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The aim of this article is to show that there is an alternative way to reconstruct the Muslim conquest of Roman Levant, which is actually militarily more plausible than the current consensus view among historians.
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As a result of field survey and remote sensing of aerial photo and satellite imagery, a large archaeological site, probably belonging to the Sasanian period, was identified in Farāšband. This site covers an area of 14.4 square kilometers, very regular and walled, implanted on virgin land. The initial survey shows that it was probably a large geometric city consists of six large almost rectangular shape sections. Based on the archaeological evidence, this site has never been completed nor filled with population and had some gardens.
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Tomb of Māhūr is located at a village called Mahur Berenji, district of Sardasht a part of Dezfūl, Khuzestan province, Southern Iran. This tomb has been discovered by Karamian and Astraki in 2018. There is a four-legged cross symbol in the above part of the tomb entrance.
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Defensive structures have been applied as the permanent elements of the Iranian urbanism, from the first phases of sedentism in the Neolithic period onwards. Following the Iranian tradition in architecture, Sasanian fortifications having local features were constructed in adaptation with the regional circumstances. Nevertheless, we can find some similarities in the components of the defensive installations. The defensive structures located within the Sasanian territory turned Iran into the unconquerable fortress providing Sasanians with military, political, cultural, and economic dominance over a vast area of the ancient world for more than four centuries.
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This article examines Sasanian military architecture with respect to its integration with the four-region Spāhbed system (Ādurbādagān-Spāhbed, Xwarāsān-Spāhbed, Xwarbārān-Spāhbed and Nēmrōz-Spāhbed) for defending the empire. Following an overview of Sasanian military architecture within Iran, the article examines the Darband wall of the Caucasus in the context of the office of the Ādurbādagān-Spāhbed facing the empire’s north and northwest (Ādurbādagān, Media Atropatene corresponding with the historical Azerbaijan in Iran’s northwest), the Tammisha and Gorgan wall systems of the Xwarāsān-Spāhbed facing the nomadic warrior peoples of the Central Asia, the military architecture of the Xwarbārān-Spāhbed facing the western (Romano-Byzantine) frontiers, and the Khandaq-e Shapur of the Nēmrōz-Spāhbed facing the southwest, notably raiders from the Arabian Peninsula threatening the empire’s southwest marches.
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Solgi or Sharif Abad tepe (A&B) is one of the larger settlement sites of the Gamasi-Ab river basin in Nahavand plain. This site lies at the intersection of old ancient roads that go from Sahne, Harsin and Kangavar to Nihavand and the other eastern regions. In the study of this area, pottery from the Early Bronze Age (Godin IV-Yanik, Kura-Araxes), pottery related to Godin III, II and pottery of the historical period were obtained. The examination of these pottery artefacts reveals extensive cultural exchanges of the inhabitants of the region with the northwestern and neighboring areas in the Bronze and Iron Ages. In addition, a closer examination of the lifestyle in this settlement area gives us a complete view of these people’s use of biological resources and their interaction with the environment. Among the reasons for the location and development of this settlement in the Bronze and Iron Age the main one was easy access to water resources and fertile agricultural lands. This article provides a brief overview of the geographical situation of the region and the history of archaeological research conducted in Nihavand and then focuses on the natural landscape of Sharif Abad. The next part of it describes the archaeological data from this location and analyzes its chronology. The article is concluded by a succinct summary.
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We present the preliminary results of our recent find, a circular pond, and its surrounding structures, built in stone masonry of Sasanian tradition in the Dehbarm village, west Firuzabad Plain (Fars, Iran). We elaborate on this site and suggest it belongs to the Early Sasanian Ardashir-Xurra (Ardašīr-Xwarrah), the first Sasanian capital and complex urban plan of the Firuzabad plain. Based on comparable finds, we interpret Dehbarm as a garden settlement, a so-called paradise, and consider it a case study for water management and landscape manipulation of the Late Antiquity in the Greater Fars. Additionally, we ponder on the broader aspect of spring-fed ponds in the Sasanian architectural tradition. Further investigation, as well as extensive fieldwork, is planned to address this aspect.
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The highland plains of western Iran have been investigated with varying intensity. The Sarfirouzabad plain, located in the south of Kermanshah province, although visited perfunctorily, has not previously been studied systematically, despite desirable ecological and environmental conditions. In 2009, a team from the University of Tehran conducted a systematic and intensive field survey in the region to identify archaeological settlements and to assess their location concerning ecological, environmental and cultural factors impacted the distribution of sites on the plain. The surveyed area was walked in transects at 20-metre intervals and resulted in the identification of 332 archaeological sites from different cultural periods, which added much to the limited knowledge about the history of this region. During this survey, Pa-Chogha as the biggest tell site in the area, was identified. Fifty-nine samples of pottery and five stone tools were collected from the surface of Pa-Chogha dated from Late Chalcolithic to Islamic periods. Unfortunately, due to the expansion of Pa-Chogha village, the site is in danger of being destroyed. Our aim to publish this article is to introduce the Pa-Chogha as an important site for the chronology of Central Zagros at first, and preventing the further destruction of this site at the second.
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The rock relief discovered in Rag-e Bibi in Northern Afghanistan in 2002 remains an archaeological sensation. The archery equipment depicted there has not yet been studied. The article describes the bow cases combined with quivers and associates them with the same type of kit popular in Eurasia related with spread of the recurved bows with stiff bone or horn extensions of Xiong Nu/Hunnictype. This type of bows replaced shorter 'Scythian' type of bows in 1st-2nd century CE. The integrated bow case and quiver went out of use soon before the rise of the Sasanians therefore Rag-e Bibi cannot be linked with this dynastic art, based also on the depicted elements of material culture, as well as on stylistic grounds.
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In the Late Antiquity, the Caucasus region had become a battle ground for the Byzantines and the Sasanians. The conflict between the two great empires escalated in the 6th century, when both sides overcame internal conflicts and pursued active foreign policies. The Lazic War (541-562 CE), fought on the territory of modern western Georgia, then the Lazic Kingdom, was one of the most important conflicts of the Late Antiquity and an integral part of the unremitting wars of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. The conflict witnessed both sides employing combatant populations residing within the borders of their empires. Among them were the Daylamites, a kin-group from the rugged mountains of northern Iran, just south of the Caspian Sea who had long served as mercenaries for various powers. This article discusses the combat culture, tactics, equipment, and role of the Daylamites in the Sasanian military campaigns in the Caucasus in the 6th century CE.
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The first villages were formed during the Neolithic period, when people began building residential architecture. Villages continued to exist in Iran until the 2nd half of the 4th millennium BC, when the first cities appeared. Settlement in Shahr-i Sokhta had begun during this period, and in the 3rd millennium BC, the city’s size expanded and many related-settlement sites were formed in the Sistan plain. A prominent related-settlement site of Shahr-i Sokhta is Tape Yal or Taleb Khan 2, located 11 kilometres from the city. An excavation was conducted at this site by one of the author. This article analyses the architectural features of this site, a Bronze Age village of the Hirmand civilization, based on the findings of this excavation. It has been determined that this site contains residential buildings, workshops, and storage rooms with mudbrick construction. The above residential buildings probably belonged to the craftsmen of this village who lived next to their workshops. The first villages were formed during the Neolithic period, when people began building residential architecture. Villages continued to exist in Iran until the 2nd half of the 4th millennium BC, when the first cities appeared. Settlement in Shahr-i Sokhta had begun during this period, and in the 3rd millennium BC, the city’s size expanded and many related-settlement sites were formed in the Sistan plain. A prominent related-settlement site of Shahr-i Sokhta is Tape Yal or Taleb Khan 2, located 11 kilometres from the city. An excavation was conducted at this site by one of the author. This article analyses the architectural features of this site, a Bronze Age village of the Hirmand civilization, based on the findings of this excavation. It has been determined that this site contains residential buildings, workshops, and storage rooms with mudbrick construction. The above residential buildings probably belonged to the craftsmen of this village who lived next to their workshops.
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Shiraz plain is one of the most important plains adjacent to Persepolis. Tirazziš place have been mentioned in the Persepolis Archives many times. For further research on the place name of modernShiraz with what is mentioned in the Achaemenid’s Archives, it was necessary to carried out an archeological survey in this plain. Objective and methodical archeological researches had not been carried out in the Shiraz plain until 2008. In the process of this new methodical archaeological survey,one of the most important ancient sites of the Achaemenid and Post-Achaemenid periods was identified in the Shiraz plain. According to the ceramic documents, this site was inhabited in the Achaemenid and Post-Achaemenid periods. Shiraz is mentioned in the Persepolis Archives under the Elamite form Tirazziš. This site attests to the situation of the Shiraz plain in the Achaemenid and Post-Achaemenid periods. The introduction of this ancient site provides a new perspective to understand the relationship between the Shiraz plain in the Achaemenid period and its connection with Persepolis.
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In the historical period, the Fars region in Iran was one of the most important cultural areas in the world, and it is considered the origin of the ancient Achaemenid and Sasanian empires. Although some areas of Sarchahan county have been studied well, no archaeological survey has been conducted there until the construction of Khansaar Dam and rescue operations in its area. As part of an archaeological survey in the Toujerdi district of Sarchahan county, 92 cairn burials were found. According to the survey conducted in five areas around Khansaar Dam, the distribution of cairn burials, commonly known as Khereftkhaneh, has been identified. From Pakistan to the west of Iran, this type of burial method can be observed, and the burials of Toujerdi region can be considered associated with burials from the Parthian and Sasanian periods.
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In this paper, the authors have examined 94 unprovenanced arrowheads (tanged and socketed) that are stored in the cultural historical property repository of the Administration of Cultural Heritage of Kerman Province (Southeastern Iran). The illlegal possessors claimed to have discovered the arrowheads via illegal diggings in the Kerman Province. Most of the examined arrowheads were probably designed for warfare and are comparable to findings within current borders of Iran or its vicinity. Most of the tanged arrowheads probably date to the Iron Age of Iran (1450-550 B.C.). Most of the trilobate arrowheads can be compared to the findings of Achaemenid sites or resemble items that have been excavated from layers associated with the Achaemenids. Some of the Bronze Age arrowheads, however, could not be compared with any items that have been recovered from Iran or its neighboring regions.
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The pottery samples under investigation in this study include the findings of the Astankroud 2 Site in the Kojur region of western Mazandaran Province. The site was uncovered during an archaeological survey of the region in 2010 and has been thus far the easternmost site of Kura-Araxes. Considering the importance of discussions concerning the characteristics of this culture and the reasons for its spread in a vast geographic area extending from the southern coast of the Caspian Sea to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, 15 pottery pieces of Kura-Araxes were subject to petrographic study in order to determine the mineralogy structure of the pottery recovered from Astanakroud Site. The experiments on these pieces were conducted using a polarizing microscope (James Swift) at the Petrographic Laboratory of the Institute for Protection and Restoration of Works affiliated with Cultural Heritage Research. According to the results of experiments, it was revealed that all the pottery had been locally produced. A petrographic study of Astanakroud pottery reveals that the pottery has been produced using soil resulting from erosion of geological structure in the northern part of the Kojur region (with volcanic structure) that has been washed up by natural currents traversing the valleys of Nimvar, Avil, and Kouhpar to the foot of the site.
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This research investigated the archaeological site of Tol-e Khezr in Firuzabad with the purpose of establishing a relative chronology. This site is among those whose pottery has been less extensively studied, and it also boasts a strategic location. Therefore, the site of Tol-e Khezr was selected for systematic sampling and investigation of its structures to ascertain its relative chronology and usage as accurately as possible. A methodical approach was chosen for the investigation of Tol-e Khezr, consisting of three steps: mapping, sampling, and documentation of the findings (including washing the pottery, registering the pottery fragments, entering the information of the findings into SPSS software, selecting the diagnostic samples, drawing the diagnostic samples, and photographing the samples). In this methodical way, 50% of all grids were sampled, with the form of every other grid. This included 30 grids of 10 x 10 meters. The number of all gathered pottery comprised 644 pieces. To interpret the pottery, we considered 12 variables for them, and the information on each piece was entered into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) according to these variables. One of the most essential classifications relates to the typology of Tol-e Khezr pottery forms, which parallels various surveyed and excavated areas' findings in Iran and beyond. Furthermore, the survey revealed that, in addition to typical pottery, three distinct types of ceramic were identified: coarse with raised bands, glazed (alkaline), and ceramics with a dark slip coating. At this firm, architecture and its details in visible and exposed areas were documented, described, analyzed, and compared.
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The present article gives an overview on the development of the measurement and practical acquisition of circle section dimensions since the late 3rd millennium BC. In key points, the prerequisites and practical implementation for celestial observations over approx. 1500 years up to the 8th century BC are collected and analyzed, in terms of their logical requirements and connected archaeological findings. A comprehensible and unambiguous calculation is made for the celestial dimensions in cubits used from the 8th to the 2nd century BC, for which estimated values between 2.5 and 2.1 angular degrees have been determined since Kugler 1900 until to recently researchers. Therefore, for the first time, the exact transformation value is presented here. Not only the connections and the further development of this celestial measurement system are presented, but also its coherent adaptation up to the first definition and use of the angular unit measurement, which is still used today, around 200 BC. In addition, some data and their previous interpretation from various sources are put up for discussion, which even include the table of Chords, presented by Ptolemy in his Almagest and their use.
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