Extremes and Cultures: Investigating the Decline of the Chalcolithic Age in the Tehran Plain with the Environmental Archaeology Approach

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department of History and Archaeology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Natural hazards in ancient times were among the factors central to the decline of human cultures and civilizations.
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.

Keywords

References

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Iranian Journal of Archaeological Studies
Volume 13, Issue 1
2023
Pages 77-90

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