masashi abe

After more than a hundred years of archaeological explorations and studies in Iran, for various reasons, the eastern regions have received less or no attention from archaeologists, and there is very limited publication of archaeological activities in this part of Iran. The ancient site of Kalehkoob Aisk is one of the limited prehistoric sites in South Khorasan province and in general in eastern Iran, which has enough cultural deposits for the purpose of providing a chronology and understanding the prehistoric cultural sequence of this region. The excavations carried out at this site led to the identification of previously unknown prehistoric cultures in the region. The most significant achievement of the excavation at this site is the identification of fourth millennium BC cultures with a southwestern and Mesopotamian origin, the evidence of which is found far from the center in this area. These cultural evidence, which can be considered contemporary with the Shush II or New Uruk cultures, include various types of characteristic pottery of this period such as incised edged pottery, coarse ware dishes, tubular vessels, and handle-faced beakers, as well as decorated pottery and delicate wheel-made pottery that are known in southwestern, western, northwestern, southeastern, and central plateau of Iran, but are identified and introduced for the first time in eastern Iran. In the third season of excavations at the Kalehkoob site, the focus was on the investigation of mud-brick architectural remains that were identified in 1398 in trench E at the center of the site. Extensive excavations at this location led to the identification of architectural remains belonging to the fifth millennium BC and the Chalcolithic period. The mud-brick architecture with such antiquity is introduced for the first time. In this phase of research at the Kalehkoob site, four different architectural phases were identified.

After more than one hundred years from the beginning of archaeological studies in Iran, the eastern regions of the country have received scarce or no attention from archaeologists, and there are very limited publications resulting from archaeological activities in this part of Iran. The prehistoric site of Kale Kub Ayask is one of the few prehistoric sites of South Khorasan province, and indeed in the whole eastern Iran, containing sufficient cultural deposits to provide a reliable chronology of the prehistoric cultural sequence of this region. Excavations at the site have led to the identification of the unknown prehistoric cultures in the area. The most significant achievement of the excavation is the identification of cultural materials dating to the fourth millennium BCE with southwestern and Mesopotamian origins. This cultural evidence, which can be considered as horizons of the culture of Susa II or the Late Uruk period, includes the typical pottery types of this period, such as beveled rim bowls, coarse Banesh trays, tubular vessels, nose-handled jars, patterned, and fine wheel pottery. This evidence has been long known in the southwestern, western, northwestern, southeastern, and central plateaus of Iran, but this is the first time they have been identified in eastern Iran. Based on geophysical studies, pristine places were selected to survey during the second season of excavation at the Kale Kub site, and the excavation of trenches with wider dimensions has lead to the identification of the prehistoric architecture of the site

Eastern Iran, especially in the prehistoric period, is a completely unknown region on the Iranian archaeological map. More than one hundred years after the beginning of archaeological excavations in Iran, the eastern regions have received little or no attention from archaeologists for various reasons, and there are very limited publications as well. Kale Kub is a prehistoric site that is located in Ayask town, in Sarayan District, South Khorasan Province, eastern Iran. It has sufficient cultural deposits to provide a chronological timeframe of cultural sequence for the prehistoric cultures of this region. The first season of Kale Kub excavations, carried out in 2019, led to the identification of unknown prehistoric cultures in the region, which are introduced in this article.Perhaps the most significant achievement of this excavation was the identification of the 4th millennium BCE cultures, which are well known in the southwest of Iran and Mesopotamia and for which evidence has been obtained far from the centre of this culture. These cultural evidences, which can be considered to belong to the Susa II horizon or late Uruk cultures, include the typical pottery of this period, such as bevelled rim bowls, rough Banesh trays, tubular and nose handle jars, and fine and painted wheel-made pottery, which is well known in the south-western, western, north-western, south-eastern regions and central plateau of Iran, but which have now been identified and introduced for the first time in eastern Iran. In general, based on the excavation of two stratigraphic trenches (A and B) in this site, three cultural periods have been identified so far. They have been classified from the bottom level and the top of the virgin soil are: 1: KALE KUB I (Chalcolithic period, fifth millennium BCE), 2: KALE KUB II (Susa II horizon, fourth millennium BCE), and 3: KALE KUB III (Bronze age, third and second millennia BCE).

During the fourth millennium BCE similar wares used to produce and use in the extended area in Near East which is so-called Beveled rim bowls. Its importance is for high quantity and similarity in production techniques. Different studies on dating, function, and the main reason for the spread of this pottery style have been done. Although beveled rim bowls were found in many sites in west, south, south-eastern, and central plateau, hereby new finding from Kale Kub seems that this pottery style was spread in the more extended area than what we expect. Kale Kub is located in the eastern part of Iran, Southern Khorasan, and Sarayan county. In 2018, two trenches were opened in order to identify the stratigraphy of the high amount of beveled rim bowls in addition to other pottery styles belong to fourth millennium BCE which are already known in southwestern Iran. The current study would be clarifying the importance of the Kale Kub site for identifying the dispersal zone of Beveled rim bowl pottery style by an endeavor firstly foe the classification and typology of the potteries and then a comparison between the pottery style in this site with other sites related to this period. Also, we attempt to trace the possible routes for this pottery style to the East and the interaction between east and west of Iran. Pottery collection from the excavation in Kale Kub includes a high amount of beveled rim bowls, Banesh tray, and some other pottery styles which are well-known from fourth millennium BCE such as nose handle and spouted wares. Beveled rim bowls are over 15 percent of the pottery collection and other styles have a few quantities in the collection. In term of production techniques and style, Kale Kub finds are similar to those from southwest of Iran.