Iron Age

In March 2004, a fluxgate gradiometer survey was conducted over Tepe Ghabristan, covering approximately 6ha of ground. It identified further areas of the Iron Age cemetery with possible grave pits (Areas B and C). In addition, an irrigation channel was discovered which could be contemporary to these Iron Age graves (Area D). The anomalies in Area E can be interpreted as buried structural remains, possibly linked to metalworking.

This paper focuses on studying, introducing and comparing seals from the settlement areas and cemeteries in the North of Central Plateau of Iran. These seals were discovered in the previous and present excavations and surveys over the region. Based on the obtained results, the ratio of similarity and difference between the two groups of seals (from the settlement areas and the cemeteries) is quite proportionate to that of the potteries found in the mentioned region (again in the settlement areas and the cemeteries). The differences are not so significant to that ignore the traits they have in common. To put it simply, the specific signs and traits could be generally introduced as the seal making style of the Iron Age.

Archaeological excavations on the western part of the Central Iranian Plateau, known as the Qazvin Plain provides invaluable information about the sedentary communities from early occupation to the later prehistoric era. Despite the past archeological data, chronological studies mostly rely on the relative use of the Bayesian modeling for stratigraphically-related radiocarbon dates. The current paper provides a new model for excavations and the chronological framework based on new radiocarbon dating of the six key archeological enclosures in the Qazvin plain. A Bayesian analysis of these data is presented on a site-by-site basis to give the best chronologies. Finally, all dates are combined into a single model of the chronology of the Qazvin Plain from the Late Neolithic to the Iron Age. The procedure aims to use the Bayesian model to predict the transition points between the archaeologically-defined periods with the highest possible precision, to redefine the existing chronology for the Qazvin Plain

For a long time, humans have used plant motifs on objects such as pottery, goblet, and others, which sometimes have a symbolic appearance and were very important in the relics of a particular period. One of the most important motifs, that has a Mesopotamian origin, is the tree of life. The tree of life is a plant that is found in many mythical traditions of the Near East such as Mesopotamia, Anatolia and Egypt. The flower of life or the motif of geometric rosette is another valuable motif with six petals. In this paper, the authors first discuss the symbols and symbolism and then investigate the background of the tree of life and then discuss the motif of geometric rostte or flower of life, and later focus on the Golden, Silver and Bronze findings at the sites of Marlik, Amarlu in Gilan and Kelardasht in Mazandaran related to iron age of Iran and investigate the impact of this symbolic motif on archaeological findings in the surrounding sites that have probably transformed the motif of the tree of life into the flower of life. This motif emerged among the communities of northern Iran during a period almost identical to the Assyrian era at the bottom of the Golden and Silver and Bronze goblets and is a kind of symbol of the tree of life that then the artists replaced the sacred tree with six petal rosette.

North western Iran is one of the main focal points of Mannaean sites for reconstruction of this historical period. Discovery of the sites such as Tepe Qalaichi, Zendan-i soleiman, Tepe Rabat, Qal’e Bardineh and others in this region prove this claim. Tepe Bardeh-Konte, on the southern side of Uremia lake watershed, is located in Mahabad. This site with rock-cut structures including stairs, tunnel, pits and cut-walls is situated near the Fakhrigah rock-tomb. Studying and analyzing the pottery data from this region demonstrate that the site belongs to an Iron Age III settlement; the pottery collection from the site is similar to those from Mannaean sites such as Tepe Qalaychi, Tepe Rabat, Tepe Ziwiye, Qal’e Bardineh, Zendan-i Soliyman and Kul Tarike. This article is to report the first archaeological investigation results from the first season of survey and stratigraphy of Tepe Bardeh-Konte which yielded a Mannaean settlement period. 

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.

During the life of humans on earth, there has been no subject more interesting and complicated than death. The knowledge and understanding of what will happen to a person after death form the basis of most religions in the world, which have since been referred to as religious matters or religious experiences. The issue of death is so important in many societies that it has caused the birth of schools of thought and, as a result, the growth of various religions and cults. Burial customs include the structure of the graves, the direction, and condition of human or animal skeletons, and the placement of objects in the graves. The Iron Age in Iran and Guilan is divided into three sections: Iron Age I, II, and III. This Period includes from 1500 B.C. to 550 B.C., of course, some archaeologists believe the existence of Iron Age IV, which continues until the middle of the Parthian period (the End of 1st Millennium B.C.). All major discoveries from selected Iron Age sites in the area of Guilan have been explained and classified. In this research, a new attempt has been made to review the religious experience and ritual practices regarding the repeatability of ancient cemeteries of Talesh during the Iron Ages. The main aim of this article is to identify the Iron Age Burial culture in Guilan. This investigation shows that the society’s People of Iron age in the area of Talesh have social Rank and Status but the factor of Gender is not important in classifying their classes. 

The artifact studied in this paper is a bimetallic sword made of bronze handle and an iron blade, which was excavated from the Tol ancient cemetery, located in Talash city, Gilan province, in 2001 by Mohammad Reza Khaltabari. This research aims to study the technology and pathology of the mentioned object by conducting comparative and archeological studies using the library method, conducting technological studies using the laboratory methods of radiography, metallography, and microstructural observations using a scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS). The phase analysis of corrosion products was done by X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as knowing the manufacturing method and identifying the types of damage and corrosion. The result shows that this work belongs to the Iron Age. Also, the tests performed on the two parts of the handle and the blade showed that the material of the iron blade is iron-carbon alloy. The amount of carbon in different parts of the body of blade is not the same and the handle is made of bronze alloy with casting and hammering techniques. It also has a galvanic corrosion effect.

Notwithstanding its cultural wealth, archaeologists have hitherto given little consideration to Meshkinshahr County of Iran’s Ardabil Province. The region is remarkably rich in graves, as is evident from the various types of graves with simple inhumation, dolmen, rectangular stone-built, and Kurgan. In the spring of 2019, a rare example of Kurgan was investigated near the city of Fakhrabad. Unlike all other graves excavated in northwest Iran, its structure consisted of a combination of stones and mud bricks. This paper presents the preliminary results from the excavation of this Kurgan. While introducing the Kurgan, an assemblage of small artifacts and its structure were examined, and a relative chronology was then proposed. The Kurgan arguably occupies a special place in archaeology of Iran and South Caucasus given a combination of stones with mud bricks it has in its construction. Such Kurgan type still remains unreported from the region.