University of Sistan and Baluchestan Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies 2251-743X 9 1 2019 02 01 Espahabad Khorshid Cave, Mazandaran, Iran: Some Insights into Sasanian Period Buildings 1 9 6504 10.22111/ijas.2019.6504 EN Roberto Dan Department of Humanities, Communication and Tourism, Tuscia University, Italy. ISMEO - International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies. Lorenzo Costantini ISMEO - International Association of Mediterranean and the Oriental Studies Mohammad Keshavarz Divkolaee ISMEO - International Association of Mediterranean and the Oriental Studies Journal Article 2018 08 27 The Espahabad Khorshid Cave, located in Savadkooh District, Mazandaran province, is a huge natural cavity that opens on the northern flank of Mount Lakamar, in the Khatir Kooh Valley, just above the River Talar. The cave has long been used as a natural refuge and during the Sasanian period it was the stronghold of the last ruler of Ṭabarestān. From the mid-1950s the cave has been visited and described by various professional and non professional archaeologists. Over the years, few scholars have paid attention to these ruins, although the site has always been visible because of its location. In general, the position of the cave and the arrangement of the internal architectural structures makes it impossible for casual visitors to gain access to the site, especially to the upper levels which can be reached only by expert climbers. The archaeological and architectural structures preserved in the cave (mostly from late Sasanian times and later periods) were systematically documented by a team of Iranian architects between 2008 and 2011. In 2015, with the permission of the Mazandaran Provincial authorities, a preliminary Iranian - Italian archaeological expedition started the systematic collection of data regarding architecture and artefacts. The study of the various classes of building materials has been initially focussed on the analysis of some timber structures in the eastern building complex. The remains of some wooden planks and beams were still in situ, roughly confined in the margins of the main walls. The preservation of the wood was excellent and has allowed detailed analysis of the wooden building material, and indirect analysis of the local environment. The wood used for these planks/beams was found to belong to two different species, Fraxinus sp. and Quercus sp., providing the first preliminary information on the use of the local wood resources. Further collection of structural timbers from the destroyed buildings will allow us to investigate ancient wood technology and the exploitation of the woodlands together with the history of human occupation of the Espahabad Khorshid Cave.

https://ijas.usb.ac.ir/article_6504_3766dc75f0813d3226def521d1b62d55.pdf

University of Sistan and Baluchestan Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies 2251-743X 9 1 2019 02 01 Spatial and Quantitative Analyses of Sasanian Ceramics from the Architectural Spaces of Bazeh-Hur Chahartaq 11 21 6507 10.22111/ijas.2019.6507 EN Meysam Labbaf-Khaniki Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Iran. Maria Daghmehchi Department of Archaeology, University of Tehran, Iran Alfredo Maximiano Castillejo Quantitative Archaeology Lab, Departament de Prehistòria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. Mehdi Samadi, Department of Remote sensing and GIS, Faculty of Geography, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Afshin Fayyaz Movaghar Department of Statistics, University of Mazandaran, Iran Journal Article 2018 09 05 This study presents a model for the spatial structure of ceramic vessels across the architectural complex of Bazeh-Hur site (6th to 8th centuries AD), using Inverse Distance Weighting interpolation for modelling and Mean Relative Error and Root Mean Square Error for validation and cross-validation of the output modelled surface. The Regression analysis was also used to examine the vessel prediction per square meter and measure the correlation intensity between the values and distance. These geostatistical and quantitative methods not only enable us to characterize the arrangement of the architectural spaces where activities take place, but also to delimit several structures that are corroborated by the excavated areas. As a conclusion, we propose a high probability for the main entrance of the building in southern taq, which is also attested by a chief portico and a broad gypsum floor near to an ancient trade road.

https://ijas.usb.ac.ir/article_6507_b4a35f2ab2803d48086f896553892683.pdf

University of Sistan and Baluchestan Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies 2251-743X 9 1 2019 02 01 A Comparative Analysis of Semantic Values in Liminal Spaces of Traditional Houses (Case Study: Yazd Traditional Houses) 23 37 5964 10.22111/ijas.2019.5964 EN Hassan Mortazavi Department of Art & Architecture University of Payam-e-Nour Zahedan Branch, Zahedan, Iran. Mohammad Reza Bemanian Department of Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Mojtaba Ansari Department of Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2018 07 02 A house is a space where humans grow and live with their families feeling secure with a sense of attachment. The architecture of the traditional Iranian houses not only has taken on physical and functional importance as architecture, but the role of architecture in the association of meanings and transmission of concepts also has a special place. Liminal spaces in traditional houses are part of the apparent form carrying multiple meanings. In these spaces, there is a possibility of common interaction and exchange with adjacent spaces, this demonstrates the ability of liminal spaces to confront multiple concepts that make it the focus of meaning.This applied research was conducted as a descriptive-analytical study with the interpretivist approach to describe the valid theories and opinions of theorists by ranking the concepts and notions hidden in liminal spaces. Then, by preparing a questionnaire from the residents and field study of samples of traditional housing in Yazd, the identified indicators have been analyzed and evaluated by a comparative method. Research findings suggested that liminal spaces are represented by a definable concept by physical elements (such as porches and entrances) in traditional houses consisting of various semantic layers perceived objectively (physical concepts) and subjectively (subjective concepts). In addition, it was revealed that all indicators had considerable physical manifestations in threshold spaces on five value levels, fostering the link between the physical form and content on all semantic levels. Moreover, restoring part of the lost identity of the Iranian house architecture seems possible by prioritizing, recreating, and incorporating these indicatorsinto the modern housing models.

https://ijas.usb.ac.ir/article_5964_1a2359888f91754a7c09a88b1ffe7cfd.pdf

University of Sistan and Baluchestan Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies 2251-743X 9 1 2019 02 01 The Middle Bronze Age in the Little Zab Basin in the Light of the Excavations at Barde Zard Tepe, Northwest Iran 39 56 6505 10.22111/ijas.2019.6505 EN Mahnaz Sharifi Iranian Centre for Archaeological Research, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2018 07 15 In the wake of the Kura-Araxes horizon, a major cultural shift brake out with painted ware replacing the glossy black burnished pottery. Painted ware, also termed Urmia Ware, became widespread in Northwest Iran in the Middle Bronze Age. The same scenario is reflected at the archaeological mound of Barde Zard in the Little Zab Basin. Situated in Piranshahr city of West Azerbaijan Province, this settlement represents one of the several formed across the basin in prehistoric times. The fieldwork at the site was aimed at specifying the occupation sequence, the cultural interactions of its residents with neighboring regions, and the characteristics of the Middle Bronze Age there. The excavations at the mound brought to light a mid-Bronze structure associated with a burial. Also identified were cultural ties with the Urmia Lake Basin and inspirations from the Khabur tradition of Mesopotamia.

https://ijas.usb.ac.ir/article_6505_e258b57c532322e7d4bc20e120f59d14.pdf

University of Sistan and Baluchestan Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies 2251-743X 9 1 2019 02 01 The Study of Ritual Architecture in Southeast of Iran According to Archetypes 57 68 6510 10.22111/ijas.2019.6510 EN Fakhredin Mohammadian Department of Archaeology, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran. Kadijeh Sharifkazemi Department of Archaeology, Bu-Ali Sina University of Hamedan, Hamedan, Iran. Seyed Rasoul Mosavi Haji Department of Archaeology, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran. Journal Article 2018 07 11 The ritual-cultural architecture is the result of a mutual interaction of man and nature throughout history. Hence, the study of ritual buildings in a geographical context provides us with a meaningful understanding and recognition of these monuments. There are a considerable number of ritual monuments in southeast of Iran, especially in some towns such as Chabahar, Konarak, and Nikshahr. According to the type of their structures, these monuments convey symbolic and meaningful concepts. The questions raised in the present study are as follows: How is the structure type of ritual architecture in southeast of Iran? And how these buildings have been expressed in connection with ritual behaviors as well as concepts and symbols? In terms of objective, the present study is a fundamental research and based on the nature and methodology, it is among the historical-analytic studies. Data collection has been performed using field study and data analysis conducted through library sources. The results indicated that archetypes have played a significant role in the quality of structural process of ritual architecture in the investigated region.

https://ijas.usb.ac.ir/article_6510_9d00a6e8886da1f1f9ed6a9382bee272.pdf

University of Sistan and Baluchestan Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies 2251-743X 9 1 2019 02 01 Significance of Cultural Continuity at the Site of Douranabad in the Study of Bronze Age and Iron Age in Southern Qazvin Plain 69 78 6791 10.22111/ijas.2019.6791 EN Hossein Tahan Department of Archaeology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran. Amir Sadegh Naghshineh Department of Archaeology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. Journal Article 2022 03 13 With many archeological sites, the southern area of the Qazvin Plain is among the significant areas of the Central Iranian Plateau where numerous studies and excavations have been carried out. However, the authors intend to re-examine the evidence regarding the settlement patterns during the Bronze and Iron Ages in this area, due to some unanswered questions and uncertainties. One of the revisited prehistoric sites in this area is Douranabad the findings from which were presumed to outline the settlement pattern of the Bronze and Iron Ages in the southern area of the Qazvin Plain. These findings indicate that the site has been occupied during the Chalcolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages, and therefore has an important status to study the cultural sequence and settlement patterns in the area. In addition, other evidence from some sites in the area, such as Sagzabad, Ghabrestan and Yass Tepe, confirms the presence of human communities in different phases of the Bronze Age to Iron Age in the southern areas of the Qazvin Plain and that the same sites were generally reoccupied in the Iron Age.

https://ijas.usb.ac.ir/article_6791_89a44010691052b360fbfe775756d52a.pdf