درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Central Asia is a key unit of archaeological studies of the Ancient Near East and an issue for important questions such as primary states, Aryan people immigration has a unique role in archaeological activities. Considering the geographical location of Dargaz (Dargaz) Plain at the periphery of Central Asia, it is a vital area in the archaeology of the northeastern part of the Iranian Central Plateau and Central Asia. The region is ideally situated to research regional relationships and inter-regional interactions between those cultural-geographical regions due to its ecological potential and geographic location. Archaeologically, to comprehend Cultural Similarities in Dargaz Plain, many studies and surveys have been done since the beginning of the 20th Century. However, because of the lack of more detailed excavation in this area, the quality of cultural material of Central Asia and the Iranian Central Plateau is reassessing continuously. The first archaeological survey by Kohl and Heskel in 1978 reveals the similarities between Central Asia and this area. The Following works were done for the sake of making known the prehistoric Sites, their interaction with neighboring regions, and their ecosystem but it remains incomplete. Twenty-one prehistoric settlements have remained in the area, dating from the Neolithic to the Iron Age I/III, according to archaeological studies carried out during these years. The majority of the locations that have been found are the ruins of dispersed villages and seasonal camps that were scattered throughout the plain, as well as at inaccessible heights and other locations. With an emphasis on the material culture, particularly the local ceramic traditions and the settlement patterns of the prehistoric site, this current work investigates the connection and interconnectedness of the Dargaz Plain and proposes novel prospects for future works. A study of the Dargaz Plain may shed new light on the social and cultural history of a larger region.

Diodorus Siculus, Quintus Curtius Rufus, Polyaenus, and Arrian are the primary historians who have written about the Battle of the Persian Gates but their accounts differ in some details. Much research has been done on the cause of differences between these historians, their method of historiography as well as their sources; but in this article, the main focus has been on the identity and political status of Ariobarzanes, the general who led the Persians in the aforementioned battle. As this essay argues, the clarification of this issue hinges on a large extent understanding Ariobarzanes’ end at the Persian Gates. Of course, due to discrepancies between classical sources and the absence of any Iranian evidence in this regard, this is not an easy task, but this article tries to find the most reasonable answer by identifying the most accurate classical account, and then presents essential historical results to be drawn from it. It should be noted that so far, various researchers, have speculated on the identity of Ariobarzanes with skepticism, but in this article, with detailed criticism of classical resources, the identity and political status of Ariobarzanes are clarified.

The late Pleistocene period witnessed significant shifts in human lifestyle and behaviour across various regions in the Old World, as indicated by prehistoric archaeological evidence. These shifts reflect a transition from hunting to a greater emphasis on activities related to gathering plants. Archaeological findings demonstrate the utilization of plants in diverse forms, including the emergence of Bedrock Ground Stone (BGS) at prehistoric sites. In the realm of archaeological research, these remains are deemed crucial man-made artefacts, shedding light on essential aspects such as nutrition, culture, vegetation, food processing, and the presence of medicinal and toxic substances within ancient human societies. Given the existing research gap and the paramount significance of these artefacts in archaeological and anthropological studies, the Diyarmehr Institute for Paleolithic Research, for the first time in Iran, has committed to undertaking comprehensive and scientific investigations of the BGS in the Nawadrwn valley in the  Kermanshah region. Owing to its geographical positioning and environmental abundance, the west-central Zagros range has historically attracted and served as a conducive habitat for diverse human groups across various epochs. This study represents a multi-disciplinary research endeavour focused on 24 bedrock groundstones (BGS) discovered in the Prehistoric Bawa Yawan rockshelters within Nawdarwan valley. Detailed morphological and geochemical analyses have unveiled their multifaceted utility, encompassing purposes such as herbal processing and extraction, and their use in three instances as stone lamps.

A glorious past is what our women in East have experienced which is the path that leads to their power and dignity. As worthy cultural documents, old written texts reflect the political, economical and social stance of women in the Sogdian community. This is an attempt to indicate the Sogdian women's place in Sogdiana through the existing documents(texts,,manuscripts, paintings and archeological remains). We are concerned with the following questions regarding the Sogdian society: how was the women’s participation along the Silk Road, how the remained documents emphasize the importance of their presence and the important question about their identity, when and how they became powerful. Khatun-e Bukhara indicates the high potential of the women’s existence in Sogdian era. In order to illuminate women’s participation, strong motivation to draw the attention and authority, a link to this particular historic situation and a new grasp of women’s lifestyle at that era is essential. This article is an attempt to introduce the women’s role in Sogdian land through language, Culture and different social groups.

Ziwiye, as one of the key sites for Iran’s North West Iron Age (Median kingdom), has many masterpieces kept in different museums and a long list of publications. The main part of this list consists of monographs that are written based on one or more limited objects from an out of context collection. There are few articles that comprehensively include the findings “attributed Ziwiye” and “came from excavation”. However, many articles have been published about Zavieh’s findings, but parts of this collection still remain unknown and do not receive enough attention. The corpus of bone arrowheads is one of them, some of which were found during archaeological excavations while others came to museums from antiquities dealers. These include: the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Musée du Louvre in Paris, the National Museum of Iran in Tehran, and the Sanandaj Archaeological Museum. This article aims to introduce and categorize 51 bone arrowheads. Some of these were registered as ivories, but our research concluded that all of these were made of bone. In few instances, the production manner prevented the proper identification of bone versus ivory. Another examined point in this research is whether such arrowheads were produced for actual warfare or for prestige and symbolic use in ceremonial events considering their bone material. The examined samples from other sites show that bone can be hard enough to penetrate game and human body even with light protection such as archery. Bone for making arrowheads was used for hunting big games and some tribes still use them.

Donald Scott Whitcomb was born on 27 April 1930. He was a revered scholar whose contributions to the field of Islamic Archaeology especially in the Persian Gulf region were immeasurable. He was research associated in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago since the beginning of 1981. Whitcomb then served as an Associate at this Institute, since 1990. His Master’s thesis dealt with the Proto-Elamite Period at Tall-i Ghazir, Iran despite the fact that his expertise was in Islamic Archaeology.

Emphasis on the importance of social-political fabric and its effect on the urbanization and economic system that are aspects of urbanization life is one of the necessities during the Achaemenid Period. This study was conducted based on the deductive-inductive method. First, written sources (clay inscription of Persepolis and classic authors) have been used to achieve general information about the social-political fabric of Fars during Achaemenid Period then archeological evidence remained from the economic system of Achaemenid period in Central Fars was analyzed within this framework. No coin, including Shahi or so-called Satrapy, has been discovered from archaeological excavations in Iran, even. It seems that Achaemenid Empire had no plan for monetary economic development, and coin promotion and use in transactions despite its wide territory and regular discipline. On the contrary, it seems that Darius and his successors considered coin as a political instrument used to convey and show the message of the political and military power of the Achaemenid king at that ear not as a tool for the economic system. Therefore, studies focused on clay inscriptions of Persepolis and evaluated works of authors indicate that the sociopolitical fabric of Iranian society, especially Fars has been traditional and based on agriculture and husbandry during Achaemenid Era. As we know, the city was not shaped during the Achaemenid period despite the presence of urban structures, such as social sophistication, specialism, and the modern administrative system of the ear; therefore, coin use was not institutionalized in the economy of that era.