Mozhgan Jayez مژگان جایز | University of Tehran (original) (raw)

Papers by Mozhgan Jayez مژگان جایز

کواترنری ایران, 2023

در بررسی باستانشناسانه حاشیه شمال و شرق دشت ایذه، در شمال شرق استان خوزستان، 35 سازه صخرهای و 1 ه... more در بررسی باستانشناسانه حاشیه شمال و شرق دشت ایذه، در شمال شرق استان خوزستان، 35 سازه
صخرهای و 1 هاون سنگی قابل حمل شناسایی شد که اکثر آنها در دامنه غارها و پناهگاه های صخره ای اواخر
پلئیستوسن و در برخی موارد در حاشیه بستر جریانهای فصلی ق رار داشتند. در پژوهش حاضر تالش شده
است با توصیف این آثار، جایگاه آنها در چارچوب گاهنگاری نسبی ادوات سنگی در غرب آسیا از طریق مطالعات
نسبی و مقایسهای مشخص شود. تقسیم بندی گونهشناسانه این آثار، به سه دسته فنجان وارهها، هاونها و
تشتک های، و تحلیل ابعاد آنها نشانگر ت نوع کارکرد آنها می باشد. مطالعات صورت گرفته نشان می دهد ادوات
سنگی از ابتدای دوران پارینه سنگی جدید در اوراسیا برای فرآوری مواد غذایی مورد استفاده بوده اند، اما فراوانی
سازههای صخره ای در منطقه غرب آسیا از دوران فراپارینه سنگی و در منطقه لوانت ناگهان افزایش قابل
توجهی یافته و سپس در دوران نوسنگی محل تولید و استفاده از آنها از فضاهای باز به داخل فضاهای مسکونی
منتقل شد. بر این اساس و با توجه به اینکه اکثر سازههای صخره ای ایذه در کنار غارها و پناهگاه های صخره ای
پارینهسنگی جدید و فراپارینه سنگی قرار دارند، به نظر می رسد بخشی از آنها را می توان آثار به جایمانده از
این دوران در نظر گرفت.

هنرهای زیبا - هنرهای تجسمی, 2024

نسان شناسان، حضور بقایایی که نشان دهنده ی پیچیدگی های رفتاری (همانند تولید هنر) می باشند را حاصل ... more نسان شناسان، حضور بقایایی که نشان دهنده ی پیچیدگی های رفتاری (همانند تولید هنر) می باشند را حاصل شکل گیری ظرفیت های شناختیِ پیچیده در ذهن می دانند. تاکنون سه فرضیه اصلی (انقلاب شناختی، فرآیند تجمعیِ تدریجیِ تطور و گونه های چند گانه) در خصوص منشأ چگونگیِ آغازِ پیچیدگی های رفتاری و ظرفیت های شناختی بر مبنای قدیمی ترین آثارِ هنری و صنعتیِ به جای مانده از انسان شکل گرفته است. در این پژوهش با بررسیِ قدیمی ترین یافته های مرتبط با زیورآلات در دوران پارینه سنگیِ ایران این سه فرضیه مورد مطالعه قرار خواهند گرفت. هدف از این پژوهش بررسیِ جایگاهِ ایران در مطالعات شکل گرفته در خصوص خاستگاه های احتمالیِ ظرفیت های شناختی در انسان می باشد. بر این اساس قدیمی ترین یافته های خودآرایی در ایران (از محوطه های پارینه سنگی غار یافته در لرستان، غار بوف در استان فارس و غارهای کمیشان، کمربند و التپه در مازندران) نشان می دهند که خودآرایی همانند دیگر اجزای مدرنیته ی رفتاریِ فرض شده مفهومی نیست که در تاریخ پنجاه هزار سال قبل به طورِ ناگهان ظهور کرده باشد، بلکه قدیمی ترین آثارِ نمادینِ شناخته شده از انسانِ هوشمند در آفریقا نشان دهنده ی حضورِ بقایای مدرنیته ی رفتاری، هزاران سال پیش از ورود انسانِ هوشمند به اوراسیا هستند. از این منظر انسانِ هوشمند از همان ابتدا دارای ظرفیت های شناختیِ موردِ نظر بوده است و براساس شرایط و نیازهای احتمالیِ خویش این ظرفیت ها را به دیگر نقاط جهان انتقال داده است.

The Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic in the Eastern Fertile Crescent Revisiting the Hilly Flanks, 2023

The last two seasons of intensive survey in Izeh Plain, north-east of Khuzestan, has led to the d... more The last two seasons of intensive survey in Izeh Plain, north-east of Khuzestan, has led to the discovery of 128 Late Paleolithic-Early Neolithic sites. From the surface of the outer slopes of these caves and rock shelters, chipped stones have been sampled in a controlled manner. The chipped stone assemblages indicate a comparative chronology based on typical tools and cores which could be attributed to Upper Paleolithic (conical bladelet cores, carinated burins and scrapers, many bladelets, end scrapers, rare lamelle dufours), Epipalaeolithic (many bladelets, conical bladelet cores, geometric microliths, backed bladelets, thumbnail scrapers) and Early Neolithic (pressure microblade, glossed sickle elements). Most of the assemblages indicate multiperiod chronology of the sites. The differentiation between Upper Paleolithic and Epipalaeolithic is less clear since common elements, such as conical bladelet cores and thumbnail scrapers, are present in almost all assemblages, but Neolithic components, such as pressure microblade cores and sickle elements, although few in number, are less questionable. They clearly indicate the continuation of occupation of the sites in later periods. The lack of Neolithic early village sites in the vast plain of Izeh might be the consequence of either poor condition of preservation or the occupation patterns of Early Neolithic people of the region.

Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies (IJAS), 2022

This paper focuses on the lithic finds from two seasons of excavations at Qaleh Kurd (QK), a cave... more This paper focuses on the lithic finds from two seasons of excavations at Qaleh Kurd (QK), a cave site in western Central Plateau. Through sedimentological studies, Holocene and Pleistocene deposits were identified during the excavations. Analysis of sedimentary context and the spatial distribution of the faunal remains and lithics suggested that the Pleistocene deposits at QK split into three sub-periods. Statistical analysis based on the lithic techno-typology confirmed such suggestion with the lithics featuring Middle Paleolithic (MP) affinities in all phases. The cross-sequence comparisons of QK’s lithics with the Zagros and Central Plateau MP assemblages suggested stronger affinities of QK with the former. The overall characteristics of the QK tool kit consist of a scraper-rich, flake-base typology, low frequency of denticulate and notch, the abundance of points, application of Levallois technique, frequent signs of direct percussion, minimal preparation of platform, and the presence of intense retouching and rejuvenating the edges.

Iranica Antiqua, 2022

115 years has been passed since the first reports on the Paleolithic research on the Iranian Plat... more 115 years has been passed since the first reports on the Paleolithic research on the Iranian Plateau and all the while, Paleolithic research in Iran has been increasingly and variably expanding. The history of the Iranian Paleolithic archaeology has been the subject of a number of publications in recent years, but no precise statistics has ever been presented regarding the trends, sites and researchers, due to the difficulty of access to the resources, many of which have never been published properly. This research is a statistic review of Paleolithic archaeology of Iran based on the evaluation of all-range resources (from 1906 to 2021 – some published and many non-published) mentioning more than 2800 sites attributed to Paleolithic based on surface materials and 60 by excavations. It has been attempted to assess the patterns of distribution, abundance, and change in the Iranian Paleolithic research over time and whenever possible, the causes and explanations have been discussed. Accordingly, five phases of research have been recognized and described based on statistical and historical backgrounds (1906-1948; 1949-1979; 1980-1998; 1999-2010; 2011-present). Ideally, the extraction of these patterns is expected to contribute to understanding the processes and trends and to predicting and management of the future trajectories of studies in this field.

کهن بوم، دوفصلنامه علمی تخصصی انجمن علمی باستان شناسی دانشگاه مازندران, 2022

حاشیه جنوب شرق دریای مازندران به عنوان یکی از اولین مناطقی که مطالعات پارینه‌سنگی ایران در آن آغا... more حاشیه جنوب شرق دریای مازندران به عنوان یکی از اولین مناطقی که مطالعات پارینه‌سنگی ایران در آن آغاز شد، ناحیه بسیار مهمی در زمینه مطالعات میان‌سنگی ایران محسوب می‌شود. چهار غار کمربند، هوتو، التپه و کمیشان از سال 1328 خورشیدی تا امروز توسط باستان‌شناسان ایرانی و غیرایرانی مورد کاوش قرار گرفته‌اند و در نتیجه این کاوش‌ها مشخص شده است که قدیمی‌ترین تاریخی که نشانگر استقرار جمعیت‌های میان‌سنگی در منطقه باشد حدود 15-16 هزار سال قبل است و احتمالا بین 11 تا 9 هزار سال قبل دوران میان‌سنگی به انتها رسیده و نوسنگی آغاز شده است. صنایع سنگی میان‌سنگی کاسپی در این محوطه‌ها نشانگر مردمانی است که با استفاده از منابع سنگ مرغوب چرت بهشهر دست‌افزارهای سنگی تولید می‌کردند. صنایع سنگی این دوره مبتنی بر تولید ریز-تیغه‌ها از سنگ مادرهای پریزماتیک و تراشه‌ها از سنگ مادرهای چندسویه و هم‌مرکز بوده است. این تیغه‌ها و تراشه‌ها سپس با رتوش مبدل به ابزارهای کنگره‌دار، دندانه‌دار، خراشنده، سوراخ‌کننده، کولدار و هندسی می‌شدند که ابعاد متوسط و بزرگی داشتند و در فعالیت‌های مرتبط با شکار حیوانات و گردآوری گیاهان و پرداخت مواد غذایی جانوری و گیاهی برای مصرف روزمره مورد استفاده قرار می‌گرفتند. حدود 11 تا 9 هزار سال قبل، تغییر عمده‌ای در فناوری دست‌افزارهای سنگی این منطقه صورت گرفت که شامل استفاده از تکنیک فشاری برای تولید تیغه‌ها و ریزتیغه‌های نازک و بسیار منظمی بود که عمدتاً برای دروی محصولات گیاهی مورد استفاده قرار گرفتند. سایر ابزارهای میان‌سنگی کاسپی بدون تغییر چندانی در نوسنگی همچنان تولید و مصرف می‌شدند و فقط کاربری برخی از آنها منطبق با نیازهای جدید جامعه نوسنگی دچار تغییر شد.

Universum Humanitarium, 2021

This paper presents a typo-technological analysis of the lithic assemblage from the excavation of... more This paper presents a typo-technological analysis of the lithic assemblage from the excavation of Mesolithic site of Altappeh (southeast of the Caspian Sea). The site was excavated by C. McBurney and the archaeological materials from the excavation were divided between the University of Cambridge and the National Museum of Iran. This research is based on the chipped stones stored in the National Museum of Iran. The assemblage, consisting mostly of flake tools including various scrapers and notchdenticulate tools, presents characteristics which reflect "Caspian Mesolithic" chipped stone industry, previously detected from cave sites of Kamarband, Hotu and Komishan in the same region. The Mesolithic chipped stone industry of the south and southeast of the Caspian Sea had been introduced as "Trialetian" during 1990s, but the recent research emphasizes the differences between chipped stone assemblages entitled "Trialetian" with "Caspian Mesolithic". These differences are mostly reflected in raw material procurement strategies and tool types which are not similar in the assemblages from southeast and west of the Caspian Sea. Keywords Paleolithic, Caspian Mesolithic, Altappeh, Chipped Stones.

پژوهشنامه انتقادی متون و برنامه های علوم انسانی, 2021

The only translated book into Persian about the classification of archaeological chipped stones i... more The only translated book into Persian about the classification of archaeological chipped stones is one of the most important technical books named "Technology of Knapped Stone" by M. Louise-Inizan and colleagues. This book, which is a great source in English and French, is introduced and criticized in this article. Since the book is the only one of its kind available in Persian, its value for the sake of educational purposes is unequivocal, but the quality of the print in translated version is highly questionable regarding the layout, images quality, and graphic design. Another aspect that is criticized in this article is the quality of translation which has been discussed regarding the Persian equivalents chosen for the words describing lithics and the ambiguity of technical descriptions. As a result, proper selection and uniformization of the Persian equivalents of technical vocabulary are recommended.

پارینه سنگی ایران 1, 2021

صنایع اواخر دوران پارینه‌سنگی در ایران در منطقه زاگرس تحت عناوین «بردوستی»، «رستمی» و «زرزی» شناخ... more صنایع اواخر دوران پارینه‌سنگی در ایران در منطقه زاگرس تحت عناوین «بردوستی»، «رستمی» و «زرزی» شناخته شده هستند. دشت ایذه در شمال شرق استان خوزستان، بر اساس مطالعات هنری رایت در دهه 1950 میلادی، به صورت بالقوه، امکان پژوهش‌های مرتبط با فرهنگ‌ها و صنایع پارینه‌سنگی جدید و فراپارینه‌سنگی را مطرح نمود. بر این اساس سه فصل بررسی پیمایشی پیاده جهت شناسایی کامل غارها و پناهگاه‌های صخره‌ای پارینه‌سنگی در این دشت صورت گرفته است که در نتیجه آن 250 غار و پناهگاه‌ صخره‌ای شناسایی شده‌اند؛ 160 عدد از این مکان‌ها آثار متقنی مبنی بر بازدید گروه‌های شکارگر-گردآورنده اواخر پارینه‌سنگی از این محوهه‌ها ارائه می‌دهند. در این مقاله به معرفی محوطه‌ها و یافته‌های آنها پرداخته شده که غالباً شامل دست‌ساخته‌های سنگی می‌شود. صنایع سنگی این منطقه نشانگر شاخصه‌های دوره‌های پارینه‌سنگی جدید، فراپارینه‌سنگی و نوسنگی است که شامل انواع سنگ مادرهای یکسویه ریزتیغه، خراشنده‌های ناخنی، عناصر زورقی، ریزتیغه‌های کولدار و رتوشدار، قطعات کنگره‌دار و دندانه‌دار و انواع خراشنده‌های کوچک روی تراشه و تیغه می‌شود. بررسی‌های صورت گرفته نیمی از کوهپایه‌های دشت ایذه را پوشش می‌دهد و امید می‌رود در آینده بتوان با انجام بررسی‌های بیشتر طیف کامل محوطه‌ها و آثار منطقه را شناسایی و ثبت نمود.

فصلنامه کواترنری ایران, 2020

بر اساس شکل‌گیری فن‌آوری ریزتیغه و محصولات و روش‌های مربوط به آن تا امروز مدل‌های متنوعی در زمینه... more بر اساس شکل‌گیری فن‌آوری ریزتیغه و محصولات و روش‌های مربوط به آن تا امروز مدل‌های متنوعی در زمینه جابه‌جایی جمعیت‌ها یا برهم‌کنش‌های فرهنگی اواخر پلیئستوسن مطرح شده است و یکی از این مدل‌ها مربوط به آسیای مرکزی و شمالی بر اساس فن‌آوری سنگ‌مادرهای با سطحِ ‌برداشتِ‌ باریک بوده است که در منطقه سیبری/مغولستان شکل گرفته و از سمت غرب الگوی انتشار آن تا منطقه غرب آسیای مرکزی پیگیری شده است. با توجه به شناسایی این آثار در محوطه‌های میان‌سنگی و نوسنگی جنوب شرق دریای مازندران و مطرح شدن احتمال ارتباط آنها با الگوهای جابه‌جایی‌های پیش از تاریخ از آسیای مرکزی، این مقاله به شناسایی و معرفی چنین سنگ‌مادرهایی از محوطه‌های پارینه‌سنگی جدید تا نوسنگی دشت ایذه در جنوب غرب ایران ‌می‌پردازد. در بررسی‌های پیمایشی دشت ایذه تعداد زیادی غار و پناهگاه صخره‌ای مربوط به دوران پارینه‌سنگی جدید تا اوایل نوسنگی شناسایی شده است که در صنایع سنگی آنها انواع مختلفی از سنگ مادرهای ریزتیغه مشاهده می‌شود و سنگ مادرهای با سطحِ ‌برداشتِ ‌باریک یکی از انواع آنها هستند. به نظر می‌رسد شکل این سنگ‌مادرها در صنایع سنگی به دست آمده از ایذه تا حد زیادی به پیروی از فرم طبیعی سنگ‌های خام لوحه‌ایِ تخت ایجاد شده باشد. بر اساس مطالعه شکل و نحوه آماده‌سازی سنگ‌مادرهای دشت ایذه و بررسی مباحث مرتبط با تعریف و واژگان مورد استفاده در مطالعه سنگ‌مادرهای با سطحِ‌ برداشتِ‌ باریک و فن‌آوری شکل‌دهی به آنها در آسیای مرکزی و شمالی، احتمال اینکه منطقه ایذه در جنوب غرب ایران در تداوم برهم‌کنش‌های فرهنگی یا جابه‌جایی گروه‌های انسانی به چنین فن‌آوری دست یافته باشد، کمتر مطرح است و انطباق فرم سنگ‌مادرها بر فرم ماده خام در دسترس و حضور همزمان این سنگ‌مادرها در کنار دو نوع دیگر سنگ‌مادرهای ریزتیغه، یعنی سنگ‌مادرهای منشوری و زورقی، باعث ‌می‌شود حضور چنین سنگ‌مادرهایی را بیشتر محصول نوآوری‌های محلی و تنوع در انتخاب‌های ‌فن‌آورانه شکارگران-گردآورندگان اواخر پلیستوسین در مواجهه با محدودیت‌ها و امکانات محیطی در منطقه بدانیم.

Ancient Near Eastern Studies, 2020

Komishan Cave is on the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea, close to the previously excavated ... more Komishan Cave is on the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea, close to the previously excavated Mesolithic caves of Hūto, Kamarband and Ali Tepe. The excavation in Komishan cave was initiated in 2009 with four major archaeological goals: 1) to establish a reliable framework for the Mesolithic technologies of the region since the last field research almost 40 years ago; 2) to investigate the transition from the Mesolithic to Neolithic periods in northern Alborz; 3) to study the dietary regimes of the inhabitants of the site; and 4) to examine the process of domestication in the area. The results of absolute dating plus techno-typological analysis of the lithics and ceramics all indicate that the site was in use from the Mesolithic period, then its occupation continued through the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. The lithic techno-typology indicates the presence of special industry reintroduced as the Caspian Mesolithic. In terms of the process of domestication, like other Mesolithic/Neolithic caves in the region, no evidence of taking early steps toward domestication was seen among the recovered materials.

The open air Paleolithic site of Mirak belongs to the late Pleistocene and located at the norther... more The open air Paleolithic site of Mirak belongs to the late Pleistocene and located at the northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert. This site is currently situated at an arid plain in the southern part of modern city of Semnan and had witnessed repeated human occupations during the MIS3. Rapid climate change)through millennia and centuries(is one of the main aspect of this site, which had caused severe changes in the landscape. Sedimentological data indicates repeated climate fluctuations in the area leaving diagnostic layers of fluvial and alluvial sediments. Consequently, a shift in fauna and flora of the region has been inevitable. On the other hand, the last glacial cycle has had global effect, which had affected the Iranian central plateau in the form of formation of dispersed landscapes. Therefore, the northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert had been a barrier or corridor for human populations from time to time. Ecological patterns in such circumstances imply that the best approach to deal with such climatic condition was to adapt high mobility strategies. It seems data derived from analysis of lithics from Mirak is in support of such claim.

پژوهشنامه انتقادی متون و برنامه های علوم انسانی, 2020

طراحی اشیاء در جهت مستندسازی و انتقال اطلاعات جزئی از فعالیت‌های اصلی باستان‌شناسی محسوب می‌شود. ... more طراحی اشیاء در جهت مستندسازی و انتقال اطلاعات جزئی از فعالیت‌های اصلی باستان‌شناسی محسوب می‌شود. طیف گسترده‌ای از اشیاء در فعالیت‌های باستان‌شناختی مورد طراحی قرار می‌گیرند. نوشتار حاضر به نقد ترجمه کتابی در زمینه طراحی اشیاء باستان‌شناختی می‌پردازد که کتاب اصلی آن، منبعی اگرچه قدیمی، اما نسبتاً معتبر در این زمینه محسوب می‌شود. با توجه به اینکه این کتاب حتی پیش از ترجمه نیز جزء منابع بسیار مهم طراحی محسوب می‌شد، ترجمه آن به زبان فارسی اهمیت آن را نزد باستان‌شناسان دو چندان می‌نماید. ترجمه تحت‌اللفظی، برگردان فارسی نامفهوم و نامأنوس، کیفیت بسیار پایین تصاویر نسبت به کتاب اصلی که نقش عمده‌ای در افزایش درک مخاطب از مطالب کتاب دارند، فصل‌بندی آشفته و نامنظم و خوانش دشوار از جمله موارد قابل نقد در ترجمه کتاب هستند. تسلط بر زبان انگلیسی و داشتن آگاهی در زمینه طیف گسترده اشیاء و یافته‌های باستان‌شناختی جهت ترجمه چنین کتبی از مواردی است که در آینده بایستی مورد توجه مترجمین محترم قرار گیرد.

مطالعات باستان شناسی, 2020

Regarding the evolution of the production technique over a long period of prehistory, chipped sto... more Regarding the evolution of the production technique over a long period of prehistory, chipped stone assemblages provide many features that are recognizable and suitable for relative chronology, among which production techniques including hard/soft direct percussion, indirect percussion and pressure, especially in blade and bladelet production, are more reliable. This paper presents a research on blade and bladelet production techniques identified in the chipped stone assemblage of Komishan Cave in Mazandaran, a multi-period site presenting cultural material from Mesolithic, Neolithic and later periods including Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. The lithic industry indicates the application of soft direct percussion and punch technique in blade and bladelet production in Mesolithic period, while in the Neolithic, pressure technique is presented in conical, bullet shaped and boat shaped cores and their products. Another evolution in the production technique of blades and bladelets occurred in later periods, detected through observation of traces of applying metal tips in punches and pressure tools, which obviously was impossible during Neolithic.

فصلنامه کواترنری ایران, 2019

The final phase of Late Paleolithic of Zagros Mountains has been introduced as the Zarzian of the... more The final phase of Late Paleolithic of Zagros Mountains has been introduced as the Zarzian of the Epipaleolithic (EP), which was defined based on the assemblage from type site of Zarzi Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan. This techno-complex has been much less investigated and introduced in comparison to the earlier groups of Upper Paleolithic. The Zarzian is a microlithic industry with small (thumbnail) scrapers, backed bladelets and geometric forms. Although the type site of the Zarzian, i.e. Zarzi Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, was excavated 90 years ago, few other Zarzian sites have been excavated in Zagros and there are only two absolute dating available, both of which from sites outside political borders of Iran excavated in 1960s. In 2012 Deborah I. Olszewski provided a comprehensive review on the background of research on the Zarzian, although she did not have full access to information on newly found sites, probably because most of them have been published in Persian language or because there have been many Paleolithic surveys conducted in the last decade by local archaeologists making them difficult to follow comprehensively. In this article, a critical review of Zarzian research is presented with regard to the finds from the most important sites, with the goal of defining Zarzian nature and limiting it in a framework of its unique characteristics.
Although the research on Zagros EP started in early 20th century, there is not enough information regarding even absolute chronology and few sites have been excavated with Zarzian cultural deposits. Nevertheless, the terminology is used extensively across Zagros Mountains for Late Paleolithic assemblages despite their heterogeneity. In many recent surveys, especially in Central Zagros, caves and rock shelters as well as open sites have been attributed to EP and/or Zarzian based on surface lithics (references in this regard are provided in Persian extended text), but the increase in the number of EP/Zarzian sites has not contributed much in clarifying the debates regarding technological aspects of the period (e.g. the explanation for the presence/absence of geometric/non-geometric elements as a chronological criterion or a functional pattern), let alone the more complicated notions such as transition from UP to EP in the region, or identifying cultural groups and their interrelations. It is clear that there are variations in lithic industries attributed to Zarzian, and even EP, in central and Southern Zagros. Either some of attributions should be re-evaluated, or there exist variations in the techno-complexes of the period.
When the Zarzian was first introduced by Dorothy Garrod, it was described as an “industry of the final stage of Upper Paleolithic”. In fact, the detailed configuration of Zarzian Industry was established in 1990s based on chipped stone assemblage from Warwasi rock shelter by Deborah Olszewski. The lithic industry is characterized as having non-geometric microliths, mainly Dufour bladelets, and thumbnail scrapers in the earliest phases and introduction and increase in geometric microliths (i.e. scalene triangles and lunates) in the course of later phases. Despite limited number of excavated sites and lack of reliable chronological framework and ambiguities in sequential phases based on lithic industry, the terminology has been even applied in Southern Zagros sites.
Interpretive approach to Zarzian lithic industry has been developed only in a handful of sites, including Zarzi, Shanidar, Warwasi and a small assemblage form Ghar-e Khar and few of these sites have been radiocarbon dated and all of them were excavated more than 50 years ago (Zarzi in 1928; Shanidar in 1950s; Warwasi in 1960; Ghar-e Khar in 1965) with methods that were not only inaccurate in comparison to methods applied today, but also different from site to site; Statistical information is not available in publications on assemblages such as Pa Sangar in Khorramabad Valley and even Shanidar. As a result, when Warwasi assemblage was introduced in detail in 1990s, almost immediately it turned into the only reliable source of Zarzian research in the region, regardless of the fact that the function of the site has been introduced as a “game overlook/butchering station” and even if such a recognition would be accepted, its characteristics could not be exclusively generalized to other types of hunter-gatherers spatial locations. It should be also noticed that most lithic analysis of Zarzian assemblages are focused on tools typology and composition and few research take technological aspects into account (e.g. core morphology and technology are introduced in Zarzian assemblages from Pa Sangar and Warwasi).
Another point is that the UP-EP transition has only been briefly mentioned in few sites with cultural materials of both periods, the most important of which being still Warwasi rock shelter in Central Zagros. As mentioned previously lack of excavations in stratified EP sites and scarce absolute dating of these site, as well as lack of interest in the cultural period among Paleolithic archaeologists make any attempt to understand the long-term changes of the Zarzian group extremely difficult, if not inconclusive.
The main goal of this review is to emphasise the difference of the nature of what we consider “Epipalaeolithic” and what is defined as “Zarzian” as an identity within the limits of Epipalaeolithic culture; hence, it is important to restrict the attribution of Epipalaeolithic finds to “Zarzian”and set up a limit for what we can consider as Zarzian. Considering various aspects of Zarzian other than lithic technology, makes it clear that Zarzi could not be defined as an Epipalaeolithi culture, first because we do not have enough finding regarding its chronology and different aspects of cultural charachteristics of hunter-gatherers to which Zarzi is attributed; and second because what is already understood regarding their subsistence, economic and social relations is not exclusively limited to Zarzian sites and could be defined in a wider framework as every EP culture. Accordingly, for the moment and until new evidence, we have to limit the attribution only to lithic industry with specific characteristics mentioned in the article.

Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2019

The northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert has provided valuable evidence of terminal Pleist... more The northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert has provided valuable evidence of terminal Pleistocene human settlements. Mirak constitutes one of the largest open-air lithic scatters in the region, consisting of eight natural mounds. Fieldwork was initiated in 2015 by the joint Iranian-French program at Mirak 8. Preliminary results have demonstrated at least three successive phases of human occupation during the MIS3: an upper layer with clear Upper Paleolithic affinities and a maximum age of 28 ky, a lower layer with clear Middle Paleolithic affinities that dates around 47 ky, and an intermediate layer with mixed characteristics that can be seen as an intermediate Paleolithic phase which dates between 28 ± 2 and 38 ± 2 ky. At the time when Upper Paleolithic cultures originated in the Zagros Mountains, cultures with clear Middle Paleolithic affinities persisted nearby along the northern edge of the Iranian Central Plateau.

Quaternary International, 2019

The final phase of Late Pleistocene of Zagros Mountains has been introduced as Upper Paleolithic ... more The final phase of Late Pleistocene of Zagros Mountains has been introduced as Upper Paleolithic cultural
material of Baradostian/Zagros Aurignacian, but differences between UP lithic industry in central and Southern
Zagros has led to definition of another techno-complex in Southern Zagros named Rostamian. Another Late
Paleolithic industry is Zarzian Epipaleolithic which is defined based on few absolute dating and excavated sites
in the region. The nature of relationships and the territories of Late Paleolithic hunter-gatherers in the region is
obscure. In this article an intermediate region between central and Southern Zagros with Late Paleolithic evidence
is introduced based on surface survey of Izeh and Pion Plains in Southwestern Iran. Pion Plain in
northwest of Izeh was surveyed in 2008 aiming at identifying the whole range of extant sites. 19 sites were dated
to Late Paleolithic based on their surface lithic assemblages, and divided to minor and major sites regarding their
surface material density and cultural deposits. Regarding different viewpoints about the homogeneity or variation
of hominin groups during earlier phases of UP in the region, the lithic industry of Izeh and Pion lacks some
of the most important typological elements of both UP and EP. Such a difference could be explained either as a
chronological marker of the sites as belonging to later phase of Baradostian and earlier phase of Zarzian industry.
On the other hand, it could be taken as an evidence of variation among techno-complexes in Late Paleolithic of
Zagros Mountains. Chipped stone assemblages from the outer slopes of these caves and rock shelters present an
industry from late UP and early EP which makes the Paleolithic sites with obvious cultural deposits inside them a
proper candidate for excavations targeted at identification of the transitional processes from UP to EP in Zagros
Mountains.

Archaeology, 2019

The archaeological survey of the southern foothills of Alborz Mountains was conducted in search o... more The archaeological survey of the southern foothills of Alborz Mountains was conducted in search of caves and rock shelters with Palaeolithic remains. The region under investigation in Semnan Province is located in the northwestern margins of Dasht-e Kavir in Iranian Plateau. It was investigated primarily in 1980s and 1990s by Iranian archaeologists. From 2009, The Paleolithic Survey of the Iranian Central Desert Project (PSICDP) was established in order to evaluate the Paleolithic potential of the region, as a result of which Palaeolithic sites were documented and their surface collections were published. The current survey was conducted as a part of PSICDP project in autumn 2017. As a result, 12 caves and rock shelters were recorded, despite the promising condition of which only one had evidence from Palaeolithic Period. Anzo Cave, in northwest of Mehdishahr, was the only cave which yielded few number of chipped stones on the outer slope of the cave. The results of this survey raise the possibility that movement patterns of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in the region included seasonal-vertical movements between mountainous area in the north and southern lowlands. Recent discovery of Anzo Cave re-emphasizes the significance of the region as a part of migratory pathways during the Pleistocene.

International Journal of the Society of Iranian Archaeologists, 2017

Kohne Tepesi, an Early Bronze Age and Parthian site in East Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Ira... more Kohne Tepesi, an Early Bronze Age and Parthian site in East Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran, was excavated under the rescue project of Khoda Afarin Dam Basin in 2007 and 2008. The chipped stone industry from the Early Bronze Age is mostly made from two different raw materials: chert and obsidian. Typo-technological analyses indicates that the chert assemblage is different from the obsidian assemblage in being more specialized and producing formal tools. Bifacial sickle elements are exclusively made from chert, whereas the assemblage from obsidian consists mostly of tiny chips from modification of irregular bifacial core-tools. In this research Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests are applied for assessing of congruence among chert and obsidian assemblages. The results clearly indicate that there is an economic pattern in raw material selection in Early Bronze Age chipped stone industry of Kohne Tepesi.

کواترنری ایران, 2023

در بررسی باستانشناسانه حاشیه شمال و شرق دشت ایذه، در شمال شرق استان خوزستان، 35 سازه صخرهای و 1 ه... more در بررسی باستانشناسانه حاشیه شمال و شرق دشت ایذه، در شمال شرق استان خوزستان، 35 سازه
صخرهای و 1 هاون سنگی قابل حمل شناسایی شد که اکثر آنها در دامنه غارها و پناهگاه های صخره ای اواخر
پلئیستوسن و در برخی موارد در حاشیه بستر جریانهای فصلی ق رار داشتند. در پژوهش حاضر تالش شده
است با توصیف این آثار، جایگاه آنها در چارچوب گاهنگاری نسبی ادوات سنگی در غرب آسیا از طریق مطالعات
نسبی و مقایسهای مشخص شود. تقسیم بندی گونهشناسانه این آثار، به سه دسته فنجان وارهها، هاونها و
تشتک های، و تحلیل ابعاد آنها نشانگر ت نوع کارکرد آنها می باشد. مطالعات صورت گرفته نشان می دهد ادوات
سنگی از ابتدای دوران پارینه سنگی جدید در اوراسیا برای فرآوری مواد غذایی مورد استفاده بوده اند، اما فراوانی
سازههای صخره ای در منطقه غرب آسیا از دوران فراپارینه سنگی و در منطقه لوانت ناگهان افزایش قابل
توجهی یافته و سپس در دوران نوسنگی محل تولید و استفاده از آنها از فضاهای باز به داخل فضاهای مسکونی
منتقل شد. بر این اساس و با توجه به اینکه اکثر سازههای صخره ای ایذه در کنار غارها و پناهگاه های صخره ای
پارینهسنگی جدید و فراپارینه سنگی قرار دارند، به نظر می رسد بخشی از آنها را می توان آثار به جایمانده از
این دوران در نظر گرفت.

هنرهای زیبا - هنرهای تجسمی, 2024

نسان شناسان، حضور بقایایی که نشان دهنده ی پیچیدگی های رفتاری (همانند تولید هنر) می باشند را حاصل ... more نسان شناسان، حضور بقایایی که نشان دهنده ی پیچیدگی های رفتاری (همانند تولید هنر) می باشند را حاصل شکل گیری ظرفیت های شناختیِ پیچیده در ذهن می دانند. تاکنون سه فرضیه اصلی (انقلاب شناختی، فرآیند تجمعیِ تدریجیِ تطور و گونه های چند گانه) در خصوص منشأ چگونگیِ آغازِ پیچیدگی های رفتاری و ظرفیت های شناختی بر مبنای قدیمی ترین آثارِ هنری و صنعتیِ به جای مانده از انسان شکل گرفته است. در این پژوهش با بررسیِ قدیمی ترین یافته های مرتبط با زیورآلات در دوران پارینه سنگیِ ایران این سه فرضیه مورد مطالعه قرار خواهند گرفت. هدف از این پژوهش بررسیِ جایگاهِ ایران در مطالعات شکل گرفته در خصوص خاستگاه های احتمالیِ ظرفیت های شناختی در انسان می باشد. بر این اساس قدیمی ترین یافته های خودآرایی در ایران (از محوطه های پارینه سنگی غار یافته در لرستان، غار بوف در استان فارس و غارهای کمیشان، کمربند و التپه در مازندران) نشان می دهند که خودآرایی همانند دیگر اجزای مدرنیته ی رفتاریِ فرض شده مفهومی نیست که در تاریخ پنجاه هزار سال قبل به طورِ ناگهان ظهور کرده باشد، بلکه قدیمی ترین آثارِ نمادینِ شناخته شده از انسانِ هوشمند در آفریقا نشان دهنده ی حضورِ بقایای مدرنیته ی رفتاری، هزاران سال پیش از ورود انسانِ هوشمند به اوراسیا هستند. از این منظر انسانِ هوشمند از همان ابتدا دارای ظرفیت های شناختیِ موردِ نظر بوده است و براساس شرایط و نیازهای احتمالیِ خویش این ظرفیت ها را به دیگر نقاط جهان انتقال داده است.

The Epipalaeolithic and Neolithic in the Eastern Fertile Crescent Revisiting the Hilly Flanks, 2023

The last two seasons of intensive survey in Izeh Plain, north-east of Khuzestan, has led to the d... more The last two seasons of intensive survey in Izeh Plain, north-east of Khuzestan, has led to the discovery of 128 Late Paleolithic-Early Neolithic sites. From the surface of the outer slopes of these caves and rock shelters, chipped stones have been sampled in a controlled manner. The chipped stone assemblages indicate a comparative chronology based on typical tools and cores which could be attributed to Upper Paleolithic (conical bladelet cores, carinated burins and scrapers, many bladelets, end scrapers, rare lamelle dufours), Epipalaeolithic (many bladelets, conical bladelet cores, geometric microliths, backed bladelets, thumbnail scrapers) and Early Neolithic (pressure microblade, glossed sickle elements). Most of the assemblages indicate multiperiod chronology of the sites. The differentiation between Upper Paleolithic and Epipalaeolithic is less clear since common elements, such as conical bladelet cores and thumbnail scrapers, are present in almost all assemblages, but Neolithic components, such as pressure microblade cores and sickle elements, although few in number, are less questionable. They clearly indicate the continuation of occupation of the sites in later periods. The lack of Neolithic early village sites in the vast plain of Izeh might be the consequence of either poor condition of preservation or the occupation patterns of Early Neolithic people of the region.

Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies (IJAS), 2022

This paper focuses on the lithic finds from two seasons of excavations at Qaleh Kurd (QK), a cave... more This paper focuses on the lithic finds from two seasons of excavations at Qaleh Kurd (QK), a cave site in western Central Plateau. Through sedimentological studies, Holocene and Pleistocene deposits were identified during the excavations. Analysis of sedimentary context and the spatial distribution of the faunal remains and lithics suggested that the Pleistocene deposits at QK split into three sub-periods. Statistical analysis based on the lithic techno-typology confirmed such suggestion with the lithics featuring Middle Paleolithic (MP) affinities in all phases. The cross-sequence comparisons of QK’s lithics with the Zagros and Central Plateau MP assemblages suggested stronger affinities of QK with the former. The overall characteristics of the QK tool kit consist of a scraper-rich, flake-base typology, low frequency of denticulate and notch, the abundance of points, application of Levallois technique, frequent signs of direct percussion, minimal preparation of platform, and the presence of intense retouching and rejuvenating the edges.

Iranica Antiqua, 2022

115 years has been passed since the first reports on the Paleolithic research on the Iranian Plat... more 115 years has been passed since the first reports on the Paleolithic research on the Iranian Plateau and all the while, Paleolithic research in Iran has been increasingly and variably expanding. The history of the Iranian Paleolithic archaeology has been the subject of a number of publications in recent years, but no precise statistics has ever been presented regarding the trends, sites and researchers, due to the difficulty of access to the resources, many of which have never been published properly. This research is a statistic review of Paleolithic archaeology of Iran based on the evaluation of all-range resources (from 1906 to 2021 – some published and many non-published) mentioning more than 2800 sites attributed to Paleolithic based on surface materials and 60 by excavations. It has been attempted to assess the patterns of distribution, abundance, and change in the Iranian Paleolithic research over time and whenever possible, the causes and explanations have been discussed. Accordingly, five phases of research have been recognized and described based on statistical and historical backgrounds (1906-1948; 1949-1979; 1980-1998; 1999-2010; 2011-present). Ideally, the extraction of these patterns is expected to contribute to understanding the processes and trends and to predicting and management of the future trajectories of studies in this field.

کهن بوم، دوفصلنامه علمی تخصصی انجمن علمی باستان شناسی دانشگاه مازندران, 2022

حاشیه جنوب شرق دریای مازندران به عنوان یکی از اولین مناطقی که مطالعات پارینه‌سنگی ایران در آن آغا... more حاشیه جنوب شرق دریای مازندران به عنوان یکی از اولین مناطقی که مطالعات پارینه‌سنگی ایران در آن آغاز شد، ناحیه بسیار مهمی در زمینه مطالعات میان‌سنگی ایران محسوب می‌شود. چهار غار کمربند، هوتو، التپه و کمیشان از سال 1328 خورشیدی تا امروز توسط باستان‌شناسان ایرانی و غیرایرانی مورد کاوش قرار گرفته‌اند و در نتیجه این کاوش‌ها مشخص شده است که قدیمی‌ترین تاریخی که نشانگر استقرار جمعیت‌های میان‌سنگی در منطقه باشد حدود 15-16 هزار سال قبل است و احتمالا بین 11 تا 9 هزار سال قبل دوران میان‌سنگی به انتها رسیده و نوسنگی آغاز شده است. صنایع سنگی میان‌سنگی کاسپی در این محوطه‌ها نشانگر مردمانی است که با استفاده از منابع سنگ مرغوب چرت بهشهر دست‌افزارهای سنگی تولید می‌کردند. صنایع سنگی این دوره مبتنی بر تولید ریز-تیغه‌ها از سنگ مادرهای پریزماتیک و تراشه‌ها از سنگ مادرهای چندسویه و هم‌مرکز بوده است. این تیغه‌ها و تراشه‌ها سپس با رتوش مبدل به ابزارهای کنگره‌دار، دندانه‌دار، خراشنده، سوراخ‌کننده، کولدار و هندسی می‌شدند که ابعاد متوسط و بزرگی داشتند و در فعالیت‌های مرتبط با شکار حیوانات و گردآوری گیاهان و پرداخت مواد غذایی جانوری و گیاهی برای مصرف روزمره مورد استفاده قرار می‌گرفتند. حدود 11 تا 9 هزار سال قبل، تغییر عمده‌ای در فناوری دست‌افزارهای سنگی این منطقه صورت گرفت که شامل استفاده از تکنیک فشاری برای تولید تیغه‌ها و ریزتیغه‌های نازک و بسیار منظمی بود که عمدتاً برای دروی محصولات گیاهی مورد استفاده قرار گرفتند. سایر ابزارهای میان‌سنگی کاسپی بدون تغییر چندانی در نوسنگی همچنان تولید و مصرف می‌شدند و فقط کاربری برخی از آنها منطبق با نیازهای جدید جامعه نوسنگی دچار تغییر شد.

Universum Humanitarium, 2021

This paper presents a typo-technological analysis of the lithic assemblage from the excavation of... more This paper presents a typo-technological analysis of the lithic assemblage from the excavation of Mesolithic site of Altappeh (southeast of the Caspian Sea). The site was excavated by C. McBurney and the archaeological materials from the excavation were divided between the University of Cambridge and the National Museum of Iran. This research is based on the chipped stones stored in the National Museum of Iran. The assemblage, consisting mostly of flake tools including various scrapers and notchdenticulate tools, presents characteristics which reflect "Caspian Mesolithic" chipped stone industry, previously detected from cave sites of Kamarband, Hotu and Komishan in the same region. The Mesolithic chipped stone industry of the south and southeast of the Caspian Sea had been introduced as "Trialetian" during 1990s, but the recent research emphasizes the differences between chipped stone assemblages entitled "Trialetian" with "Caspian Mesolithic". These differences are mostly reflected in raw material procurement strategies and tool types which are not similar in the assemblages from southeast and west of the Caspian Sea. Keywords Paleolithic, Caspian Mesolithic, Altappeh, Chipped Stones.

پژوهشنامه انتقادی متون و برنامه های علوم انسانی, 2021

The only translated book into Persian about the classification of archaeological chipped stones i... more The only translated book into Persian about the classification of archaeological chipped stones is one of the most important technical books named "Technology of Knapped Stone" by M. Louise-Inizan and colleagues. This book, which is a great source in English and French, is introduced and criticized in this article. Since the book is the only one of its kind available in Persian, its value for the sake of educational purposes is unequivocal, but the quality of the print in translated version is highly questionable regarding the layout, images quality, and graphic design. Another aspect that is criticized in this article is the quality of translation which has been discussed regarding the Persian equivalents chosen for the words describing lithics and the ambiguity of technical descriptions. As a result, proper selection and uniformization of the Persian equivalents of technical vocabulary are recommended.

پارینه سنگی ایران 1, 2021

صنایع اواخر دوران پارینه‌سنگی در ایران در منطقه زاگرس تحت عناوین «بردوستی»، «رستمی» و «زرزی» شناخ... more صنایع اواخر دوران پارینه‌سنگی در ایران در منطقه زاگرس تحت عناوین «بردوستی»، «رستمی» و «زرزی» شناخته شده هستند. دشت ایذه در شمال شرق استان خوزستان، بر اساس مطالعات هنری رایت در دهه 1950 میلادی، به صورت بالقوه، امکان پژوهش‌های مرتبط با فرهنگ‌ها و صنایع پارینه‌سنگی جدید و فراپارینه‌سنگی را مطرح نمود. بر این اساس سه فصل بررسی پیمایشی پیاده جهت شناسایی کامل غارها و پناهگاه‌های صخره‌ای پارینه‌سنگی در این دشت صورت گرفته است که در نتیجه آن 250 غار و پناهگاه‌ صخره‌ای شناسایی شده‌اند؛ 160 عدد از این مکان‌ها آثار متقنی مبنی بر بازدید گروه‌های شکارگر-گردآورنده اواخر پارینه‌سنگی از این محوهه‌ها ارائه می‌دهند. در این مقاله به معرفی محوطه‌ها و یافته‌های آنها پرداخته شده که غالباً شامل دست‌ساخته‌های سنگی می‌شود. صنایع سنگی این منطقه نشانگر شاخصه‌های دوره‌های پارینه‌سنگی جدید، فراپارینه‌سنگی و نوسنگی است که شامل انواع سنگ مادرهای یکسویه ریزتیغه، خراشنده‌های ناخنی، عناصر زورقی، ریزتیغه‌های کولدار و رتوشدار، قطعات کنگره‌دار و دندانه‌دار و انواع خراشنده‌های کوچک روی تراشه و تیغه می‌شود. بررسی‌های صورت گرفته نیمی از کوهپایه‌های دشت ایذه را پوشش می‌دهد و امید می‌رود در آینده بتوان با انجام بررسی‌های بیشتر طیف کامل محوطه‌ها و آثار منطقه را شناسایی و ثبت نمود.

فصلنامه کواترنری ایران, 2020

بر اساس شکل‌گیری فن‌آوری ریزتیغه و محصولات و روش‌های مربوط به آن تا امروز مدل‌های متنوعی در زمینه... more بر اساس شکل‌گیری فن‌آوری ریزتیغه و محصولات و روش‌های مربوط به آن تا امروز مدل‌های متنوعی در زمینه جابه‌جایی جمعیت‌ها یا برهم‌کنش‌های فرهنگی اواخر پلیئستوسن مطرح شده است و یکی از این مدل‌ها مربوط به آسیای مرکزی و شمالی بر اساس فن‌آوری سنگ‌مادرهای با سطحِ ‌برداشتِ‌ باریک بوده است که در منطقه سیبری/مغولستان شکل گرفته و از سمت غرب الگوی انتشار آن تا منطقه غرب آسیای مرکزی پیگیری شده است. با توجه به شناسایی این آثار در محوطه‌های میان‌سنگی و نوسنگی جنوب شرق دریای مازندران و مطرح شدن احتمال ارتباط آنها با الگوهای جابه‌جایی‌های پیش از تاریخ از آسیای مرکزی، این مقاله به شناسایی و معرفی چنین سنگ‌مادرهایی از محوطه‌های پارینه‌سنگی جدید تا نوسنگی دشت ایذه در جنوب غرب ایران ‌می‌پردازد. در بررسی‌های پیمایشی دشت ایذه تعداد زیادی غار و پناهگاه صخره‌ای مربوط به دوران پارینه‌سنگی جدید تا اوایل نوسنگی شناسایی شده است که در صنایع سنگی آنها انواع مختلفی از سنگ مادرهای ریزتیغه مشاهده می‌شود و سنگ مادرهای با سطحِ ‌برداشتِ ‌باریک یکی از انواع آنها هستند. به نظر می‌رسد شکل این سنگ‌مادرها در صنایع سنگی به دست آمده از ایذه تا حد زیادی به پیروی از فرم طبیعی سنگ‌های خام لوحه‌ایِ تخت ایجاد شده باشد. بر اساس مطالعه شکل و نحوه آماده‌سازی سنگ‌مادرهای دشت ایذه و بررسی مباحث مرتبط با تعریف و واژگان مورد استفاده در مطالعه سنگ‌مادرهای با سطحِ‌ برداشتِ‌ باریک و فن‌آوری شکل‌دهی به آنها در آسیای مرکزی و شمالی، احتمال اینکه منطقه ایذه در جنوب غرب ایران در تداوم برهم‌کنش‌های فرهنگی یا جابه‌جایی گروه‌های انسانی به چنین فن‌آوری دست یافته باشد، کمتر مطرح است و انطباق فرم سنگ‌مادرها بر فرم ماده خام در دسترس و حضور همزمان این سنگ‌مادرها در کنار دو نوع دیگر سنگ‌مادرهای ریزتیغه، یعنی سنگ‌مادرهای منشوری و زورقی، باعث ‌می‌شود حضور چنین سنگ‌مادرهایی را بیشتر محصول نوآوری‌های محلی و تنوع در انتخاب‌های ‌فن‌آورانه شکارگران-گردآورندگان اواخر پلیستوسین در مواجهه با محدودیت‌ها و امکانات محیطی در منطقه بدانیم.

Ancient Near Eastern Studies, 2020

Komishan Cave is on the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea, close to the previously excavated ... more Komishan Cave is on the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea, close to the previously excavated Mesolithic caves of Hūto, Kamarband and Ali Tepe. The excavation in Komishan cave was initiated in 2009 with four major archaeological goals: 1) to establish a reliable framework for the Mesolithic technologies of the region since the last field research almost 40 years ago; 2) to investigate the transition from the Mesolithic to Neolithic periods in northern Alborz; 3) to study the dietary regimes of the inhabitants of the site; and 4) to examine the process of domestication in the area. The results of absolute dating plus techno-typological analysis of the lithics and ceramics all indicate that the site was in use from the Mesolithic period, then its occupation continued through the Pre-Pottery Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. The lithic techno-typology indicates the presence of special industry reintroduced as the Caspian Mesolithic. In terms of the process of domestication, like other Mesolithic/Neolithic caves in the region, no evidence of taking early steps toward domestication was seen among the recovered materials.

The open air Paleolithic site of Mirak belongs to the late Pleistocene and located at the norther... more The open air Paleolithic site of Mirak belongs to the late Pleistocene and located at the northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert. This site is currently situated at an arid plain in the southern part of modern city of Semnan and had witnessed repeated human occupations during the MIS3. Rapid climate change)through millennia and centuries(is one of the main aspect of this site, which had caused severe changes in the landscape. Sedimentological data indicates repeated climate fluctuations in the area leaving diagnostic layers of fluvial and alluvial sediments. Consequently, a shift in fauna and flora of the region has been inevitable. On the other hand, the last glacial cycle has had global effect, which had affected the Iranian central plateau in the form of formation of dispersed landscapes. Therefore, the northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert had been a barrier or corridor for human populations from time to time. Ecological patterns in such circumstances imply that the best approach to deal with such climatic condition was to adapt high mobility strategies. It seems data derived from analysis of lithics from Mirak is in support of such claim.

پژوهشنامه انتقادی متون و برنامه های علوم انسانی, 2020

طراحی اشیاء در جهت مستندسازی و انتقال اطلاعات جزئی از فعالیت‌های اصلی باستان‌شناسی محسوب می‌شود. ... more طراحی اشیاء در جهت مستندسازی و انتقال اطلاعات جزئی از فعالیت‌های اصلی باستان‌شناسی محسوب می‌شود. طیف گسترده‌ای از اشیاء در فعالیت‌های باستان‌شناختی مورد طراحی قرار می‌گیرند. نوشتار حاضر به نقد ترجمه کتابی در زمینه طراحی اشیاء باستان‌شناختی می‌پردازد که کتاب اصلی آن، منبعی اگرچه قدیمی، اما نسبتاً معتبر در این زمینه محسوب می‌شود. با توجه به اینکه این کتاب حتی پیش از ترجمه نیز جزء منابع بسیار مهم طراحی محسوب می‌شد، ترجمه آن به زبان فارسی اهمیت آن را نزد باستان‌شناسان دو چندان می‌نماید. ترجمه تحت‌اللفظی، برگردان فارسی نامفهوم و نامأنوس، کیفیت بسیار پایین تصاویر نسبت به کتاب اصلی که نقش عمده‌ای در افزایش درک مخاطب از مطالب کتاب دارند، فصل‌بندی آشفته و نامنظم و خوانش دشوار از جمله موارد قابل نقد در ترجمه کتاب هستند. تسلط بر زبان انگلیسی و داشتن آگاهی در زمینه طیف گسترده اشیاء و یافته‌های باستان‌شناختی جهت ترجمه چنین کتبی از مواردی است که در آینده بایستی مورد توجه مترجمین محترم قرار گیرد.

مطالعات باستان شناسی, 2020

Regarding the evolution of the production technique over a long period of prehistory, chipped sto... more Regarding the evolution of the production technique over a long period of prehistory, chipped stone assemblages provide many features that are recognizable and suitable for relative chronology, among which production techniques including hard/soft direct percussion, indirect percussion and pressure, especially in blade and bladelet production, are more reliable. This paper presents a research on blade and bladelet production techniques identified in the chipped stone assemblage of Komishan Cave in Mazandaran, a multi-period site presenting cultural material from Mesolithic, Neolithic and later periods including Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages. The lithic industry indicates the application of soft direct percussion and punch technique in blade and bladelet production in Mesolithic period, while in the Neolithic, pressure technique is presented in conical, bullet shaped and boat shaped cores and their products. Another evolution in the production technique of blades and bladelets occurred in later periods, detected through observation of traces of applying metal tips in punches and pressure tools, which obviously was impossible during Neolithic.

فصلنامه کواترنری ایران, 2019

The final phase of Late Paleolithic of Zagros Mountains has been introduced as the Zarzian of the... more The final phase of Late Paleolithic of Zagros Mountains has been introduced as the Zarzian of the Epipaleolithic (EP), which was defined based on the assemblage from type site of Zarzi Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan. This techno-complex has been much less investigated and introduced in comparison to the earlier groups of Upper Paleolithic. The Zarzian is a microlithic industry with small (thumbnail) scrapers, backed bladelets and geometric forms. Although the type site of the Zarzian, i.e. Zarzi Cave in Iraqi Kurdistan, was excavated 90 years ago, few other Zarzian sites have been excavated in Zagros and there are only two absolute dating available, both of which from sites outside political borders of Iran excavated in 1960s. In 2012 Deborah I. Olszewski provided a comprehensive review on the background of research on the Zarzian, although she did not have full access to information on newly found sites, probably because most of them have been published in Persian language or because there have been many Paleolithic surveys conducted in the last decade by local archaeologists making them difficult to follow comprehensively. In this article, a critical review of Zarzian research is presented with regard to the finds from the most important sites, with the goal of defining Zarzian nature and limiting it in a framework of its unique characteristics.
Although the research on Zagros EP started in early 20th century, there is not enough information regarding even absolute chronology and few sites have been excavated with Zarzian cultural deposits. Nevertheless, the terminology is used extensively across Zagros Mountains for Late Paleolithic assemblages despite their heterogeneity. In many recent surveys, especially in Central Zagros, caves and rock shelters as well as open sites have been attributed to EP and/or Zarzian based on surface lithics (references in this regard are provided in Persian extended text), but the increase in the number of EP/Zarzian sites has not contributed much in clarifying the debates regarding technological aspects of the period (e.g. the explanation for the presence/absence of geometric/non-geometric elements as a chronological criterion or a functional pattern), let alone the more complicated notions such as transition from UP to EP in the region, or identifying cultural groups and their interrelations. It is clear that there are variations in lithic industries attributed to Zarzian, and even EP, in central and Southern Zagros. Either some of attributions should be re-evaluated, or there exist variations in the techno-complexes of the period.
When the Zarzian was first introduced by Dorothy Garrod, it was described as an “industry of the final stage of Upper Paleolithic”. In fact, the detailed configuration of Zarzian Industry was established in 1990s based on chipped stone assemblage from Warwasi rock shelter by Deborah Olszewski. The lithic industry is characterized as having non-geometric microliths, mainly Dufour bladelets, and thumbnail scrapers in the earliest phases and introduction and increase in geometric microliths (i.e. scalene triangles and lunates) in the course of later phases. Despite limited number of excavated sites and lack of reliable chronological framework and ambiguities in sequential phases based on lithic industry, the terminology has been even applied in Southern Zagros sites.
Interpretive approach to Zarzian lithic industry has been developed only in a handful of sites, including Zarzi, Shanidar, Warwasi and a small assemblage form Ghar-e Khar and few of these sites have been radiocarbon dated and all of them were excavated more than 50 years ago (Zarzi in 1928; Shanidar in 1950s; Warwasi in 1960; Ghar-e Khar in 1965) with methods that were not only inaccurate in comparison to methods applied today, but also different from site to site; Statistical information is not available in publications on assemblages such as Pa Sangar in Khorramabad Valley and even Shanidar. As a result, when Warwasi assemblage was introduced in detail in 1990s, almost immediately it turned into the only reliable source of Zarzian research in the region, regardless of the fact that the function of the site has been introduced as a “game overlook/butchering station” and even if such a recognition would be accepted, its characteristics could not be exclusively generalized to other types of hunter-gatherers spatial locations. It should be also noticed that most lithic analysis of Zarzian assemblages are focused on tools typology and composition and few research take technological aspects into account (e.g. core morphology and technology are introduced in Zarzian assemblages from Pa Sangar and Warwasi).
Another point is that the UP-EP transition has only been briefly mentioned in few sites with cultural materials of both periods, the most important of which being still Warwasi rock shelter in Central Zagros. As mentioned previously lack of excavations in stratified EP sites and scarce absolute dating of these site, as well as lack of interest in the cultural period among Paleolithic archaeologists make any attempt to understand the long-term changes of the Zarzian group extremely difficult, if not inconclusive.
The main goal of this review is to emphasise the difference of the nature of what we consider “Epipalaeolithic” and what is defined as “Zarzian” as an identity within the limits of Epipalaeolithic culture; hence, it is important to restrict the attribution of Epipalaeolithic finds to “Zarzian”and set up a limit for what we can consider as Zarzian. Considering various aspects of Zarzian other than lithic technology, makes it clear that Zarzi could not be defined as an Epipalaeolithi culture, first because we do not have enough finding regarding its chronology and different aspects of cultural charachteristics of hunter-gatherers to which Zarzi is attributed; and second because what is already understood regarding their subsistence, economic and social relations is not exclusively limited to Zarzian sites and could be defined in a wider framework as every EP culture. Accordingly, for the moment and until new evidence, we have to limit the attribution only to lithic industry with specific characteristics mentioned in the article.

Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2019

The northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert has provided valuable evidence of terminal Pleist... more The northern edge of the Iranian Central Desert has provided valuable evidence of terminal Pleistocene human settlements. Mirak constitutes one of the largest open-air lithic scatters in the region, consisting of eight natural mounds. Fieldwork was initiated in 2015 by the joint Iranian-French program at Mirak 8. Preliminary results have demonstrated at least three successive phases of human occupation during the MIS3: an upper layer with clear Upper Paleolithic affinities and a maximum age of 28 ky, a lower layer with clear Middle Paleolithic affinities that dates around 47 ky, and an intermediate layer with mixed characteristics that can be seen as an intermediate Paleolithic phase which dates between 28 ± 2 and 38 ± 2 ky. At the time when Upper Paleolithic cultures originated in the Zagros Mountains, cultures with clear Middle Paleolithic affinities persisted nearby along the northern edge of the Iranian Central Plateau.

Quaternary International, 2019

The final phase of Late Pleistocene of Zagros Mountains has been introduced as Upper Paleolithic ... more The final phase of Late Pleistocene of Zagros Mountains has been introduced as Upper Paleolithic cultural
material of Baradostian/Zagros Aurignacian, but differences between UP lithic industry in central and Southern
Zagros has led to definition of another techno-complex in Southern Zagros named Rostamian. Another Late
Paleolithic industry is Zarzian Epipaleolithic which is defined based on few absolute dating and excavated sites
in the region. The nature of relationships and the territories of Late Paleolithic hunter-gatherers in the region is
obscure. In this article an intermediate region between central and Southern Zagros with Late Paleolithic evidence
is introduced based on surface survey of Izeh and Pion Plains in Southwestern Iran. Pion Plain in
northwest of Izeh was surveyed in 2008 aiming at identifying the whole range of extant sites. 19 sites were dated
to Late Paleolithic based on their surface lithic assemblages, and divided to minor and major sites regarding their
surface material density and cultural deposits. Regarding different viewpoints about the homogeneity or variation
of hominin groups during earlier phases of UP in the region, the lithic industry of Izeh and Pion lacks some
of the most important typological elements of both UP and EP. Such a difference could be explained either as a
chronological marker of the sites as belonging to later phase of Baradostian and earlier phase of Zarzian industry.
On the other hand, it could be taken as an evidence of variation among techno-complexes in Late Paleolithic of
Zagros Mountains. Chipped stone assemblages from the outer slopes of these caves and rock shelters present an
industry from late UP and early EP which makes the Paleolithic sites with obvious cultural deposits inside them a
proper candidate for excavations targeted at identification of the transitional processes from UP to EP in Zagros
Mountains.

Archaeology, 2019

The archaeological survey of the southern foothills of Alborz Mountains was conducted in search o... more The archaeological survey of the southern foothills of Alborz Mountains was conducted in search of caves and rock shelters with Palaeolithic remains. The region under investigation in Semnan Province is located in the northwestern margins of Dasht-e Kavir in Iranian Plateau. It was investigated primarily in 1980s and 1990s by Iranian archaeologists. From 2009, The Paleolithic Survey of the Iranian Central Desert Project (PSICDP) was established in order to evaluate the Paleolithic potential of the region, as a result of which Palaeolithic sites were documented and their surface collections were published. The current survey was conducted as a part of PSICDP project in autumn 2017. As a result, 12 caves and rock shelters were recorded, despite the promising condition of which only one had evidence from Palaeolithic Period. Anzo Cave, in northwest of Mehdishahr, was the only cave which yielded few number of chipped stones on the outer slope of the cave. The results of this survey raise the possibility that movement patterns of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers in the region included seasonal-vertical movements between mountainous area in the north and southern lowlands. Recent discovery of Anzo Cave re-emphasizes the significance of the region as a part of migratory pathways during the Pleistocene.

International Journal of the Society of Iranian Archaeologists, 2017

Kohne Tepesi, an Early Bronze Age and Parthian site in East Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Ira... more Kohne Tepesi, an Early Bronze Age and Parthian site in East Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran, was excavated under the rescue project of Khoda Afarin Dam Basin in 2007 and 2008. The chipped stone industry from the Early Bronze Age is mostly made from two different raw materials: chert and obsidian. Typo-technological analyses indicates that the chert assemblage is different from the obsidian assemblage in being more specialized and producing formal tools. Bifacial sickle elements are exclusively made from chert, whereas the assemblage from obsidian consists mostly of tiny chips from modification of irregular bifacial core-tools. In this research Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests are applied for assessing of congruence among chert and obsidian assemblages. The results clearly indicate that there is an economic pattern in raw material selection in Early Bronze Age chipped stone industry of Kohne Tepesi.

World Neolithic Congress, 2024

Chipped stone assemblages from the Mesolithic caves in the southeast of the Caspian Sea include t... more Chipped stone assemblages from the Mesolithic caves in the southeast of the Caspian Sea include the assemblages from 1964 excavations at Altappeh, 2021 excavation at Hotu Cave, 2023 excavation at Kamarband Cave, as well as three seasons of excavations at Komishan/Komishani cave/site in 2008, 2017, 2022. They amount to more than 100,000 lithics which are from layers dating to both Mesolithic, PPN and PN Neolithic. In this research the issue of the origin of changes in chipped stone typology and technology on the verge of the Neolithic period in southeast of the Caspian Sea has been discussed. In accordance to Western Central Asian lithic industries, the southeast of the Caspian Sea shows a major change in bladelet production techniques and methods as well as the occurrence of pressure removed sickle trapezoids in the Neolithic assemblages. However, the material does not indicate complete integrity in these changes in all four caves and Altappeh seems to be different in the pace and process of technological changes which could be due to earlier dating of the site.

Book of Abstracts of the International Scientifi c Seminar “From the Don Region to the Pamir: Issues of Neolithic Studies”, 2023

Tracking the Neolithic in the Near East, Lithic Perspectives on Its Origins, Development and Dispersals, 2022

Pressure technique in microblade production has long been recognized in Neolithic chipped stone a... more Pressure technique in microblade production has long been recognized in Neolithic chipped stone assemblages of southeastern Caspian Sea and core preparation methods and reduction sequences have been introduced as prismatic “bullet cores”. By differentiating between production “techniques” and “methods”, a distinction between microblade production methods becomes clear in chipped stone assemblages from Mesolithic to Neolithic and later periods, mostly from cave sites of Komishan, Kamarband, Hotu and Ali Tappeh (aka Al Tappeh). Bifacial preparation of microblade cores is only apparent in post-Mesolithic assemblages in Caspian sites. These cores, introduced in Far East assemblages as “Yubetsu”, have been widely recognized in lithic industries from southern Siberia, northern China, Japan, and the New World Arctic and as west as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. They are considered as fossil index in tracing cultural relationships between these regions since 1930s. This research introduces the similar techniques observed in preparing variants of narrow-faced cores, mainly in Komishan and Al Tappeh, which are the type sites of Caspian Mesolithic and Neolithic, and a discussion regarding the transfer of either technical knowledge or displacement of populations, or a local development at the end of the Pleistocene and during the Early Holocene follows; as this is the initial identification and research on Narrow-faced cores in Iran, a conclusive inference must wait for further assemblages to be added to the discussion.

مجموعه مقالات کوتاه هجدهمین گردهمایی سالانه باستان‌شناسی ایران, 2021

Proceedings of the 9PPN Conference abstracts, 2019

گزارش های هفدهمین گردهمایی سالانه باستان شناسی ایران, 2020

مجموعه مقالات همایش بین المللی باستان شناسان جوان, 2018

گزارش های کوتاه شانزدهمین گردهمایی سالانه باستان شناسی ایران, 2019

‫درآمد‬ ‫در‬ ‫البرز‬ ‫جنوبی‬ ‫های‬ ‫کوهپایه‬ ‫در‬ ‫ای‬ ‫صخره‬ ‫های‬ ‫پناهگاه‬ ‫و‬ ‫غارها‬ ‫«بررسی... more ‫درآمد‬ ‫در‬ ‫البرز‬ ‫جنوبی‬ ‫های‬ ‫کوهپایه‬ ‫در‬ ‫ای‬ ‫صخره‬ ‫های‬ ‫پناهگاه‬ ‫و‬ ‫غارها‬ ‫«بررسی‬ ‫طرح‬ 962141/00/1812 ‫شماره‬ ‫مجوز‬ ‫با‬ 96/8/1 ‫تا‬ 96/7/7 ‫تاریخ‬ ‫از‬ ‫سمنان»‬ ‫استان‬ ‫ی‬ ‫حاشیه‬ ‫سنگی‬ ‫پارینه‬ ‫های‬ ‫«پژوهش‬ ‫بلندمدت‬ ‫طرح‬ ‫از‬ ‫بخشی‬ ‫عنوان‬ ‫به‬ ‫این‬ ‫در‬ ‫موردمطالعه‬ ‫گسترده‬ ‫منطقۀ‬ ‫است.‬ ‫گرفته‬ ‫صورت‬ ‫مرکزی»‬ ‫کویر‬ ‫شمالی‬ ‫ایران‬ ‫مرکزی‬ ‫فالت‬ ‫از‬ ‫جزوی‬ ‫مرکزی،‬ ‫کویر‬ ‫شمالی‬ ‫حاشیۀ‬ ‫بلندمدت،‬ ‫طرح‬ )1365 ‫کبیری‬ ‫و‬ ‫(مهریار‬ ‫کبیری‬ ‫احمد‬ ‫و‬ ‫مهریار‬ ‫محمد‬ ‫شود.‬ ‫می‬ ‫محسوب‬ ‫کلی‬ ‫بررسی‬ ‫و‬ ‫معرفی‬ ‫به‬ ‫بار‬ ‫نخستین‬ ‫برای‬ )1378 ‫(رضوانی‬ ‫رضوانی‬ ‫حسن‬ ‫و‬ ‫منطقۀ‬ ‫اطراف‬ ‫های‬ ‫دشت‬ ‫در‬ ‫سنگی‬ ‫پارینه‬ ‫نوشناختۀ‬ ‫های‬ ‫محوطه‬ ‫از‬ ‫تعدادی‬ ‫مورد‬ 1380 ‫دهه‬ ‫اواخر‬ ‫از‬ ‫که‬ ‫پرداختند‬ ‫فعلی)‬ ‫سمنان‬ ‫استان‬ ‫(حوزۀ‬ ‫موردبررسی‬ ‫حاشیۀ‬ ‫های‬ ‫تپه‬ ‫ها،‬ ‫محوطه‬ ‫این‬ ‫ازجملۀ‬ ‫گرفت.‬ ‫قرار‬ ‫ای‬ ‫گسترده‬ ‫مطالعات‬ ‫گوناگون‬ ‫هایی‬ ‫نام‬ ‫با‬ ‫بومی‬ ‫مردم‬ ‫میان‬ ‫در‬ ‫که‬ ‫سمنان،‬ ‫کنونی‬ ‫شهر‬ ‫جنوبی‬

In this article the chipped stone industry from Neolithic sites in south east Iran is introduced ... more In this article the chipped stone industry from Neolithic sites in south east Iran is introduced with regard to aspects such as technology structure, tool typology and morphology. The chipped stone assemblages are from newly excavated Neolithic sites of Tal-e Atashi (PPN) and B1-1387 (PN). Neolithic chipped stone industry of the region is characterized by abundance of lunate and backed tools, bladelet production partly via pressure technique and the presence of other tools mostly notch-denticulated and drills. The tools are exclusively made of local raw material. Lunates and backed tools in the Neolithic chipped stone assemblage of the area are extensively made and functioned in composite hunting tools at earlier phases, but with the expansion of agriculture their function shifted into inserts used in composite sickles.

The aim of this work is to show how the most advanced technology together with spatial analysis c... more The aim of this work is to show how the most advanced technology together with spatial analysis can be usefully employed to investigate archaeological phenomena. This paper presents a summary of the basic methodology and some results of a recent (2006-2007) archaeological project concerning the search for Epipalaeolithic/Early Neolithic site distributions of Izeh plain. The primary goal of this project was to detect Epipalaeolithic/Early Neolithic site locations and to provide the necessary spatial models to understand the distribution pattern and structure of sites. We applied several analytic and search procedures to a well documented Epipalaeolithic/Early Neolithic case in order to infer prehistoric behavior in the organization of space. we detailed the results of an intensive ground survey of Epipalaeolithic/Early Neolithic sites designed to determine: 1) the spatial pattern of sites at a landscape scale; 2) whether a positive association exists between the density of sites and environmental variables and if so, at what scale this relationship is strongest; 3) to develop a computer based archaeological site management system.

تل آتشی اولین استقرار نوسنگی بدون سفال کاوش شده در ناحیه بم، در بخش دارستان کرمان در جنوب شرقی ای... more تل آتشی اولین استقرار نوسنگی بدون سفال کاوش شده در ناحیه بم، در بخش دارستان کرمان در جنوب شرقی ایران است. این محوطه در سال 1831 مورد کاوش قرار گرفت و نهشته های فرهنگی آن شامل 11 مرحله معماری است که همگی متعلق به یک دوره واحد پیشنهاد می شوند. در این مقاله جنبه های گوناگون مجموعه مصنوعات سنگی حاصل از کاوش در تل آتشی، شامل ساختار تکنولوژیکی، گونه شناسی و ریخت شناسی ابزارها و ابعاد مصنوعات معرفی می شود و تلاش می کنیم کارکرد محوطه و سازماندهی تولید ابزارهای سنگی را بازسازی نماییم. ویژگی صنایع سنگی تل آتشی فراوانی تراشه ها، استفاده از تکنیک فشاری در تولید ریزتیغه ها، فراوانی ابزارهای کولدار و هلالی ها که به وضوح به عنوان تیغه داس احتمالاً با استفاده از قیر طبیعی در دسته های چوبی یا استخوانی تعبیه می شدند، است. این مجموعه همچنین شامل سرمته های باریک از ریزتیغه ها، انواع خراشنده ها و ابزارهای چندکاره می شود. علاوه بر این در این مقاله دو پیش فرض را درباره ویژگی های تکنولوژیکی جوامعی که از الگوی استقراری یکجانشینی کامل فاصله دارند در زمینه مجموعه مصنوعات سنگی تل آتشی بررسی نموده ایم. درحالیکه در برخی مراحل استقراری در تل آتشی که به نظر می رسد یکجانشینی در فرایندی تدریجی رو به ترک محوطه پیش رفته باشد، افزایشی در ابزارهای رسمی و از پیش طراحی شده دیده می شود، در زمینه ابعاد و وزن ابزارها در مراحلی که بیش از همه نشانگر یکجانشینی کامل هستند، افزایش بسیار کمی مشهود است.

The issue of combining all Mesolithic lithic assemblages recovered from regions close to the Casp... more The issue of combining all Mesolithic lithic assemblages recovered from regions close to the Caspian Sea under the umbrella of Trialetian industry is a problematic one. At the same three Paleolithic sites of Huto, Kamarband, and Komishan all show great degree of resemblance in their lithics techno-typology while deviate from those from Caucasus region. The most obvious reason for such circumstances would be the exceptional accessibility of the occupants of these localities to the fine quality raw materials. Such situation has not been reported from Caucasus yet. Whether to what extent Mesolithic societies of other Trialetian sites around the Caspian Sea had such access to the raw material sources is not clear. That is why one question remains to be answered: was the resemblance of Trialetian lithic assemblages due to the same cultural affinities or just a simple response to the abundance of raw material sources?

پژوهشگاه میراث فرهنگی, 2020

This book tries to show how the most advanced technology together with spatial analysis can be us... more This book tries to show how the most advanced technology together with spatial analysis can be usefully employed to investigate archaeological phenomena. The authors present a summary of the basic methodology and some results of a recent archaeological project concerning the search for Epipalaeolithic/Early Neolithic site distributions of Izeh plain of Kuzistan, Iran. The primary goal of this project was to detect Epipalaeolithic/Early Neolithic site locations and to provide the necessary spatial models to understand the distribution pattern and structure of sites. We applied several analytic and search procedures to a well documented Epipalaeolithic/Early Neolithic cases in order to infer prehistoric behavior in the organization of space. In this book we detailed the results of an intensive ground survey of Epipalaeolithic/Early Neolithic sites designed to determine: 1) the spatial pattern of sites at a landscape scale; 2) whether a positive association exists between the density of sites and environmental variables and if so, at what scale this relationship is strongest.

Proceedings of 18th Annual Symposium on the Iranian Archaeology, 2021

Journal of Iran National Museum, 2022

From an archaeological perspective, the Araxes river basin is still one of the lesser known areas... more From an archaeological perspective, the Araxes river basin is still one of the lesser known areas, either its north- ern or southern sides. Recent archaeological surveys and excavations at different sites in the recent decade shed more light on the cultural development of the basin, especially in the Khoda Afarin and Jolfa Plain as well as the Mughan Steppe. However, the basin still suffers from the lack of systematic excavation or survey in many parts. Among these recent projects, the Khoda Afarin rescue project was a focal point in the archaeology of this area. It retrieved new information from the Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age as well as Parthian periods. Kohne Tepesi, one of the excavated sites, is an important site that yielded crucial findings from the Early Bronze Age and Parthian period. A cemetery from the Late Islamic period, which consists of graves without artifacts, partially damaged the large-scale stone architecture dated to the Parthian period. The exact function of this fortified struc- ture remains to be determined. Nevertheless, based on comparable structures throughout the basin, it might be interpreted either as a garrison or part of a feudal socio-economic organization. The main occupational phase of the site is related to the Kura-Araxes culture with six meters of deposits and two chamber graves that raises new challenges and questions regarding the nature of this tradition. In this paper, we briefly discuss the architectural structures, graves, pottery, chipped stone assemblages, as well as faunal remains of each period.