change. Climate change in arid and vulnerable regions such as North Central Iran has had dire consequences for water-based human communities.
The archaeological site of Mafin Abad, located in the central part of Islamshahr city and 3 km to the south of Mafin Abad village, was excavated under the supervision of Ahmad Chaychi Amirkhiz in 2005 and 2006. Prehistoric pottery found from the layers of Tepe Mafin Abad was contemporary with cultural periods of Sialk II to Sialk III4-5. Also, a few pieces of pottery belonging to Sialk III6-7b were found on the surface. it is worth mentioning that the area of this site at the time of the excavations was 5.5 hectares, which was one of the largest settlements in North Central Iran in the Chalcolithic Age. During the excavations, six trenches were also excavated for environmental sedimentology around Tepe Mafin Abad called A to F. The A to C trenches were dug in the western part of the hill, side by side, along the northwest, at a distance of approximately 10 meters from each other. Also, Trench D was excavated in the southwest, Trench E in the south, and Trench F in the southeast of the site. The main question of this study was about how the environmental changes in this area in the chalcolithic period. We also sought to answer the questions of whether climatic events and natural hazards contributed to the decline of the prehistoric cultures of North Central Iran? What were the climatic conditions of the Chalcolithic Age (4200-3000 BC) like?
This research is based on environmental sedimentology studies of the prehistoric site of Mafin Abad, Islamshahr (Figurs. 1-2). The stratigraphic report of each of the excavated sedimentary trenches along with the features and contents of each layer are presented in full. Also, to analyze the findings, archaeological information of the Chalcolithic Age of North Central Iran and paleoclimate research of Greenland (GISP2), Iran, and neighboring regions have been examined. The Middle Holocene covers approximately 8200 to 4200 years ago. This period in the cultural region of North Central Iran includes the cultural periods of Sialk I, II, III, and IV. Although in the first half of the Middle Holocene, in general, warm climatic conditions (in different areas with a decrease or increase in humidity) prevailed, but from about the beginning of the fourth millennium to the second half of the third millennium BC, frequently, abrupt climate change has occurred, causing severe droughts or torrential rains in various regions. Flood-based sedimentary strata in the ancient cities of Ur, Shurupak, and Kish in Mesopotamia from the mid-fourth millennium BC to the early third millennium BC may indicate the occurrence of climatic hazards associated with climate change. This evidence has been obtained from the C and D sedimentological trenches of Mafin Abad site belonging to the mid-fourth millennium BC. Paleoclimate research in Lake Maharlou in Fars province shows a very dry period between 3700 to 3500 BC. Studies of Lake Neor in Ardebil province determine a significant increase in drought and dust flux during the fourth millennium BC. Proxies of Lake Kongor in the Gorgan plain show the dry conditions from about 3700 BC to the end of the fourth millennium BC. The results of research in Katalekhor Cave in Zanjan indicate the existence of dry conditions in the early and late centuries of the fourth millennium BC. Also, high-resolution paleoclimate research of Soreq Cave shows the very dry climatic conditions between 3700 and 3600 BC (Figur. 3).In the archaeological studies of North Central Iran, it is clear from the datings of most sites, except for a few, that habitation in them lasted until the late Sialk III4-5 and the early Sialk III6-7b, and other sites, since the Sialk III6-7b are set up. In sites that, according to the systematic survey, have pottery of all layers of Sialk III, it is impossible to assume with complete certainty the continuity without interruption of dwelling.
According to sedimentological studies, in Trench D, a thick, dense layer of sediment (3.5 m thick) covered a layer of gray soil with Sialk III4-5 pottery, which probably indicates the flooding of an ancient river near this site (Figurs. 1-2). Paleoclimate studies show that despite the overall optimum climatic conditions during the Mid-Holocene in the westerly-dominated regions in West Asia, this period is punctuated by episodic dry spells, particularly during the fourth millennium BC. Such abrupt climate variability has probably been accompanied by extreme weather events, such as severe droughts and torrential rains which have potentially led to rivers overflowing and sink the plains and alluvial fans. The settlement gap in the Chalcolithic villages of the Tehran Plain in the late Sialk III4-5 period and the decreasing trend of settlements in Sialk III6-7b and Sialk IV periods, and then, the cultural decline of the Bronze Age in North Central Iran may have been related with the climate changes during the second half of the Mid-Holocene. It is worth noting, according to archaeological studies in Alborz and Qazvin provinces, the number of bronze and iron age settlements in these areas is more than Tehran plain. So we can say that probably the abrupt climate change of the late Middle Holocene has changed the pattern and spatial distribution of settlements in the western part of the cultural region of North Central Iran, and shifted the settlement from arid to semi-arid areas and more favorable climates.
Environmental sedimentology in archaeological sites can acquaint us with natural events and climate change in antiquity. The results of these studies can also be effective in understanding the causes of cultural changes in prehistoric societies. This study identifies the climatic conditions of the fourth millennium BC and the dry climatic events of the Chalcolithic era and reveals the destructive effects of natural hazards associated with climate change. So far, no research has been conducted with the approach of studying climatic events in the decline of Sialk III culture in North Central Iran.

این کتاب گزارش بررسی روشمند محوطه باستانی احمدآباد کوزه گران در ۵۰۰ متری جنوب غربی روستای احمدآبا... more این کتاب گزارش بررسی روشمند محوطه باستانی احمدآباد کوزه گران در ۵۰۰ متری جنوب غربی روستای احمدآباد وسط در غرب شهر ورامین است. محوطه مزبور شامل مواد فرهنگی عصر مس سنگی می‌باشد.

مصر که در شمال‌شرقی قاره آفریقا واقع شده، به‌دلیل این‌که از جهات شمال و شرق به دو دریا، از سمت جن... more مصر که در شمال‌شرقی قاره آفریقا واقع شده، به‌دلیل این‌که از جهات شمال و شرق به دو دریا، از سمت جنوب به کوهستان و از طرف غرب به بیابا‌ن‌های خشک و لم‌یرزع می‌رسد، در دوران باستان محیط آرامی برای زندگی نوع بشر به‌شمار می‌رفت. این کشور از گذشته‌های دور به دلیل نوع و شکل معماری بناها و علایم تصویری به‌جای مانده از پیشینیان، توجه بسیاری از جویندگان گنج، موزه‌داران و باستانشناسان را به خود جلب کرده بود. از زمانی‌که «ژان فرانسوا شامپولیون» توانست خط هیروگلیف را رمزگشایی کند، نزدیک به دو قرن سپری شده و در طی این زمان نسبتا طولانی، ناشناخته‌های بسیاری درباره اسامی خدایان، پادشاهان، تاریخ، اساطیر و فرهنگ جامعه دین‌سالار مصر آشکار شده است.