Cultural Interaction of Zranka with the Eastern States of the Achaemenid Empire According to Pottery Industry

The city of DahaneQolaman inSistan is one of the known archaeological sites in the eastern part of the Achaemenid Empire. The representatives of Zranka satrap (= state) have been carved on the east steps of the great hall of Persepolis bringing cows and long shields as gifts. Moreover, representatives of the other eastern states such as Indians, Arachosia and Gandarians are also carrying their gifts to the imperial court. Nowadays, the eastern states of this Iranian Empire are located outside the current borders of it in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.Achaemenid inscriptions and bas-reliefs clearly indicate the importance of the empire’s eastern states includingHindush, Arachosia and Gandarians. The political importance of this part of the empire is shown through the repetition of their names immediately after the governmental centers in the list of the states, their men being armed in some carvings as well as heavy taxes paid by them. The excavations carried out in Sistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan showed many historical unknown angles of these states and revealed their close cultural relations as well as civil and political interactions which allow us observe a cultural unity among them by looking at their contemporary old artifacts. For this purpose, the archaeological sites of Balambat, Achra and Charsada which have Achaemenid layers were studied archaeologically alongside with Nad Ali (SorkhDaq) in Afghanistan and DahaneQolaman in Sistan. Finally, their potteries were compared typologically from the point of form, technique and technical specifications. The results of this study showed that Sistan had more links to the eastern states of the empire than the internal parts.