Iranian Journal Archaeological Studies
The Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies is a peer-reviewed journal from the Archaeological Sciences Research Centre at the University of Sistan and Baluchestan.
The Archaeological Sciences Research Centre (ASRC) of the University of Sistan and Baluchestan (USB) was founded in 2009, with the aim to ensure interaction between archaeology and scientific disciplines engaged in studies of the past. The center is the first and only Archaeological Sciences Research Centre in the whole country. Research in archaeological science has greatly influenced modern archaeology. Archaeologists gain significant insight and interpretation of data using techniques borrowed from physical and biological sciences and earth sciences. It has the potential to alter our understanding of the past.
For this reason, the ASRC of the University of Sistan and Baluchestan aims to support scientific methods in archaeology in order to have a better understanding of past societies. The Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies (IJAS), is the first Iranian English Language peer-reviewed journal in archaeology and interdisciplinary studies, also aims to publish articles relating to the archaeology of Iran and neighboring areas, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Central Asia, the southern part of the Oman Sea, and the Persian Gulf, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor. The Editorial Board of IJAS includes scholars from multiple countries and of multiple disciplines.
This account is managed by the Editor-in-Chief Dr. Mehdi Mortazavi
The Archaeological Sciences Research Centre (ASRC) of the University of Sistan and Baluchestan (USB) was founded in 2009, with the aim to ensure interaction between archaeology and scientific disciplines engaged in studies of the past. The center is the first and only Archaeological Sciences Research Centre in the whole country. Research in archaeological science has greatly influenced modern archaeology. Archaeologists gain significant insight and interpretation of data using techniques borrowed from physical and biological sciences and earth sciences. It has the potential to alter our understanding of the past.
For this reason, the ASRC of the University of Sistan and Baluchestan aims to support scientific methods in archaeology in order to have a better understanding of past societies. The Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies (IJAS), is the first Iranian English Language peer-reviewed journal in archaeology and interdisciplinary studies, also aims to publish articles relating to the archaeology of Iran and neighboring areas, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Central Asia, the southern part of the Oman Sea, and the Persian Gulf, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor. The Editorial Board of IJAS includes scholars from multiple countries and of multiple disciplines.
This account is managed by the Editor-in-Chief Dr. Mehdi Mortazavi
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Papers by Iranian Journal Archaeological Studies
What distinguishes this work is its extraordinary breadth. It explores many facets of Iranian history, including as subsistence techniques, technical developments, social structure, belief systems, and relationships with the environment, and spans a chronological period of more than a million years. Painting a vivid picture of societal evolution, it painstakingly breaks down each epoch, from the hunter-gatherers of the Palaeolithic to the sophisticated urban cultures of the Achaemenid Empire.
Such an enormous breadth demands a well-organized story. The twelve chapters that make up the book's structure each focus on a different time period or subject. Every chapter starts with a clear introduction that sets the scene and highlights the most important moments. The organisation of the material makes it simple for readers to explore the large quantity of content and go further into particular topics of interest.
functions, and inquiry into such glyptic evidence will help reconstruct different aspects of human life. During the
Sassanian period, stamp seals were made of precious and semi-precious stones in different shapes and designs. In
this descriptive, comparative and analytical study, the data was collected through library research, and the authors
attempted to study, analyze and compare the designs on several Sassanian stamp seals with the depictions of
constellation signs in Abd al-Rahman Sufi’s famous book Sovar al-Kavakeb. The results show strong similarities
between the considered glyptic designs and astronomical symbols. On account of the Sassanian’s deep belief in
astrology and the role the constellations played in their lifestyle and ruling system, it is conceivable that such
stamp seals served apotropaic purposes and were related with Sassanian’s astrological beliefs connected with
predicting good and bad days. The main purpose behind the application of these designs was most probably to
seek the support and protection from constellations. Associating these glyptic designs with constellations is further
supported by a series of animal motifs such as scorpions, snakes and bears which did not held any position in the
Sassanian belief system, demonstrating that these motifs were designed for astrological prognostications. For
example, from the Sassanian point of view, the motif of scorpion and snake form the class of vermin, and devilish
animals and bears symbolize ruin and corruption. Therefore, such evil representing motifs were employed for no
reasons other than their relation to the constellations and astrological prophecies.
Borderlands in ca. 3300‒2900 BCE. Variously labelled as “Emir Grey” and “Late Shahi Tump” ware, this fine
grey ceramic is often considered an elite or prestige product on account of its very thin walls, fine fabric, and
painted designs. In the present paper, thin-section petrography, XRD, and SEM-EDX analyses were carried out on
a selection of pottery pieces from the burial contexts at the Chegerdak cemetery of Iranshahr (Baluchestan, Iran).
The results shed new light on the production and circulation of the pottery. Most notably, it potentially extended
the map of its production centers to western Iranian Baluchestan.
Climate change periods are associated with increased extreme weather events such as torrential rains and prolonged
droughts, thus posing severe challenges to human societies. In the fourth millennium BCE, variable climatic
conditions in the Tehran plain caused cultural dynamics to be disrupted. Through an environmental archaeological
approach, the present study discusses the possible causes of cultural decline and collapse in this plain in two stages
of climate change during the fourth millennium BCE. The data derives from the archaeological site of Mafin
Abad, where occurs a situation similar to a series of sites in North Central and Southwest Iran. High-resolution
paleoclimate research has been used to reconstruct the climatic conditions of the fourth millennium BCE. This
research reflects the importance of environmental sedimentology studies in archaeological sites to identify possible
environmental reasons for cultural prosperity and disintegration of prehistoric rural communities.
sun, it is imperative to adapt the traditional housing in this region to the climate. Unfortunately, the use of patterns
disproportionate to the climate in recent decades has become a common problem considering the changes in
people’s lifestyles and livelihoods and technological changes. The question is “How can the historical and
traditional architectural style in the Sistan region be used for developing contemporary housing?”
Using a case study and a descriptive-analytical approach, the adaptation of rural houses to environmental
conditions was investigated in five prominent historical villages of Sistan. Subsequently, solutions were proposed
to adapt to the climatic conditions of the region. In addition, models for rural housing were proposed. Based on
the findings of the field study, it seems that using the old models of traditional Sistani architecture is an effective
strategy for designing housing suitable for the special climate of this region in the present era. Moreover, the
findings highlighted the necessity to pay attention to the orientation of the building for better use of wind and
natural ventilation, create natural and artificial windbreaks, use water and green space, shade the walls, and use
introverted architectural models and central yards.
regard them as a form of visual art. Given the long history of representation in rock art spanning the Paleolithic
period up to the present, they have been considered from various archeological, anthropological, artistic, symbolic,
and historical and decorative arts perspectives to pin down their themes, meanings, and date. The present work
examines a series of pictographs from the Kuhdasht region of Lorestan using a combination of field, laboratorial,
and library research approaches. Notably, this is the very first study in Iran addressing the pigments of pictographs
at a rock art site. A popular local tradition holds that the ancient artists used a mixture of blood, oak syrup, and soot
to prepare the paint used at the site. Hence, the motifs, rock types, and pigments of the Charta region were analyzed
to characterize their chemical composition and the elements constituting the pigments. To this end, a Dino Light
digital loop microscope was used, and point tests and petrography were then carried out using scanning electron
microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The elemental analyses revealed the nature
of the red pigment. The motifs at Charta include representations of tools, geometric motifs, and human figures,
portraying fighting or pre-fighting scenes. The chemical composition of the red pigment consisted of a high iron
(Fe) content as well as smaller percentages of Ca, Mg, Al, and Si. The abundance of iron element detected in the
elemental analysis of the specimen’s surface and the intensity of the peaks related to the composition of iron oxide
in the FT-IR spectra might more strongly indicate the presence of these compounds in the pigment.
Therefore, the pigments were mainly made of iron oxides, such as red ocher or hematite, magnetite, and
magnesium. Thus, the artists invariably used highly durable and resilient mineral pigments, which based on the
micrographs of the paint layer cross-sections were directly applied to the rock and, thus the absence of any sort of
primer. No organic element was detected in the pigment composition.
historical relics. The intervening years have seen the publication of a lot of archaeological information on the
documented relics, but the corpus of Islamic pottery from the region remains virtually unpublished. Its rich
diversity in motif and decoration types and attribution to several different Islamic centuries as well as the fact that
there were few published studies from South Khorasan province in general regarding regional Islamic ceramics
warranted an independent study. Thus, the present study has the potential to not only shed light on the archeology
of Khusf but also contribute to the studies of the related Islamic pottery from the province. With these in mind,
the major questions addressed here concern the chronology of the pottery corpus in question and the centers
from which comparanda could be drawn. This paper embarks on a comparative analysis of the Islamic pottery
assemblages from Khusf County to establish a comparative chronology. The data for this descriptive-comparative
study comes from both field and library researches. The findings suggest that the Islamic pottery from the county
spans at least the 10th to the 19th century AD. In types of motifs and decoration, the pottery finds parallels over a
broad swathe of eastern and southern Iran, and for the most part represents potential imports from such regions or
centers as Nishapur, Mashhad, and Kerman.
Dokhtar is a fort with a special position in Kerman’s history thanks to the measures its builders had taken regarding
its approach and security. The present contribution aimed to analyze and expound upon the spatial relationships in
Qal’eh Dokhtar’s architecture using the space syntax technique. The dataset deriving from the field surveys and
historical texts was analyzed in Depthmap software. The results showed that the so-called “ruler’s residence” had
the highest spatial depth, and its difficult access furnished the security inherent in such a residence. Furthermore, in
light of the parameters of control and entropy, the eastern quarter of the fort was found to exhibit the lowest level of
both access and control across the fort. In terms of connectivity, Court I enjoyed the highest level of accessibility,
continuity, and spatial coherence with the remaining spaces at the complex as they all clustered around this central
courtyard. Court II showed the highest degree of integration. It was probably home to the administrative body,
and perhaps also supplied the services to other quarters, as suggested by the passageways linking it to the different
parts of the fort.
structures of the Panchmahal district, Gujarat. Unlike other historical and archaeological research fields, mason’s
marks represent a less known field in Indian academia. In very general terms, one can define a mason’s mark as
any signs ranging from short inscriptions to any form of alpha-numeric values inscribed on architectural elements.
In this paper, the authors discuss a series of such marks recorded at isolated historical buildings of the district,
trying to explain why inquiry into mason’s marks can be deemed an integral part of architectural studies. A brief
description of the study area and adapted methodologies is followed by the detailed accounts of the monuments
and the related finds in tabular format.
Museum in Tehran, Iran. The blade is highly-curved, has a wedge shape, and a flat fuller. However, the typical style
of most highly-curved Persian sword blades has no fullers. The blade is made of patterned crucible steel (pulād-e
gŏhardār). Persian patterned crucible steel was considered one of the best types of steel not only in Iran but also
in other countries. Based on the pattern and visisble structures of the surface of the blade, patterned crucible steel
was classified into different categories. The crucible steel pattern on this example is pulād-e jŏhardār-e xati that
means “lined watered steel. The blade has a gold-overlaid maker’s mark of Assadollāh Isfahāni and also carries
the name of Šāh Abbās. These are integrated in four gold-overlaid inscriptions on the obverse side of the blade.
The upper cartouche reads: Al-Soltān Šāh Abbās (the ruler Šāh Abbās), the upper middle cartouche is a bodduh
(a magic square), the lower middle cartouche reads: Amal-e Assadollāh (the work of Assadollāh), and the lower
cartouche reads: Isfahāni. The inscriptions seem to be later additions to the blade. The crossguard is made of
patterned crucible steel and pierced in floral and geometric designs on both sides. The scabbard chape is made of
steel. The handle scales are made of bone. The wooden scabbard is a new replacement covered with new leather.
The general dimensions of the saber follow many historical examples.
What distinguishes this work is its extraordinary breadth. It explores many facets of Iranian history, including as subsistence techniques, technical developments, social structure, belief systems, and relationships with the environment, and spans a chronological period of more than a million years. Painting a vivid picture of societal evolution, it painstakingly breaks down each epoch, from the hunter-gatherers of the Palaeolithic to the sophisticated urban cultures of the Achaemenid Empire.
Such an enormous breadth demands a well-organized story. The twelve chapters that make up the book's structure each focus on a different time period or subject. Every chapter starts with a clear introduction that sets the scene and highlights the most important moments. The organisation of the material makes it simple for readers to explore the large quantity of content and go further into particular topics of interest.
functions, and inquiry into such glyptic evidence will help reconstruct different aspects of human life. During the
Sassanian period, stamp seals were made of precious and semi-precious stones in different shapes and designs. In
this descriptive, comparative and analytical study, the data was collected through library research, and the authors
attempted to study, analyze and compare the designs on several Sassanian stamp seals with the depictions of
constellation signs in Abd al-Rahman Sufi’s famous book Sovar al-Kavakeb. The results show strong similarities
between the considered glyptic designs and astronomical symbols. On account of the Sassanian’s deep belief in
astrology and the role the constellations played in their lifestyle and ruling system, it is conceivable that such
stamp seals served apotropaic purposes and were related with Sassanian’s astrological beliefs connected with
predicting good and bad days. The main purpose behind the application of these designs was most probably to
seek the support and protection from constellations. Associating these glyptic designs with constellations is further
supported by a series of animal motifs such as scorpions, snakes and bears which did not held any position in the
Sassanian belief system, demonstrating that these motifs were designed for astrological prognostications. For
example, from the Sassanian point of view, the motif of scorpion and snake form the class of vermin, and devilish
animals and bears symbolize ruin and corruption. Therefore, such evil representing motifs were employed for no
reasons other than their relation to the constellations and astrological prophecies.
Borderlands in ca. 3300‒2900 BCE. Variously labelled as “Emir Grey” and “Late Shahi Tump” ware, this fine
grey ceramic is often considered an elite or prestige product on account of its very thin walls, fine fabric, and
painted designs. In the present paper, thin-section petrography, XRD, and SEM-EDX analyses were carried out on
a selection of pottery pieces from the burial contexts at the Chegerdak cemetery of Iranshahr (Baluchestan, Iran).
The results shed new light on the production and circulation of the pottery. Most notably, it potentially extended
the map of its production centers to western Iranian Baluchestan.
Climate change periods are associated with increased extreme weather events such as torrential rains and prolonged
droughts, thus posing severe challenges to human societies. In the fourth millennium BCE, variable climatic
conditions in the Tehran plain caused cultural dynamics to be disrupted. Through an environmental archaeological
approach, the present study discusses the possible causes of cultural decline and collapse in this plain in two stages
of climate change during the fourth millennium BCE. The data derives from the archaeological site of Mafin
Abad, where occurs a situation similar to a series of sites in North Central and Southwest Iran. High-resolution
paleoclimate research has been used to reconstruct the climatic conditions of the fourth millennium BCE. This
research reflects the importance of environmental sedimentology studies in archaeological sites to identify possible
environmental reasons for cultural prosperity and disintegration of prehistoric rural communities.
sun, it is imperative to adapt the traditional housing in this region to the climate. Unfortunately, the use of patterns
disproportionate to the climate in recent decades has become a common problem considering the changes in
people’s lifestyles and livelihoods and technological changes. The question is “How can the historical and
traditional architectural style in the Sistan region be used for developing contemporary housing?”
Using a case study and a descriptive-analytical approach, the adaptation of rural houses to environmental
conditions was investigated in five prominent historical villages of Sistan. Subsequently, solutions were proposed
to adapt to the climatic conditions of the region. In addition, models for rural housing were proposed. Based on
the findings of the field study, it seems that using the old models of traditional Sistani architecture is an effective
strategy for designing housing suitable for the special climate of this region in the present era. Moreover, the
findings highlighted the necessity to pay attention to the orientation of the building for better use of wind and
natural ventilation, create natural and artificial windbreaks, use water and green space, shade the walls, and use
introverted architectural models and central yards.
regard them as a form of visual art. Given the long history of representation in rock art spanning the Paleolithic
period up to the present, they have been considered from various archeological, anthropological, artistic, symbolic,
and historical and decorative arts perspectives to pin down their themes, meanings, and date. The present work
examines a series of pictographs from the Kuhdasht region of Lorestan using a combination of field, laboratorial,
and library research approaches. Notably, this is the very first study in Iran addressing the pigments of pictographs
at a rock art site. A popular local tradition holds that the ancient artists used a mixture of blood, oak syrup, and soot
to prepare the paint used at the site. Hence, the motifs, rock types, and pigments of the Charta region were analyzed
to characterize their chemical composition and the elements constituting the pigments. To this end, a Dino Light
digital loop microscope was used, and point tests and petrography were then carried out using scanning electron
microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The elemental analyses revealed the nature
of the red pigment. The motifs at Charta include representations of tools, geometric motifs, and human figures,
portraying fighting or pre-fighting scenes. The chemical composition of the red pigment consisted of a high iron
(Fe) content as well as smaller percentages of Ca, Mg, Al, and Si. The abundance of iron element detected in the
elemental analysis of the specimen’s surface and the intensity of the peaks related to the composition of iron oxide
in the FT-IR spectra might more strongly indicate the presence of these compounds in the pigment.
Therefore, the pigments were mainly made of iron oxides, such as red ocher or hematite, magnetite, and
magnesium. Thus, the artists invariably used highly durable and resilient mineral pigments, which based on the
micrographs of the paint layer cross-sections were directly applied to the rock and, thus the absence of any sort of
primer. No organic element was detected in the pigment composition.
historical relics. The intervening years have seen the publication of a lot of archaeological information on the
documented relics, but the corpus of Islamic pottery from the region remains virtually unpublished. Its rich
diversity in motif and decoration types and attribution to several different Islamic centuries as well as the fact that
there were few published studies from South Khorasan province in general regarding regional Islamic ceramics
warranted an independent study. Thus, the present study has the potential to not only shed light on the archeology
of Khusf but also contribute to the studies of the related Islamic pottery from the province. With these in mind,
the major questions addressed here concern the chronology of the pottery corpus in question and the centers
from which comparanda could be drawn. This paper embarks on a comparative analysis of the Islamic pottery
assemblages from Khusf County to establish a comparative chronology. The data for this descriptive-comparative
study comes from both field and library researches. The findings suggest that the Islamic pottery from the county
spans at least the 10th to the 19th century AD. In types of motifs and decoration, the pottery finds parallels over a
broad swathe of eastern and southern Iran, and for the most part represents potential imports from such regions or
centers as Nishapur, Mashhad, and Kerman.
Dokhtar is a fort with a special position in Kerman’s history thanks to the measures its builders had taken regarding
its approach and security. The present contribution aimed to analyze and expound upon the spatial relationships in
Qal’eh Dokhtar’s architecture using the space syntax technique. The dataset deriving from the field surveys and
historical texts was analyzed in Depthmap software. The results showed that the so-called “ruler’s residence” had
the highest spatial depth, and its difficult access furnished the security inherent in such a residence. Furthermore, in
light of the parameters of control and entropy, the eastern quarter of the fort was found to exhibit the lowest level of
both access and control across the fort. In terms of connectivity, Court I enjoyed the highest level of accessibility,
continuity, and spatial coherence with the remaining spaces at the complex as they all clustered around this central
courtyard. Court II showed the highest degree of integration. It was probably home to the administrative body,
and perhaps also supplied the services to other quarters, as suggested by the passageways linking it to the different
parts of the fort.
structures of the Panchmahal district, Gujarat. Unlike other historical and archaeological research fields, mason’s
marks represent a less known field in Indian academia. In very general terms, one can define a mason’s mark as
any signs ranging from short inscriptions to any form of alpha-numeric values inscribed on architectural elements.
In this paper, the authors discuss a series of such marks recorded at isolated historical buildings of the district,
trying to explain why inquiry into mason’s marks can be deemed an integral part of architectural studies. A brief
description of the study area and adapted methodologies is followed by the detailed accounts of the monuments
and the related finds in tabular format.
Museum in Tehran, Iran. The blade is highly-curved, has a wedge shape, and a flat fuller. However, the typical style
of most highly-curved Persian sword blades has no fullers. The blade is made of patterned crucible steel (pulād-e
gŏhardār). Persian patterned crucible steel was considered one of the best types of steel not only in Iran but also
in other countries. Based on the pattern and visisble structures of the surface of the blade, patterned crucible steel
was classified into different categories. The crucible steel pattern on this example is pulād-e jŏhardār-e xati that
means “lined watered steel. The blade has a gold-overlaid maker’s mark of Assadollāh Isfahāni and also carries
the name of Šāh Abbās. These are integrated in four gold-overlaid inscriptions on the obverse side of the blade.
The upper cartouche reads: Al-Soltān Šāh Abbās (the ruler Šāh Abbās), the upper middle cartouche is a bodduh
(a magic square), the lower middle cartouche reads: Amal-e Assadollāh (the work of Assadollāh), and the lower
cartouche reads: Isfahāni. The inscriptions seem to be later additions to the blade. The crossguard is made of
patterned crucible steel and pierced in floral and geometric designs on both sides. The scabbard chape is made of
steel. The handle scales are made of bone. The wooden scabbard is a new replacement covered with new leather.
The general dimensions of the saber follow many historical examples.