مطالب

During the last decade, researchers embarked on several archaeological surveys and excavations in Luristan and they could unearth 29 Neolithic sites there. The current paper, taking into accounts the Geographic Information System (GIS) and Settlement Analysis, tries to analyze the role of environment on the aforementioned Neolithic sites. The study indicates that Neolithic communities chose foraging as the most important way of their livelihood. Water and food resources, wild plants, and animals were found impressive in the site-catchment process. All of the 29 Neolithic settlements are located at the altitudes between 500 and 2000 meters above sea level. These altitudes cover the southern, central, and northern parts of Luristan, the region that enjoys semi-arid climates, cool winters and hot summers, where pastoral livestock has been common. There are many rivers at these heights, but locals often disposed of using springs water. The distance from 26 sites to the springs is about 300 meters.

Unlike Aristotle, Lakoff considers metaphor as an integral part of the process of human thinking and believes that humans often automatically and unconsciously learn and use a wide range of conceptual metaphors. A large part of our scientific and philosophical literature is full of conceptual metaphors. According to Lakoff, like other abstract concepts, causation is made of a small literal part which is extended by various kinds of conceptual metaphors in several directions. The current paper shows that a large part of the metaphors introduced by Lakoff, has been used by Muslim philosophers to describe causation. Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Mulla Sadra are two of the most significant Islamic philosophers. According to Ibn Sina, causation is based on ‘Causation is Transfer of Possessions’ metaphor. This metaphor depicts causation as a three-component relation in which the boundaries are very strong and sharp. According to Mulla Sadra, causation is based on ‘Causation is Motion out’ metaphor. This metaphor makes causation to have two components and decreases the strength of boundaries between the components of the relation.

Questions about the metaphysics of causation may be usefully divided into questions about the objects that are causally related, and questions about the causal relations themselves. For instance, is causation merely a physical concept? What is the connection between causation and probability? According to Wesley Salmon, an analysis of causation in terms of physical and causal relations of propensity is possible. But he replaces the notion of necessity with what he calls propensity. This approach to causality is consistent with a probabilistic approach. Another approach would be to reduce such relations to the physical causation. These questions should be resolved. As it turns out, in order to resolve these fundamental and metaphysical disputes, we can turn to a concept of causation that has been discussed within the Islamic philosophy. This approach treats causality as a rational and philosophical notion, and, in contrast to the probabilistic approach, it retains the necessity of causal relations.

Archaeology of children and childhood is rather a new field of study within archaeology and anthropology. However, it is very difficult to trace the presence of children in archaeological material. Their manifestation is mainly limited to mortuary, artefacts or objects considered to be toys or built environment that too may have been either in connection with specific items used by or were in relation to children or iconographic evidence from past. The present study tries to examine depictions of children in Sasanian rock reliefs which have long been the subject of extensive research, nevertheless it seems such depiction on art objects was not a matter of attraction by itself. On the other hand, lack of coherent literary evidence about social status, roles and realm of children and childhood in the Sasanian society leave many questions unanswered. Hence, despite a large number of researches in the field of Sasanian history and archaeology, one cannot postulate a coherent research background specific to the aforementioned subject. Children are displayed in a number of Sasanian rock reliefs which are introduced and presented in chronological order. Identity of these children and purpose of their depiction is discussed based on available works. Although, the historical identity of these children may never be certainly established, but those shown in investiture and parade reliefs of Ardashir I, Shapur I and Narseh at Firuzabad, Naqsh-e Rajab and Naqsh-e Rustam are certainly the children of high status or having royal lineage. In two of Shapur I reliefs, a putto is depicted and a probably captive child –enemy’s son- are seen in Bahram II/Shapur II relief in Tang-e Chowgan.

Though personality factors and language learning strategies have been extensively examined over the last three decades, we have witnessed a dearth of studies zooming in on these issues from a cultural perspective within the Iranian context. Additionally, few studies have investigated whether personality factors can predict the choice of language learning strategies in an Iranian EFL context. In response to these shortcomings, a group of Iranian EFL learners were administered Big Five Factors Inventory (Goldberg 1993), Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (Oxford 1990) and Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory (Mokhtari & Reichard 2002). It was found that the Iranian EFL learners could highly or moderately used the language learning strategies. It was also found that personality factors could predict the use of some language learning strategies in the cultural context of Iran. It was concluded that cultural norms could modulate some aspects of personality and language learning strategies and consequently some aspects of personality could predict the choice of particular language learning strategies. An awareness of learners’ personality factors and the way they shape the language learning strategies can contribute to successful language learning and optimally help teachers devise appropriate teaching techniques.

The artifacts belonging to the Mannaean culture that are preserved in major museums worldwide display symbolic images indicating hidden values and meanings derived from their common beliefs and traditions. An analytical study of the reminiscence of the symbols used in these objects reveal the influence of religion and ritual traditions in Mannaean societies and their deep relations with the Neo-Assyrian culture. In this research, by examining and analyzing the most prominent symbolic images such as the sacred tree, winged gods, mythological creatures, Ishtar goddess on golden plaque, earthenware, ivory plaques and other objects found in Ziwiye, Hasanlu and Qalaichitepes as well as ivory objects with pictures of battle scenes, chariot riding and formal ceremonies found at Mannaean sites, we try to take a closer look at the impact of the Neo- Assyrian art on the Mannaean art and culture.