Iran. Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies

322 Pages·2007·52.249 MB·English

IRAN
Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies
Volume XLV 2007
CONTENTS
Page
Governing Council. ii
Report of theC ouncil. iii
Obituary. v
Proto-NeolithicC aves in theB olaghi Valley, South Iran,b yA kira Tsuneki,M ohsen Zeidi andK atsuhiko Ohnuma 1
Archaeological Surveys in the" EasternC orridor", South-WesternI ran,b yA bbas Moghaddam andN egin Miri . 23
The Case ofE lamite tepVtip-a ndA kkadian tuppu,b y JanT avernier. 57
The Querulous Cow: An Essay inG athic Interpretationb,y M .L. West.,. 71
AdministrativeG eography of theE arly Sasanian Period: theC ase ofA durbadagan, byM ehrdad Ghodrat-Dizaji 87
An ImperialF rontiero f the Sasanian Empire: FurtherF ieldwork at theG reatW all ofG organ, by Hamid Omrani
Rekavandi, EberhardW . Sauer,T onyW ilkinson, etal. 95
Worship According to theY asts, by Sarah Stewart. 137
On theP ortraitso f theS ogdian Kings (Ikhshids) of Samarqand, byM ichael Fedorov. 153
The Topography ofR ayy during theE arly Islamic Period, byR . Rante. 161
A SamanidW ork of Counsel and Commentary:T he Nasihat al-muluko f Pseudo-Mawardi, by Louise Marlow . 181
Hierocosmic Intellecta ndU niversal Soul in a Qasida byN asir-i Khusraw, by Leonard Lewisohn. 193
Warlike Heroines in theP ersianA lexander Tradition: theC ases ofA raqit and Burandukht,b y Evangelos Venetis 227
An Introductiont oB uildings of the Il-Khanid Period Located in theC ity of Farfan,R ui-dasht Region, Isfahan,
Iran,b yA hmad SalehiKakhki.;. 233
The Zurkhana between Tradition and Change, by Lloyd Ridgeon 4. 243
Archaeological Reports
Socio-Economic Transformationsi n theT ehran Plain: Final Season of SettlementS urvey and Excavations at
Tepe Pardis, by H. Fazeli, R.A.E. Coningham, R.L. Young, G.K. Gillmore, M. Maghsoudi and H. Raza . 267
The Mamasani Archaeological Project, Stage Two: Excavations at Qaleh Kali (Tappeh Servan/Jinjun[ MS
46]), by D.T Potts,A . Asgari Chaverdi, C.A. Petrie, etal. 287
Developing Societies and Economies inF ourthM illennium B.C. Fars: FurtherE xcavations at Tol-e Spid by
C.A. Petrie, A. Sardari Zarchi and A. Javanmard Zadeh. 301
ShorterN otices. 311
THE BRITISH INSTITUTE OF PERSIAN STUDIES
Registered Charity No. 231161
c/oT he BritishA cademy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5A H
ISSN 0578-6967
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STATEMENT OF AIMS AND ACTIVITIES
1. The Institute has an establishment inT ehran atw hich British scholars, men and women of learning versed in the
arts, friends of Iran, may reside and meet their Iranian colleagues in order to discuss with them subjects of
common interest: the arts, archaeology, history, literature, linguistics, religion, philosophy and cognate subjects.
2. The Institutep rovides accommodation for senior scholars and for teachers fromB ritish Universities in order that
theym ay refresh themselves at the source of knowledge fromw hich their teaching derives. The same service is
being rendered to younger studentsw ho show promise of developing interests in Persian studies.
3. The Institute,w hilst concerned with Persian culture in thew idest sense, is particularly concerned with the devel
opment of archaeological techniques, and seeks the co-operation of Iranian scholars and students in applying
currentm ethods to the resolution of archaeological and historical problems.
4. Archaeological excavation using modern scientific techniques as ancillary aids is one of the Institute's primary
tasks. These activities, which entail a fresh appraisal of previous discoveries, have already yielded new histori
cal, architectural, and archaeological evidence which is adding to our knowledge of the past and of its bearing
on them odern world.
5. In pursuit of all the activities mentioned in thep receding paragraphs the Institute is gradually adding to its library,
is collecting learned periodicals, and is publishing a journal, Iran, which appears annually.
6. The Institute arranges occasional seminars, lectures and conferences and enlists the help of distinguished scholars
for this purpose. It also arranges small exhibitions with the object of demonstrating the importance of Persian
culture and its attraction for thew orld of scholarship.
7. The Institute endeavours to collaborate with universities and educational institutions in Iran by all them eans at
its disposal and, when consulted, assists Iranian scholars with technical advice for directing them towards the
appropriate academic institutions inB ritish universities.
MEMBERSHIP OF THE INSTITUTE
Anyone wishing to join the Institute should write to theM embership Secretary, c/o The British Academy, 10 Carlton
House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH. The annual subscription rates (1st January-31st December) are as follows:
Full membership (U.K. only) ?30
Member not receiving j ournal ? 10
Full membership (Overseas) ?30
Student membership ?8
COPIES OF IRAN
Full members of the Institute receive a post free copy of the current issue of the journal Iran each year. Copies of
Iran may be obtained from the Publications Secretary (address as above) at the following prices:
?
Current issue single copies purchased by non members ?30 each plus ?5 per copy for postage
and packing (surface mail outside
Europe)
?
Back numbers please see publications list inside back cover
Those ordering from overseas may pay by sterling draft drawn in London, or by credit card, or by transfer to our
bank account.
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IRAN
Volume XLV 2007
CONTENTS Page
Governing Council. ii
Report of theC ouncil. iii
v
Obituary.
Proto-Neolithic Caves in theB olaghi Valley, South Iran,b yA kira Tsuneki, Mohsen Zeidi and Katsuhiko Ohnuma 1
Archaeological Surveys in the "Eastern Corridor", South-Western Iran, by Abbas Moghaddam and Negin Miri 23
The Case of Elamite tep-/tip-a nd Akkadian tuppu,b y JanT avernier. 57
The Querulous Cow: An Essay inG athic Interpretation,b y M.L. West. 71
Administrative Geography of theE arly Sasanian Period: theC ase ofA durbadagan, byM ehrdad Ghodrat-Dizaji 87
An Imperial Frontier of the Sasanian Empire: Further Fieldwork at theG reat Wall of Gorgan, by Hamid Omrani
Rekavandi, Eberhard W. Sauer, Tony Wilkinson, et al. 95
Worship According to the Yasts, by Sarah Stewart. 137
On the Portraits of the Sogdian Kings (Ikhshids) of Samarqand, by Michael Fedorov. 153
The Topography of Rayy during theE arly Islamic Period, by R. Rante. 161
A Samanid Work of Counsel and Commentary: The Nasihat al-muluk of Pseudo-Mawardi, by Louise Marlow 181
Hierocosmic Intellect and Universal Soul in a Qasida by Nasir-i Khusraw, by Leonard Lewisohn .... 193
Warlike Heroines in theP ersian Alexander Tradition: theC ases ofA raqit and Burandukht, by Evangelos Venetis 227
An Introduction toB uildings of the Il-Khanid Period Located in theC ity of Farfan, Rui-dasht Region, Isfahan,
Iran, by Ahmad Salehi Kakhki. 233
The Zurkhana between Tradition and Change, by Lloyd Ridgeon. -. . 243
Archaeological Reports
Socio-Economic Transformations in theT ehran Plain: Final Season of Settlement Survey and Excavations at
Tepe Pardis, by H. Fazeli, R.A.E. Coningham, R.L. Young, G.K. Gillmore, M. Maghsoudi and H. Raza. . 267
The Mamasani Archaeological Project, Stage Two: Excavations at Qaleh Kali (Tappeh Servan/Jinjun [MS
46]), by D.T. Potts,A . Asgari Chaverdi, C.A. Petrie, etal. 287
Developing Societies and Economies in FourthM illennium B.C. Fars: Further Excavations at Tol-e Spid by
C.A. Petrie,A . Sardari Zarchi and A. Javanmard Zadeh. 301
ShorterN otices. 311
THE BRITISH INSTITUTE OF PERSIAN STUDIES
Registered Charity No. 231161
c/oT he BritishA cademy, 10 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH
ISSN 0578-6967
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BRITISH INSTITUTEO F PERSIAN STUDIES
(A Registered Charity)
GOVERNING COUNCIL
President
*VESTA SARKHOSH CURTIS, M.A., Ph.D.
Vice-President & Chairman of Research Sub-Committee
*Professor ROBERT HILLENBRAND, M.A., D.Phil., F.R.S.E.
Honorary Vice-Presidents
fProfessor C.E. BOSWORTH, M.A., Ph.D., F.B.A.
Professor A.K.S. LAMBTON, O.B.E, Ph.D., D.Lit., F.B.A.
PAUL LUFT, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor D.B. STRONACH, O.B.E, M.A., F.S.A.
Honorary Secretary
*Professor R.A.E. CONINGHAM, B.A., Ph.D.
Honorary Treasurer
*PETER KNAPTON, B.Phil., M.A., M.B.A., F.C.C.A.
Honorary Librarian
fProfessor ROBERT GLEAVE, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Members
Professor JAMES ALLAN, M.A., D.Phil.
*Professor ALIANSARI, B.A., Ph.D.
SHEILA CANBY, M.A., Ph.D.
FARHAD DAFTARY, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor EDMUND HERZIG, B.A., M.A., D.Phil.
CHARLES MELVILLE, M.A., D.Phil.
LLOYD RIDGEON, M.A., Ph.D.
LUKE TREAD WELL, B.A., M.A., D.Phil.
Joint Editors
fProfessor C.E. BOSWORTH, M.A., Ph.D., F.B.A.
fC AMERON PETRIE, B.A., Ph.D.
fProfessor VANESSA MARTIN, M.A., Ph.D.
Secretary
MARIAM EMAMY, B.A., M.A.
Honorary Publications Secretary
PETER DAVIES, M.A.
Auditors
LEVICKS, West Hill, 61 London Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME 16 8TX.
c/o theB ritish Academy P.O.Box 11365-844
10 Carlton House Terrace *Members of theR esearch Committee Tehran
LONDONSW1Y5AH fM embers of the Publications Committee IRAN
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REPORT OF THE COUNCIL
PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
28N OVEMBER 2006
Now in our forty-thirdy ear, BIPS remains them ain body for the promotion of research into Persian studies in the
UK. With award holders drawn from a wide range of universities and museums, our sponsored research projects
stretch from the investigation of Late Neolithic craft specialisation in the Tehran Plain to a study of the social and
political context of theZ urkhaneh inm odern Iran. In addition to focusing British scholarship through its research
?
programmes, BIPS also facilitates research within Iran at its Tehran-based Institute and library attracting
researchers from theU K, the Commonwealth, Iran and other countries of the EU. We are also committed to a
growing programme of sponsored lectures, seminars and workshops held in theU K and Iran aimed at widening
the dissemination of our sponsored research, developing new research initiatives and attracting new members.
BIPS has successfully restructured its grant awards with the launching of three new major research
programmes: "Socio-Economic Transformations in the Later Prehistory of Iran", "Kingship in Persian Cultural
History" and "History, Myth and Literature inM odern Iran". Not only have these themes refocused our research
sponsorship but they have also widened the inter-disciplinary nature of BIPS, illustrated by successful applications
from geologists, ethnoarchaeologists and modern historians. Already, projects supported by BIPS in their early
stages have attracted substantial funding from other funding bodies, as illustrated by theA HRC's funding of the
study of Sasanian imperial frontiersb y theU niversities of Edinburgh and Durham.
This tripartite research scheme notwithstanding, we are investigating the possibilities of expansion and
participating in research initiativesw ith other British Academy-funded Schools and Institutes, such as theC ouncil
for British Research in the Levant, the British Institute at Ankara and the British Institute in East Africa.
Representatives fromB IPS will attend a one-day workshop on refugees and other forced migrants in early 2007 in
order to develop this collaborative research network. Paralleling these programmes, we remain committed to
encouraging the participation of younger scholars through the awarding of travel and language training grants.
Finally, we are continuing to support the preparation of a number of older BIPS-sponsored projects for publication,
such as Haftavan Tepe, Siraf and theW illiamson Collection, and are pleased to announce thatN ush-i Jan I: The
Major Buildings of theM edian Period by David Stronach and Michael Roaf has gone to press.
At itsm eeting on 29th June, theG overning Council of BIPS appointed Dr Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis as President
of the Institute, on the resignation of Professor James Allen, and Professor Robin Coningham as Honorary
Secretary, on the resignation of Dr Luke Treadwell. Members of Council would like to express their gratitude to
Professor Allan for his hard work during his six years as President of BIPS. During this time, he visited Iran
frequently and always promoted BIPS's interests to the full.H e was supportive to the staffa nd cared passionately
about keeping Iranian studies alive worldwide. Council members are also grateful to Dr Luke Treadwell for his
support and time as Honorary Secretary.
IRAN, the official journal of BIPS, still functions as our major vehicle for international research dissemination.
The journal continues to follow a multi-disciplinary traditionw ith the forty-fourthv olume's fifteen papers ranging
fromA chaemenid seals with hieroglyphs to them odern use of the Shahnameh by the Bakhtiari, with contributors
drawn from theU K, other countries of theE U, Iran and theU S. Our monograph series has recently been transferred
to IB Tauris with forthcoming volumes on Hafiz and his Contemporaries and A Sunni Prayer Manual of the
Ilkhanid Period. These published outcomes are accompanied by a programme of lectures, seminars and workshops
held in theU K and in Iran. Again, these presentations mirror thew ide range of our research interests and range
from the summer lecture in June by Lloyd Ridgeon entitled "The Zurkhaneh between Tradition and Change" to an
archaeological workshop on sampling, GIS and geophysical surveym ethods and techniques held at theU niversity
of Tehran inA pril. Our annual workshops for award holders continue to be a success and remain an extremely
valuable opportunity for senior award holders and younger travel and language award holders to present research
papers and to interact as a subject group.
The Institute inT ehran isw ithout a permanent Director, but officers of BIPS have regularly visited the Institute
in order to provide a continued academic presence inT ehran. Accordingly, Professor Gleave (Hon. Librarian) was
inT ehran in February, Professor Coningham (Hon. Secretary) in February and April, Dr Luft (Vice-President) in
iii
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June and July, and Dr Sarkhosh Curtis (President) inA ugust and October/November. The day-to-day running of
the Tehran Institutew as conducted by local staffa nd we are extremely grateful toM r Houman Kordmahini; Mrs
Fariba Reyhanpour, the Librarian; and Mrs Sima Kordmahini, theA ssistant Librarian, for their continued efforts.
We are continuing to expand the Institute's libraryh oldings and are fast establishing a reputation amongst Iranian
scholars and students as a source of specialist literature otherwise unavailable within Iran. Demand has resulted in
library opening days being extended and new computer terminalsw ill soon be installed allowing unique access to
JSTOR in Iran.W e are also grateful to theB ritish Embassy inT ehran, particularly Sir Richard Dalton, the former
Ambassador; Geoffrey Adams, the present Ambassador; and Ms Kate Smith, Deputy Head ofM ission.
The hostel has also proved an asset of continuing value, providing secure accommodation for visiting
academics and students from the UK, other countries of the EU, Commonwealth and theU S on theirw ay to
fieldwork and conferences, as well as for non-residential language courses and workshops.
BIPS continues to be well served by members of itsA dvisory Committee and Governing Council but we should
note the retirement of Professor Edmund Bosworth, Emeritus Professor of Arabic at theU niversity Manchester,
from the post of JointE ditor of Iran after an uninterrupted stretch of 41 years1. The Governing Council of BIPS is
extremely grateful to Professor Bosworth for his contributions and for assuring the academic quality of IRAN. We
would also like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of BIPS' London-based staff:P eter Knapton, Honorary
Treasurer; Peter Davies, Honorary Publications Secretary; Elahe Yazdi, Secretary and Mariam Emamy,
Membership Secretary. Finally, grateful acknowledgement ism ade to theB ritish Academy for itsf inancial support.
Dr Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis Professor Robin Coningham
President Honorary Secretary
1 Although Professor Bosworth considered retiringa t the end of 2006, theC ouncil would like to announce thath e has
since decided to continue in thep ost of JointE ditor of Iran.
iv
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OBITUARY
A. SHAPUR SHAHBAZI
1942-2006
Professor Ali-Reza Shapur Shahbazi ^ Y iMi
passedaw ayo nS aturda1y5 J ul2y0 06 | |jf | ?
inW alla Washington,U nited ^ ^^ . ^ Sr
^^^^^^P
^Walja, ^
- / ? ^ - -
Shapur was reading Hafiz, Sa'adi and
Ferdowsi before he began his formal education at school. The Shdhndmeh of Ferdowsi, in particular, for its fusion of
literaturem, yth, and history lefta lasting impression on young Shapur, a passion thath e carried for the rest of his life.
After receiving his diploma from Hekmat High School in Shiraz, Shapur enrolled inH istory and Geography
programmes at Shiraz University. After graduating first in his class in 1968, he received a fellowship to continue his
higher education in England. After two years of studies at London University and earning a Master's Degree, he
returned to Shiraz to begin teaching the history and archaeology of ancient Iran at Shiraz University. He returned to
London to obtain his PhD in 1973 by producing the insightful study The Irano-Lycian Monuments (published as a
book in Shiraz in 1975). While inL ondon, Shapur had the privilege of studyingw ith such eminent scholars as Mary
Boyce and David Bivar, who played an important role inh oning the intellectual character of an already bright young
scholar.
Once again back in Iran, Shapur served for one year as the curator of the Department of Antiquities of the
Historical Period in Iran Bastan Museum while also working as a lecturer on ancient Iranian history at Tehran
University. However, his heart lay in Fars and at Persepolis, and in 1974 he founded the Institute of Achaemenid
Research at Persepolis with himself as its director. In this role, he established a well-equipped library, supervised
ongoing excavations and restorations at the site, expanded international contacts with scholars interested in
Achaemenid Studies, and launched an ambitious publication programme ? with two authoritative guidebooks on
Persepolis and Naqsh-e Rostam in four languages, as well as an array of other books and anthologies of scholarly
papers, both authored or translated into Persian fromW estern languages.
Alas, this productive era came to an end with the Iranian Revolution of 1979, when Shahbazi and many
academics like him had to leave Iran. Shapur spent one year in theU nited States, teaching at Columbia University.
He then received a Humboldt Foundation scholarship that allowed him to work at Gottingen University on his
Habilitation. Itw as inG ottingen thath is daughter Rudabeh Alana was born in 1982. She was the apple of his eye.
v
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JOURNAL OF PERSIAN STUDIES
Shapur leftf or theU S once again in 1983, where he taught and carried out research for two years at Harvard and
Columbia. He eventually found a permanent job at Eastern Oregon University at La Grande where he was hired as
an associate professor of ancient history.A lthough somewhat beneath his academic credentials, this position freed
Shapur from his nomadic lifestyle and gave him a haven and peace of mind to return tow hat he cherished most,
research and publication. He was promoted to fullp rofessor in 1990, and ultimately retired in 2005 after twentyy ears
of teaching at EOU.
Although considered a maverick by many of his peers for his unbending views on some matters pertaining to pre
Islamic Iran, Shapur was nonetheless unanimously considered to be an authority on the subject, with an exemplary
and in-depth knowledge of sources both Eastern andW estern. During his lifetime,h e published 150 articles and 17
books in Persian, English, French and German, many of which are still in print and widely read both in Iran and
abroad. His most recent books include them onumental Ferdowsi: A Critical Biography (Harvard University Middle
East Series, 1991), and Sasanid History (still inm anuscript form; Persian edition to be published by IranU niversity
Press in the near future).
While at Columbia between 1983 and 1985 he began his close cooperation with Encyclopaedia Iranica that
ultimately lead to his composition of 76 entries on theA chaemenid, Arsacid, and Sasanid periods, as well as other
more general topics. He also served as Visiting Associate Editor toE Ir in 2003.
In June 2001, Shapur gave the prestigious Lukonin lecture at the British Museum on excavations at Persepolis
where this author had the pleasure of sharing a cup of tea with him and listening to him talk about nuances of the
Shirazi accent. In 2005, he was the first recipient of the Pourshariati Award for "Life-Time Achievements in Iranian
Studies". Also inN ovember 2005, Shapur was honoured at the 39th Annual Conference of theM iddle Studies
Association ofN orth America.
While actively pursuing and promoting Iranian studies abroad, Shapur was one of the firstd isplaced scholars to
return to Iran once the early revolutionary fervour gave way to a more pragmatic attitude by the nouveau regime. Not
surprisingly,P ersepolis was thef irstp lace he visited. He soon established an academic collaboration with the recently
established Parsa-Pasargadae Research Foundation (the successor to the Institute of Achaemenid Research that he
himself had founded in 1974), and served as a scientific advisor, helping the staffw ith a wide array of research and
administrative tasks thatm ade him a figure beloved by everyone associated with the Foundation. In this capacity, he
wrote them ost recent and up to date guide books on Persepolis and Pasargadae, which were published in Iran inb oth
English and Persian. He was immensely proud of these two books. He also contributed to the hugely successful BBC
Radio 3 programme "Persepolis Regained", and made a major contribution to theD VD and book set "Persepolis
Recreated", produced by Farzin Rezaeian.
He collaborated with the Foundation for theG reat Islamic Encyclopaedia, especially its branch that focused on
Iran, theE ncyclopaedia of Iran. Shapur was also a major asset for the IranU niversity Press, serving as the general
editor to the first volume of the sumptuous Splendour of Iran (3 vols, London, Booth-Clibborn, 1995), a referee for
their archaeology and history books, and an active member of the editorial boards of the Iranian Journal ofH istory
and Archaeology and International Journal ofA ncient Iranian History.
Colossal in knowledge, aspirations, and generosity, Shapur was nonetheless a man of diminutive stature. Itw as
not surprising thath e so quickly succumbed to cancer. Less than a year afterb eing diagnosed, and despite undergoing
surgery and chemotherapy thatg reatly hindered his ability tow ork, Shapur died among his familym embers inW alla
Walla. His body was transferred to Iran and interred at Hafeziyeh in Shiraz among other individuals of renown. A
memorial in his honour was held at the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization headquarters inT ehran
on 16 August 2006, attended by officials, academics, and many admirers of his work. Similarly, his chehellom,
(fortieth),h eld by the Parsa-Pasargadae Research Foundation at Persepolis on 26 August turned into an impromptu
seminar on Achaemenid studies; a development thatm any attributed to Shapur's inquisitive soul. Even beyond death,
he was capable of turninga gathering for bereavement and mourning into an opportunity for learning and exchange
of ideas.
Kamyar Abdi
vi
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PROTO-NEOLITHIC CAVES IN THE BOLAGHI VALLEY, SOUTH IRAN
By Akira Tsuneki,M ohsen Zeidi andK atsuhiko Ohnuma
University of Tsukuba, Iranian Center for Archaeological Research, Kokushikan University
Abstract
The Eastern Zagros regionh as not previouslyb een considered in the studyo fN eolithisation in theN ear East. Our
recentr esearchw, hich was carriedo ut as one of the salvage projects in theB olaghi valley,F ars, sheds new lighti n
thisa rea. Two cave sitesw ere excavated and both sitesp roduced a considerablea mounto f lithica rtefactsT. hey show
a coherenta ssemblagew hich appears to date to some pointw ithin the "Proto-Neolithic"f rameworko f theZ agros
region.T hough the subsistencer emainsh ave not yetb een frillys tudied,o ur evidencem ay bridge theh iatusb etween
thee nd of theE pi-Paleolithic and theb eginningo f theP otteryN eolithic in theE astern Zagros.
Keywords
Proto-NeolithicE; astern Zagros; theB olaghi valley; lithica rtefactsN; eolithisation.
I. INTRODUCTION Our investigation was carried out as one of the
salvage projects in the Sivand dam area (ICAR 2006).
The study of the transition from the Epi-Palaeolithic to The new Sivand dam has been constructed at the
the Neolithic is very significant in human history southern end of Darr-ye Bolaghi, which is one of the
because it deals with the shift from food gathering to small basins in the eastern Zagros Mountains. The dam
food producing societies. Most of the archaeological site is about 30 km. north-east of Persepolis and about
research on this transitionh as been carried out along the 12 km. south-west of Pasargadae (Fig. 1). A narrow
hillsides of the Fertile Crescent in the Levant, southern valley, named Tang-i Bolaghi, and most of the other
Anatolia, northern Mesopotamia, and the western parts of this small basin will be flooded by the construc
Zagros Mountains, and areas peripheral to this have tion of this dam. Hereafter, we refer to both the valley
received little attention. Although the natural and basin together as theB olaghi valley. We carried out
environment is not so different from that of thew estern the first season's investigations from mid-July to the
Zagros, the eastern Zagros Mountains is one of these beginning of August 2005. Although we conducted
latter areas. Many Epi-Palaeolithic caves and shelters some surveys during our first season of investigations,
and Pottery Neolithic settlements have been discovered we report here only the operation of the excavations at
and registered in Fars province, especially in the two caves thatp roduced relevantm aterials.
Marvdasht plain (e.g. Rosenberg 1985; 2003; Alizadeh The sitesw ithin the dam area were initially surveyed
2006). However, sites dating between the Epi and numbered by Mr 'Atai and ICAR from BV1 to
Palaeolithic and Pottery Neolithic periods have not BV129 ('Atai 2003; as directed by the Iranian Center for
previously been reported. The fact that this transition era Archaeological Research the site codes have now been
is still unknown in Fars province suggests that the changed fromB V to TB = Tang-i Bolaghi). Most of the
eastern Zagros did not play a role in this transition. sitesw ere cairns, open-air sites, and sitesw ith evidence
However, our recent investigations have revealed the of metallurgic activity, and date to theA chaemenian,
existence of occupation thatm ay date to this transition Sasanian and early Islamic periods. Although some
al phase in this region.W e tentatively call this transition sites date back to the Chalcolithic period, very few
al period the "Proto-Neolithic". A suitable definition for prehistoric open-air sites were discovered. We concen
this period in this region has not previously been trated our attention on the caves and shelters along the
proposed and here, this term is used to indicate a skirto f the surroundingm ountains. Within the dam area
chronological phase and does not suggest the existence many caves and sheltersw ere recognised. Based on the
of domestication. results of our initial shortv isit, we chose two cave sites,
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2 JOURNAL OF PERSIAN STUDIES
Fig. 1. Tang-i Bolaghi and its neighbouring area.
TANG-IB OLAGHI
*^
; X ??_ 123 r~ism\
F/g. 2. Sivand dam salvage area, showing important archaeological sites (after 'Atai 2003).
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