Cultural Interactions

Iranian Azarbaijan and the southern Caucasus have relatively good environmental conditions for the formation of ancient settlements. These include the Lake of Urmia and the coasts of Aras in northwestern Iran and the basins of the Kora River, Mill-Moghan (mountainous areas) in the South Caucasus. The archaeological evidences and recent researches in the two geographical areas provide commonalities and cultural similarities of the period. The main purpose of this article is to introduce traditions of pottery and sites and determine the chronological sequence in the study areas. In order to achieve cultural interactions in the studied geographical area in the Chalcolithic period, the following questions are proposed: What is the status of chronological sequence in the two cultural domains? The main hypothesis in this regard is the existence of chronology is almost identical in the two geographical areas. How do the settlement layers and the sequence of habitation from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic period in ancient sites show the issue of cultural continuity and transmission? The present writing is done by descriptive-analytical method. As a final result, it can be said that similarities and differences of archaeological data, including the features of pottery, architectural structure, burial etc. point out that by studying areas such as Dalma Tepe, Jolfa’s Kul Tepe, Khoy’s Dava Göz, etc. in Northwestern Iran and Leila Tepesi, Qalayeri, Poylu Tepe, etc in the South Caucasus region have been obtained and in terms of chronology, the millennium BC includes 5000 BC to 3700-3600 BC. 

The fourth millennium BCE in northeastern Iran was marked by intricate interactions at both regional and trans-regional levels. During this time, Tepe Hissar’s inhabitants engaged in significant cultural exchanges involving pottery, figurines, and metal objects with various regions of central Iran. In the latter half of the millennium, these connections shifted towards northeastern Iran and the Gorgan Plain. Hissar became a hub for large-scale, centrally organized industries, particularly in metalworking and gemstone craftsmanship, such as lapis lazuli, which contributed to greater social stratification, evidenced by wealth accumulation in elite burials.New pottery chronologies offer a revised understanding of the cultural developments at the Hissar settlement and their social and cultural consequences, as seen in the material culture of settlements and burials. The primary goal of this research is to present the quantitative and qualitative changes in pottery and the influence of Tepe Hissar throughout the fourth millennium BCE. These changes indicate the formation of extensive internal and external cultural relationships, reflecting the cultural dynamism of Hissar during the fourth and third millennia BCE. It can likely be concluded that despite environmental heterogeneity in northeastern Iran, there were cultural homogeneities and similarities in this region. These can be observed in the resemblance of pottery styles and unified management techniques, which are attributed to cultural interactions between these communities within geographic and cultural frameworks.