مطالب

Animal remains from Taghiabad in the Varamin plain are analyzed, conducted in 2018. This site is located north of Taghiabad and south of Ajorbast villages, Javadabad district in Varamin town. All the excavated bones are of animal origin, and no human bones have been retrieved. This site dates back to the Iron and Bronze ages; in this study, we deal with Bronze Age. Two hills were excavated, which are referred to as Taghiabad 1 and 2. Taghiabad 1 relates to the recent and middle Bronze Ages, containing ten loci (Seven loci of the Late and three loci of the Middle Bronze Age, respectively), and Taghiabad 2 contains three loci of the Late Bronze Age. Burning and cutmarks were found on some of the bones, which cutmarks might be secondary to butchery. This study is based on field, and lab studies on animals remain retrieved from these two hills (Taghiabad 1 and Taghiabad 2). Results show that sheep, goat, cattle, gazelle, equid, deer, and canine in Taghiabad 1 and sheep, cattle, gazelle, and small carnivorous in Taghiabad 2 are the most prevalent findings. The people’s primary sources of meat supplies were sheep, goats, and cattle.

The tradition of burial, so-called interment, is one of the most prominent manifestations of man›s long-standing view of death. Although this tradition has a very long history, it has witnessed many changes and ups and downs along its path till now. The study of these developments can reveal various political, social, environmental, cultural, and religious aspects of different ethnic groups. The purpose of this study is to investigate other elements of cemetery emergence in the prehistoric period of Iran and identify the factors affecting the occurrence of this phenomenon as a public space for the burial of bodies outside the sites. This research data has been collected through library studies and according to archaeological, anthropological, and sociological evidence. Data analysis shows that, firstly, in prehistoric times, at a glance, no specific factor could be considered for the emergence of cemeteries. Because the time and nature of the formation of cemeteries in regions of Iran are different and have gone through a completely different process, instead of asking a general question, the following question should be considered: what are the factors affecting the formation of cemeteries? Factors influencing the formation of cemeteries should be regarded in their context and geographical location because most of them do not offer a single perspective, and each one is created with specific meanings and goals. The findings also indicate various geographical, environmental, economic, political, and social reasons for the emergence and evolution of cemeteries.