۱.
Two important points have been the motivations of the writers of this article. The first motivating factor is the importance of the Neolithic Period especially the phase of shifting from Epi-Paleolithic to Neolithic in nowadays archaeological argumentation. The second factor is the importance of Khorramabad valley at the Paleolithic period and the abundance of early Chalcolithic sites and having no knowledge about the valley’s archaeology in Neolithic Period. Exploring two important sites namely Roāhol and Merijelo and finding three sites namely Sarab Kotela, Kohele and Kharmanjā Haft Cheshmeh in this valley, have opened promising horizons for archaeologists to understand the cultural changes of the Neolithic period. Surveying the surface findings and studying on the settlement layers of these sites have provided an opportunity for initial recognition of the existence of social life in Neolithic period in the valley. The general archaeological researches on central Zagros and specific researches on Khorramabad valley and also identifying and preliminary surveying of two under- discussion sites have created a proper opportunity for proposing a new mission to excavate the sites and to conduct systematic compact survey on Khorramabad valley. This article reviews the literature of archaeological studies on central Zagros and Khorramabad valley briefly and propounds the theories of beginning of food production and Neolithisation, proposes key questions and presupposition corresponding to the writers’ suggestive plan.
۲.
With the formation of local and national governments during the 3 rd -5 th centuries A.H. [9th - 11th A.D.], the circumstances were prepared for adaption and recreating cultural and artistic traditions of Sassanid period. In this regard, Samanid governors played a key role. Amir Ismail Samanid came up with a style which became a pattern for numerous mausoleums and on the other hand connected the architectural elements and designs of Sassanids with the Islamic era. The Mausoleum of Amir Ismail Samanid itself shows how the Sassanid architectural elements appear in a new format. Both the design and construction of this building appears to have been carried out objectively, and Amir Samanid had somehow intended to follow the Sassanid dynasty. Studying the architectural elements and features of the Ismail Samanids Mausoleum as well as adaptions from the Sassanid architecture, and also its historical and cultural contexts (the revival of Iranian identity and returning to the traditions of Sassanian, during the 3rd – 5th centuries A.H.) are the main objectives of the present paper.
۳.
The appearance of animal images on the archaeological remains is always considered as an evidence to determine their natural living and their role in human's cultural and ritual life. Animal imagery is found in every medium of art in the Proto Elamite period include stone statuette, pottery, metalwork and finally seal impressions. The glyptic art and pottery through their diversity and the nature of their symbols provide the researchers with the basic information with which to piece together the iconography and the social and economy history of the Proto Elamite period. This paper examines serpent, turtle and feline imageries and related pastiches on two media at Tepe Sofalin, including seal impressions and pottery fragments.
۴.
From the middle of the first millennium BC, there witnessed a gradual bilateral relation between Iranians and Greeks. These people to people attachments also resulted in interactive influences between these two cultures and arts. Qualitative and quantitative investigation on these interactions is a basic issue in identifying both cultures. The current paper, among all miscellaneous influences of Hellenism on the culture and the art of the Parthian realm, attempts to analyze only the influences of basics and rules of the Greek aestheticism on the Parthian sculpture and come to a historical conclusion based on an inductive method.
۵.
Archaeologically, the Roudbar plain is one of the richest and most outstanding regions in the south east of Iran. Tomb-e Kharg, is the largest site in this region. The site is a multi-period one, but based on the surface material, the main settlement belongs to the historical period. Some things remain unknown about these periods in south-eastern Iran and lack of any reference to them in the authentic authorities, makes this region necessary to be aimed of a particularly urgent archeological research as an underlying and reliable reference. To do this, a topographic map of the mound, as well as the grid map was laid out, in which the region was divided into 10×10m 2 regions. By means of simple random sampling method, 10% of the squares were then sampled. In the light of the study on the collected cultural material, the main settlement dates back to periods ranging from the first millennium BC up to the 8 th or 9 th AD centuries. Moreover, there are some items of painted grey ware, suggesting that this mound leads back to 3 th millennium BC.
۶.
The Economic Schedules of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629) are considered an important step forward in bringing a major transition in regional and international commerce during the medieval age. That could possibly performed through an extensive autonomy of the central government on the southern coast specially Hormuz and Kish islands that incurred national benefits in foreign commercial and logistic relationship especially with European countries. The strategic commodity of silk has had significant role in reconstruction of commercial ties between Iran and European countries. Using historical and geographical accounts (travelogue), this article tries to recognize the importance and status of the southern Iranian ports in silk trade with a case study of Bandar Abbas. The findings show that the process of silk commerce in Iran was organized with a precise supervision of Shah Abbas himself and his efforts to come up with production centers such as Kashan, Yazd and Isfahan in central Iran as well as export centers in southern regions such as Laar and Bandar Abbas.
۷.
The archaeological site of Afalleh is located in the north of Khachak village, in the intermountain plain of Kojour, in southern end of Nowshahr District, Mazandaran Province. Drawing on the available evidence, the site is dated to the Parthian period. Afalleh is clearly an archaeo- metallurgical center in the area, and by virtue of its relatively large size (more than 5 ha) might be one of the most significant and/or important archaeo- metallurgical sites of the Parthian period in the entire region. Large and dense scatters of slag and kiln wasters, especially in southern and western quadrants, hint at extensive and/or long-termed archaeo- metallurgical activities at the site. The surface slag could be divided into two groups of sponge and dense with a dark color near to black. Most slags are seen on southern part of the site. A stone building is partially exposed in western side of the site, where a dirt road has cut a part of the archaeological deposits. Macroscopic and microscopic analyses indicate that the slags are rich of fayalite and wustite, ferrous silicate and iron oxide minerals, respectively. Inside one of these slags a thick prill of iron is observed that has been largely replaced with secondary iron oxides. This observation indicates an indirect reduction of iron from its ore-producing carbonized iron (steel and cast iron)-and refers to its separation from silicate melt more probably outside of furnace. In this paper we describe the site and data has produced concerning the probable extent of the smelting activities, this is a comparative study and is a discussion on possible provenance of ore deposits.
