The Shining of the Ritual Behaviors during Pre-Pottery Neolithic (the Case Study: Sheykhy-e Abad, Kermanshah, Iran)

The religious and ritual aspect of the ancients is one of the most important, complex, and ambiguous aspects of human life. Archaeologists often discuss about these subjects problematically and paradoxically. Archaeologists have done many studies on the symbols and believes of the ancient people, although the Sociologists, Anthropologist and Theologians are pioneers of the studying and discussing on the ancient rites and religions. Most scholars accepted the term "Neolithic Revolution", which was proposed by Gordon V. Childe due to the extension and significance of Neolithic Human mind development. After that, for smaller events in the Neolithic people's social life, words like "Human Revolution", and "Symbolic Revolution" have been suggested. We generally know what the cognitive and symbolic aspects of the archaeological finds and artifacts are, but, it is very difficult and complicated to interpret and analysis them. Explaining through cognitive method, can empower the archaeologists to get some useful results hereupon. Many archaeological artifacts were discovered from prehistoric sites in Southwestern Asia which were explained and interpreted for understanding of the human ritual and religious behaviors. Archaeologists have discovered many similar materials in Iranian prehistoric sites. These finds have not studied systematically and methodologically. Epi-Paleolithic and Proto-Neolithic are traditionally the most important periods in which the human ritual behaviors and symbolic actions were formed and developed. Therefore, the researchers consider these periods as a basic and pillar periods in this point of view. Cognitive approaches and ritual interpretations basically have not an appropriate and a suitable place in Iranian archaeological studies. The present paper has analyzed the related finds which were discovered from an important Pre-pottery Neolithic site, Sheykh-e Abad, in Sahneh in Kermanshah province in western Iran. We have interpreted the revealed archaeological artifacts through comparative studies such as Ethnological data and some Proto-historic and Historical evidences which were obtained in the world and in the Southwestern Asia respectively. The aforementioned finds include the horned heads of four wild goats and one sheep. They were installed on the lower side of a wall that is belonged to a special building. They have symbolic senses and subsistence function. These finds were explained through Totem Worship approach. We believe that this sort of rite was common in the west of Iran during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period. We hope that the data and the analysis presented in this paper develop our understanding on cognitive sphere of the prehistoric time mainly Pre-Pottery Neolithic. The study of the mind and in particular, the study of the mind's representation in the object might have been peculiar for the archeologists in the world who studied the thoughts, believes, religion and art of the prehistoric societies more freely. Nowadays in Iran, issues related to ancient religion and rite have entered some areas of science and research and have been analyzed in the context of cultural and religious foundations. However, these issues have been less studied and considered in the archaeological studies in Iran. We hope that the numerous finds discovered from ancient sites in Iran annually are studied and analyzed through interpretational and cognitive approaches.