جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « فرهنگ کورا » در نشریات گروه « تاریخ »

In the late fourth millennium BC (approximately 3250-3000), a culture spreads throughout Caucasus and Urmia Lake basin which is referred to as old Transcaucasia or Kura-Araxes culture. Its remains have been found in the three Transcaucasia republics, North West of the Iranian plateau, Eastern Anatolia, Kangavar Valley and Central Zagros. Its bio-geography is very diverse; forested areas with different plant species in the mountains of the Caucasus, the Armenian highlands and plains of Urmia as well as diversity in the settlements is indicative of their adaptation to various environmental conditions. In addition to animal husbandry and agriculture, these people were advanced in the field of art and technology. The works remained from this period indicate creativity, innovation, science and art of the people in those days, because great care has been taken in their structure and design. Pottery is one of these arts. Pottery is one of the handicrafts of this period and the pottery works remained from this period have great artistic value. One of the main characteristics of this period is the blackish dark grey or shiny black color. Their pottery are handmade and include a combination of minerals. Their middle parts have been carefully polished and decorated with carving and geometric motifs. These pottery pieces are baked and are mostly conical or in the form of glasses with two handles or large pitchers with two handles on the sides. Their forms are very similar, which indicates a kind of cultural unity and relationship between various regions during this period. During this period, artists preferred symbolic art to descriptive art and animal motifs to human or plant motifs. They used these motifs to narrate a specific subject matter from their everyday life and depicted all ethical and artistic issues by using motifs on their pottery. Obviously, by inspecting few works remained from this period, distinctive characteristics of the social and life conditions of these people can be discovered. Since in the beginning pottery pieces had a simple form and later potters used complicated forms and because only few samples are left and no comprehensive study has been conducted yet on the pottery industry during this period and especially the motifs and patterns used for the pottery pieces, the necessity of conducting further research in this area is felt. Therefore, this study seeks to investigate and analyze the visual and decorative motifs of the pottery pieces of this period found in the studied site (Yanik Tepe). In this regard, ten distinctive samples of pottery pieces belonging to this culture were selected from Yanik Tepe site and their decorative characteristics as well as their motifs and designs were studied. In the motifs on the pottery pieces, the potters have mostly used geometrical patterns and have avoided using other motifs. 28% of the motifs used on the pottery pieces are geometrical. There are approximately six visual elements on each pottery piece. The middle part which is painted comprises approximately 39% of the sample pottery pieces. Since human and animal motifs consist of specific patterns, the potter has taken sufficient care in using them and has only used them to refer to a specific subject or motif. In other words, here, motifs are a means for describing the surrounding environment. Although no accurate interpretation of these motifs can be provided, based on the findings of the present research, the potter has used a specific variety of motifs and patterns. Here, fewer dishes are decorated and their motifs are inspired by the surrounding nature, which reflects a kind of realism and relationship with life and the environment.

The site of Kul Tepe is located near the city of Hadishahr, is an ancient multi-period tell about 6ha in extent and rises 19m above the surrounding land. At this site, the second season of archeological excavation primarily aimed to clarifying the chronology, settlement organization, and respond to some of the fundamental questions such as the transition process from Late Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age, identifying different cultural horizon including Proto-Kura-Araxes and Kura-Araxes I period and also outlining cultural condition of the region during prehistoric and historic periods. The present paper is intended to expose briefly the main stratigraphic, architectural and material data from the site. Based on the results of the first and second season of excavation, it was distinguished that Kul Tepe possessed cultural material from Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic (Dalma), Late Chalcolithic (Pisdeli=LC1; LC­ 2 and 3=Chaff-faced Ware), Proto-Kura-Araxes and Kura-Araxes I, Early, Middle, Late Bronze Age, Iron III, Urartian and Achaemenid periods.

The spread of Kura-Araxes pottery across the Near East from the Northeastern Anatolia to Southern Levant during the 4th and 3rd millennia B. C has been the issue of many researches and discussions. The current article showing the results of typological studies and ceramic comparisons carried out on 6 sites of the Early Bronze Age of northwest Iran. Here، the ceramic assemblage of Yanik Tepe which، sometimes has referred as so-called Yanik Culture، is considered as a comparative reference، and the assemblages from Kura-Araxes sites such as: Goey Tepe، Haftavan Tepe، Kohneh Pasgah، Kohneh Tepe، Kul Tepe Jolfa have been paralleled with 85 pottery types of Yanik described in detail by Summers. Firstly، 496 shreds from 5 sites have classified in 4 groups leading to recognition the diversity among types in 5 sites and facilitate the comparisons. This typology has also show that the sequence of types of 5 sites are not the same. In addition، the close ratio in 3 sites including Goy Tepe، Haftavan Tepe، and Kohneh Tape، has proved while this is not accrued at Kul Tape and Kohne Tepe. At the next step، the sherds have compared to Yanik pottery assemblage; The resemblance ratio of given sherds to Yanik pottery are recorded in the tables related to every site along with the descriptions related to every type helping to draw a complete picture of some shreds whose complete sample is obtained from Yanik. The compared sherds showing the similarities of 37 types of Yanik pottery; of them، 15 types include bowls of various shapes، 19 types include some types of jars and the 3 remaining types are including type 70: cooking pots، type 24: open cups، and type 74: wide shallow dishes. Among the compared types، types 19 and 25 show the most parallel with compared assemblages. Among these sites، Kul Tepe Jolfa with 14 types and Kohneh Pasgah with 6 types show the most and minimum similarities to Yanik pottery assemblage respectively. Therefore، comparisons proved that; in Goy Tepe only 13 sherds of total number of 69 potteries are comparable، and the ratio is 5. 31; in Haftavan Tepe is only 10 sherds of total number of 41 shreds، and the ratio is 4. 1; in Kul Tape the similarity is visible on 26 sherds of total number of 87 sherds and the ratio is 3. 34; in Kohneh Pasgah only 10 sherds of total number of 67، and the ratio is 6. 7; in Kohneh Tepe the only 15 shreds of total number of 232 shreds، and the ratio is 15. 47. The results of carried out comparisons show that the pottery samples illustrate that there has been no intera-site interaction in between this site and other sites، and there is not significant convergent except technical characteristics of pottery production among sites. Comparisons were carried out to re-emphasize using the term Kura-Araxes to refer to the Early Bronze Age in this geographic area including the West and East of the center of Iranian plateau; aiming to reduce the multi-terminology and to use a title could explain the characteristics of this culture more comprehensively. The aim is not to eliminate this term from terminologies، but we want to emphasize on the discontinuity of using this term on the basis of the static analysis on potteries.

Culture of Kora-Araxes in the middle of fourth millennium (about 3500 B.C) was expanded in Caucasian and region of Urumieh lake. People of culture of Kora-Araxes are introduced as pastoral semi migrant tribes who were also familiar with agriculture. Stratigraphical discussions, its origin, expansion, and the manner of economical and cultural interaction of societies of Kora-Araxes culture with other societies of near east in the age of old bronze has always preceded from its artistic discussion. Maybe in the first glance we cannot speak about Kora's art with classical and aesthetical criterions, but definition of art is just like the definition of beauty, and seeing that what is beautiful, is relative and diverse. Due to the same relativity, historical presence of Kora-Arakes people's art needs to be surveyed in order to recognize and classify its criterions; because in archaeological excavations are confronted with manifested forms which have distinct form, definite value and harmony and they have one thousand style and tradition. Archaeologists or art historian study about Kora-Araxes culture finds manipulations of people which have been the production of a creative activity and continuation of one thousand years tradition of its creation is a sign of its value and social acceptance before a very old society. In this article, artistic work of Kora –Araxes culture are surveyed and classified in four categories of pottery, manifested arts, architecture, and metal working in order to recognize its characteristics.