The Middle Bronze Age in the Little Zab Basin in the Light of the Excavations at Barde Zard Tepe, Northwest Iran (original) (raw)
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Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies (IJAS), 2022
Since 2018, Art University of Isfahan's Department of Archeology has focused on the Zāyandehrud River basin, particularly its eastern and western parts, to better understand the archaeological landscape of the region and its changes through time. Field studies in the eastern part of the basin near Varzaneh have identified large numbers of new sites from different periods. Due to its geographical location at the center of Iran, the region could act as a hub between the four corners of the Iranian plateau in different periods. The similarities between the material cultures from the studied region and those from other parts of the Iranian plateau, particularly during the Early Bronze Age (EBA), also bear witness to the linking character of the region. The identification of over 200 sites spanning the EBA to the Timurid period and excavations at two EBA (013, 051) and a probable Iron Age site (006) indicates an auspicious environment and prosperity at the time for the lower part of the Zāyandeh-Rud basin, which today has been transformed into a desert or semi-desert landscape. The diversity of sites, including settlements, cemeteries, and architectural remains, as well as evidence of industrial activities such as pottery production, mining, metallurgical activities, and production of semi-precious stone artifacts, highlight different aspects of human life in the surveyed area..
The Archaeological Capacity of the Eastern (Lower) Zāyandeh-Rud Basin: An Outline
Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies (IJAS), 2022
Since 2018, Art University of Isfahan’s Department of Archeology has focused on the Zāyandehrud River basin, particularly its eastern and western parts, to better understand the archaeological landscape of the region and its changes through time. Field studies in the eastern part of the basin near Varzaneh have identified large numbers of new sites from different periods. Due to its geographical location at the center of Iran, the region could act as a hub between the four corners of the Iranian plateau in different periods. The similarities between the material cultures from the studied region and those from other parts of the Iranian plateau, particularly during the Early Bronze Age (EBA), also bear witness to the linking character of the region. The identification of over 200 sites spanning the EBA to the Timurid period and excavations at two EBA (013, 051) and a probable Iron Age site (006) indicates an auspicious environment and prosperity at the time for the lower part of the Zāyandeh-Rud basin, which today has been transformed into a desert or semi-desert landscape. The diversity of sites, including settlements, cemeteries, and architectural remains, as well as evidence of industrial activities such as pottery production, mining, metallurgical activities, and production of semi-precious stone artifacts, highlight different aspects of human life in the surveyed area..
Journal of Archaeological Studie, 2023
Excavations in Tepe Barveh were conducted with the aim to shed further light on the period of painted Bronze Age wares and to refine the existing chronology for the Lesser Zab Basin in the first half of the 3 rd millennium BC. Thanks to its location in the upper valley of the Lesser Zab, the Barveh region served as a natural pathway for interaction between the Zagros foothills zones with the Rania and Peshdar Plain in Sulaimaniyah province in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the southern basin of Lake Urmia. By its overlapping Bronze Age sequence, the site offers a strong potential to fill the existing gap of information for the Early Bronze Age occupation in northwestern Iran. A foremost purpose of this paper is to situate Barveh within northwestern Iran, and to explore intra- and inter-regional interactions. The stratified occurrence of Painted Orange Ware (POW) is helpful to establish a sequence for the region and to fill the existing lacuna. EBA sites in northwestern Iran beyond the Kura Araxes zone remain understudied, and few sites offer deposits of considerable depth. The Early Bronze Age is generally associated with the burnished black pottery, while the orange pottery, a coeval and equally important cultural hallmark, has attracted less attention and remains a little known tradition. Hence, in light of the material culture excavated at Barveh, this paper seeks to gain an insight into the ways in which Tepe Barveh interacted with other regions dominated by the orange pottery culture. The ca. 8-meter deep EBA deposit at Barveh built up over c. 300 years and represents this period of POW in an uninterrupted sequence, attesting to cultural continuity over an extended period of time. The culture shows parallels with EBA sites in the southern Urmia Lake Basin and in the Rania and Peshdar plains in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Archaeological landscapes of western Iran are representative of great and important socio-cultural changes during various periods of prehistory in Iran. This region, which is largely comprised of the Central Zagros range, has attracted the attention of many archaeologists, who have conducted numerous archaeological surveys and excavations there since the early 20 th century. Despite its suitable environment, Sarfirouzabad Plain in southern Kermanshah has only just been the subject of surface surveys and studies. Because of its characteristics, the plain has undergone a systemic field survey by a team from Tehran University in 2009, which yielded important results and has significantly added to our limited knowledge of the history of the region. Among the various sites were explored there have been 24 sites of the Middle and Late Bronze Ages (Godin III). The distribution of these sites across the plain has been connected to the environmental factors, especially access to the water resources, while other factors presumably affecting the settlement formation were based on the cultural and political issues. The goal of this article is to improve the quality of techniques in the understanding of archaeology of regional cultural systems.
Middle and Late Bronze Age Sites in Sarfirouzabad Plain, Western Central Zagros, Iran
From an archaeological point of view, the west of Iran has provided significant cultural-social evidence from different periods of prehistory. This region, which is mainly covered by the Central Zagros Mountains, has attracted many archaeologists and numerous surveys and excavations, which have been conducted in this area since the early 20th century and especially in the middle of that century. Nevertheless, the Sarfirouzabad Plain, located in the southern part of Kermanshah province and along the southern and southeastern side of Mahidasht great plain, despite its environmental and ecological potential, has not been studied properly except for some brief visits. The results of an intensive survey conducted in this plain by an expedition from Tehran University in 2009 provides us with useful information about the history of the region. Twenty-four sites from the Late and Middle Bronze Age (Godin III Culture) have been identified. Each of these sites is introduced in the present paper and the archaeological conditions of the region during the Late and Middle Bronze Age are discussed
Pottery Making and Communities During the 5th Millennium BCE in Fars Province, Southwestern Iran
2022
This monograph explores pottery making and communities during the Bakun period (c. 5000 – 4000 BCE) in the Kur River Basin, Fars province, southwestern Iran, through the analysis of ceramic materials collected at Tall-e Jari A, Tall-e Gap, and Tall-e Bakun A & B. Firstly, it reconsiders the stratigraphy and radiocarbon dates of the four sites by reviewing the descriptions of excavation trenches, then presents a new chronological relationship between the sites. The book sets out diachronic changes in the the Bakun pottery quantitatively, namely the increase of black-on-buff ware and the gradual shift of vessel forms. It also presents analyses of pottery-making techniques, painting skills, petrography, and geochemistry and clarifies minor changes in the chaînes opératoires and major changes in painting skill. Finally, the book discusses the organisation of pottery production from a relational perspective. It concludes that the more fixed community of pottery making imposed longer apprenticeship periods and that social inequality also increased. I thank Archaeopress for allowing me to upload this monograph to academia. (the publisher's link is https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781803270586)
The provenance and distribution of Early Bronze ceramics in the Kolyaei Plain, central Zagros, Iran
Archaeometry, 2020
Within Iran, there is little archaeological evidence for relationships between newly arrived Early Trans-Caucasian (ETC) or Kura-Araxes settlers and earlier inhabitants, for contact with neighboring cultures, or for its apparently abrupt end. Based on the evidence, it is important to stress that the Iranian Kura-Araxes was not a simple 'copy' of the Caucasian Kura-Araxes package. Ceramic traditions show local peculiarities and all are elements suggesting that the Kura-Araxes traditions went through processes of adaptation, change, and re-elaboration according to local tastes and technologies. In this study, an archaeometric approach on ceramics in Kolyaei Plain contributes to the discussion of contact and exchange between indigenous communities and several cultural spheres of influence on the Early Bronze Age (beginning of the fourth millennium BC). Morphological data, as well as the mineralogical and chemical composition of ceramics, was applied to determine the major and trace elements of the pottery shards. Based on the trace element profiles it can be suggested that all of the pottery shards are in the same group and they strongly are local products. The ceramic provenance indicates the same patterns of material interactions during the ETC or Kura-Araxes in all of the sites at Kolyaei Plain.