فهرست مطالب محمد صادق روستایی

Tol-e-Zahak site, as the ancient city of Fasa in the historical and Islamic period, is located about 2 km south of the modern city of Fasa in the eastern center of Fars province and was registered as the 15th national monument in 1310 AD. After conducting a archaeological systematic survey of this site in 1397, in addition to identifying the extent of the site (based on the dispersion of surface data) which reaches more than 500 hectares; Chronology and settlement periods of the site, which indicate its habitation from the late fourth millennium BC to the Islamic Middle Ages; It was found. By studying the data obtained from the survey, especially pottery samples, one of the important settlement periods of Tol-e- Zahak area is the settlement related to the Sassanid period. Scattering of cultural materials related to this period (especially pottery) was observed almost all over the site. In this article, the authors intend to examine the historical sources and previous archaeological research in the region in connection with the Sassanid period in the region, the results with the data related to the Sassanid settlement identified from the methodical study of Tol-e- Zahak site, Intertwined (Historical Approach) and to reconstruct the appearance of Fasa city in the Sassanid period as much as possible. Studies show that the Sassanid settlement of Tol-e- Zahak site is undoubtedly a large urban settlement of the type of cities with an irregular shape of the Sassanid period. Due to its strategic location and suitable environmental conditions for agricultural and livestock activities, this city as one of the important commercial and commercial cities throughout the Sassanid rule and even a few centuries after the advent of Islam in Darabgerd province in the east of Persia Has played a role.

The city of Fasa, during the early Islamic centuries, particularly in the 4th century AH, was a very large and significant city in Fars province which contained all the structural characteristics of the Islamic primary cities. The archeological studies, however very limited, have been carried out in this place is a validation to the descriptions of the geographers and chronologists who have praised the significance and greatness of the city in the early Islamic centuries. In the current study, all written sources, including geographical and historical resources which were related to that period or a little time after it and were spoken about Fasa and its metropolitan characteristics have been studied carefully with respect to the skeleton rebuilding structure of Fasa in Islamic primary centuries. The importance of written sources is in that, because of its authors simultaneously and time proximity, valuable information is extractable from them. In addition, the consequence results of archaeological research that have been already carried out in Tall-e Zahhak, the ancient Fasa city, have been evaluated completely for more scientific and precise interpretation too. Thus, the current study, based on its goal is a fundamental research and according to the nature and methodology is a historical study.

From the end of 1960’s decade when Processual Archaeology was emerged until now, Ethno-archaeology has reconstructed economicæ social, technological and ideological structures of the past societies. Nowadays, population estimating of ancient societies is one the most important matter in archaeology. Statistical analysis of ethno-archaeological data especially architectural records known from todays’ villages is one of the way of demography in archaeology. The region of Iranian Sistan is very important in ethno-archaeological point of view because of its high archaeological and ethnological capacities. To obtain the targets of this investigation, we studied villages of Sistan in geology and ethnology respects and in original rustic life range. Then, three villages named Vāselān, Abbasābād Piri and Karkoo were selected for ethno-archaeological researches. On the basis of this survey we can estimate the average of population in Sistan 38 person per hectares. Inserting some parameters such as settlement size and pattern, livelihood and crafts specialization the writers have added half of this estimation to it and conjectured that the average population of Shahr-e-sokhteh has been 57 person per hectares. To avoid any possible errors we recommend ± 5. Therefore, Shahr-e-sokhteh has had a population between 4200-5000 individual during its peak of magnificence in period II. This estimation has confirmed the viewpoint of anthropologist.

Pottery is the most important and abundant cultural material of the archeological sites enjoying enormous importance; as large numbers of historical chronologies are based on potteries and its typological comparisons. As such، in terms of structural properties، the pottery identification of each period and region is one of the fundamental aspects of archeological studies. The historical pottery unlike prehistoric one has noticeable decrease in decoration meanwhile the other decorations techniques such as slipping were not common (Regardless of the Sassanid dynasty glazed pottery، quantities are negligible) and these potteries has special complexity as we need more broad studies to be done on the various regions. Regarding to the presence of local styles during the Parthian period as a longest period of the ancient Iranian kingdoms، the potteries have special importance; in other words، diverse pottery types in different regions are indicator of a particular style and advancement of the given period. One of the specific Parthian pottery samples of Sistan region is burnished pottery which has special quality and elegance and is rarely known from other Iranian parts. This pottery type has desirable quality both in its manufacturing phase and the firing process. The Parthian burnished wares are the most elegant and luxurious in the east، especially in Sistan rarely noticed by apart researches. Regarding to the importance of Sistan burnished ware in archeology of the region and its role in the chronology of the Parthian era، this article is trying to study this particular type of pottery of Sistan، its formation process and time-domain spreading، transition and its impact on neighboring areas. Here، the authors are trying to review the studies on the Parthian era Sistan burnished ware apart from complete introduction of this pottery type، to focus on its regional dispersion. The Sistan burnished wares are enjoying much desirable condition in terms of their quality. Most of them are wheel-made with suitable firing and the fabric compaction is high as there is no visible porosity. Burnished designs often applied with horizontal lines on both sides of potteries whose place depends on its function; burnished lines with irregular vertical، irregular horizontal، mixed or zigzag lines as well as in geometrical forms were applied. The potters have applied these decorations on variety of pottery types and forms، such as pitcher، cup and bowl. All given types have burnished both sides of bowls which is mainly cross and regular lines. Although pottery cannot be the only indicator of social hierarchy in a region، but the existence of Burnished ware on the most important sites of Sistan area could shed light on this truth that this type of pottery have produced by experts at the most important sites of Sistan having luxury aspects. Typological comparisons were also found that this type of pottery in the central and western areas of Afghanistan during the Kvshanyan mandatory has been very common.

Gradual and evolutionary process of urbanization in Sistan plain started with the extensive emergence of the Bronze Age (at the end of 4th millennium B.C.) sites and its continuation in historical periods is associated with the formation of important cities of the Achaemenian, Seleucid, and Sassanid periods. Meanwhile, lack of comprehensive and exhaustive studies about cities and urbanization during the Seleucid and Parthian eras in the eastern parts of Iran encouraged the authors of the present study to classify and analyze all the features and characteristics of the cities and sites of these periods by analyzing and investigating about 400 sites and settlements related to this era. And then, the visage of the cities in the Seleucid and Parthian periods in this scope was drawn. Thus, it was identified that the early cities were formed based on Hellenism tradition and with the centralization of the Greek colonies in Sistan and then, with the rise of the Parthian dynasty, based on the political, military, and economic requirements, shape of cities from the Hippodamus type was transformed into the Parthian round cities.It was a prosperous land, populated with an abundance of water resources in Parthian era according to monuments and archaeological evidences. These factors led to build many towns and villages on its northern and southern parts. This event was made due to favorable environmental conditions of Sistan (such as: Plenty of water, good soil, warm weather, hotbeds, fishing and hunting and also trade) during Parthian era.