Shahr-Tepeh and Toghei – Two Early Parthian Cities in Northeastern Iran (original) (raw)
One of the most important yet ambiguous geographical areas related to Parthian history is northeastern Iran, a cultural region that could roughly be labelled as “The Great Khorasan Region.” By looking at the early political history of the Parthian period, the role of this region in the formation and development of the Parthian Dynasty is perceptible to the extent that northeastern Iran could be considered a major ground for the most of the events related to the Parthian period. Prior to the gradual expansion of the Parthian Kingdom during the reign of Mehrdad I (Mithradates I; c. 171-133/132 BC), the extent of Parthian dominion could be considered local, extending more or less over Iran’s two provinces of Parthia and Hyrcania, which constituted the core of the Arsakid state at the time. One of the areas in northeastern Iran considered an important center during the early Parthian period was Dargaz. Modern-day Dargaz County is located in the northeast of the province of Khorasan-i Razavi, close to the border with Turkmenistan; its proximity to Turkmenistan’s ancient Parthian settlements, including the complex of New Nisa and Old Nisa,2 implies the importance of the Dargaz area in the Parthian period, especially during the early decades of the formation and expansion of the Parthian Kingdom. An archaeological survey of Hasan Nami has recorded 85 Parthian sites in the region, of which Shahr-Tepeh and Toghei have been asserted as two urban centers (Fig. 1). It is attempted here to evaluate the importance of the two mentioned sites in northeastern Iran during the early Parthian age using the results of archaeological investigations. The dimensions of these sites, the richness of surface remnants and the cultural material yielded by excavations, and finally the proximity to the historical center of Nisa all imply that Shahr-Tepeh and Toghei were likely important urban centers during the early Parthian period in northeastern Iran.
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Archaeological research in Iran has devoted less attention to the northeastern part of the country than to other regions. However, northeastern Iran has been the location of important developments in human settlement from pre-history to the present. Although the Damghan region [Fig. 1] has been the location of significant historical events, in particular for the Parthian era we have lacked adequate data. Thus the results of research in the Dibaj Damghan area can help clarify issues regarding the material culture and the wider interactions of the region. The Parthians were one of the tribes of the Dahi union who nomadized in the desert between the lower Oxus River (Amudarya) and the Caspian Sea. The Dahi interacted with the Massagets and other tribes which were immigrant or residing in villages of Central Asia (D’iakonov 1961/2001, p. 202; Schippmann 1980/2005, pp. 19–20). The word Parth has been confirmed in inscriptions of the early Sasanian dynasty. Local people used the Parthian language until the middle of the 4th century CE in southern Turkmenistan (including Margiana) and northeastern Iran (Media, Khorasan and Sistan) (Koshelenko et al. 1995, p. 55). Parthian expansion under Mithradates (Mehrdad) I (171–139 BCE) restored the ancient Achaemenid empire thus making the Parthians, as Ghirshman suggested, the connecting link between the Sasanian and Achaemenid dynasties (Clark 2007, pp. 439–46) There is as yet no thorough archaeological investigation of the Parthian period of Iran’s history (ca. 238 BCE to 226 CE). To date, the region to be discussed here, Dibaj Damghan, has seen limited excavations and archaeological survey which could contribute to a better understanding of the history of northeastern Iran. Not the least of the accomplishments of such work would be to illuminate the various artistic influences which shaped the material culture of the region. In excavations during 2008 and 2009, the author has added significantly to our knowledge of Parthian era settlements and clarified the cultural sequences in their development. She places this material in a comparative framework for adjacent areas of northeastern Iran, thus illustrating their interconnection with developments in Dibaj Damghan. It is significant that Dibaj Tepe (hill) is located near Hecatompylos (Shahr-i Qumis), thus suggesting its special importance in the history of the “Silk Road
Parthian Settlement Patterns in the Central Zagros Region of Western Iran
International Journal of Archaeology, 2013
The study area in this research lies in the region of the Central Zagros, western Iran. An archaeological survey was conducted and approximately 340 Parthian (ca 250 B.C.225A.D.) archaeological sites were discovered and recorded. The aim of the project was to develop a set of simple procedures that could be widely used to build basic models of site location and settlement patterns of Parthian sites. Two methodological issues are addressed in this paper: (1) technical aspects regarding basic methods of data collection and GISbased processing and analysis; and (2) modeling archaeological site distribution patterns using the available archaeological and environmental data. In order to explore further the location of archaeological sites, a Geographical Information System (GIS) was developed combining all information from the recent survey of the area. The incorporation of this information into a GIS resulted in a digital archive of the survey area that enables the user to simultaneously visualize and analyze all data within their original spatial contexts making it possible to develop a more comprehensive investigation into the sites. The digital database was developed to synthesize information on site type, size, dating, and function. These data are subsequently used to address issues concerning changing settlement patterns in the study area. We suggest that the settlement patterns are, to a large extent, directly shaped by wideranging cultural needs which offer a strategic point for functional interpretation of the Parthian culture.
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Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies , 2021
Northeastern Iran has been considered a connecting bridge and natural passageway for the entry of different tribes from the past to the present time, yet despite such importance, it has rarely been studied by archaeologists and researchers. Dargaz plain in northeastern Iran, due to its special geographical location and environmental conditions, as well as its proximity to major settlement centers of the Parthian period in South Turkmenistan, contains many remains and settlements of that period. In the surveys conducted in this region, 84 sites belonging to this period were identified and analyzed. As a result of these studies, it was discovered that the area has been among the most important and populated centers during the Parthian period. Moreover, based on the pottery evidence, it was revealed that the region has been a center of activity from the onset to the end of this period. The present research dealt with categorization and typology of the pottery based on the studies carried out on 425 pieces of pottery, and it was found that the Parthian pottery of this region is divided into two groups of simple and painted pottery; however, the painted pottery class is divided into several subclasses, such as engraved, added, grooved, marked, and painted. Red pottery has been the most common pottery of the region during the Parthian period. Common forms include crocks, pots, and skillets, small and big bowls, and long-neck and short-neck jars and cups. Comparative studies indicate that the most cultural interactions in the study region were related to cultural areas in neighboring regions such as the northeastern and eastern Iran and the western parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan so that almost 70% of the cultural relations of this region was with the above-mentioned areas and about 43.54% of these relations has been with South Turkmenistan and the sites of Marv, Nisa, Sarakhs oasis and Shar-tappeh Chapeshlou.
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This paper discusses the potential of our archaeological data in terms of measuring the social organization of Iron Age communities in NW Iran, in regard of regional differentiation , respectively urbanization. Along selected case studies from the region under consideration , one may archive a first determination of veritable attributes of "cities" in regard of the early historic processes of Iran, in particular the 9.-7.cent. BC.; as possible corner stones at the dawn of the Persian Empire.
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