جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "figurine" در نشریات گروه "تاریخ"

One of the characteristic of Neolithic material of Near Eastern archaeology is the human and animal clay figurines. Due to the fragility of unfired clay, many of the discovered figurines where broken and in many cases it was the neck or the head of the figurines which were broken. This was considered as if the breakage has been done porously. In few regions such as Levant, some figurines were discovered which had hole in their neck. The hole shows if the head of the figurine was removable or replaceable. Until now no report shows the presence of this type of figurine in Iran. A revise of two collection of Sang-e Chakhamagh and Zaghe figurines of Iran, respectively belong to Neolithic and transitional Chalcolithic, shows if this types of figurines are existing in Iran’s figurines collections. With research on the two mentioned collections, this paper fallow two aims; The first aim is to add the Iran’s samples to the geographical distributional of removable head figurines and the second aim is to interpret this types of figurines in Sang-e Chakhmagh and Zaghe collections. The data of this research has been gathered through museum survey and also library research. The data was analyzed qualitatively. The main question which this paper is built on is: how the head and face were represented in Sang-e Chakhamgh and Zaghe’s human figurine collctions? This research could be classified as Historic-cultural researches. This research shows that the geographical distribution of removable head figurines was not limited to Levant and covered wider regions that has been thought. The result shows that omitting the face of figurines may show that the producers refused to refer a specific person. Also, the possibility of removing head may have brought the possibility to change the identity, gender or the age of the figurine.

In the Neolithic period, the production of clay figurines in animal and human shapes became common in Fertile Crescent and soon became prevalent in most sites of the Near East. The abundance of the figurines in many Neolithic sites shows its importance by the mentioned societies. Although there is a considerable variety in the forms of the Neolithic human figurines, some striking similarities are distinguishable. One of the common form is the form of seated figurines which has been common in many Neolithic sites. It was only from the early Neolithic period when this style got common while in prior period, Upper Paleolithic, this style was not considered. The result shows that the seated figurines from Neolithic to early Chalcolithic period covers a vast geographical area from West Levant to North East part of Iran’s central plateau. In this paper, by adding some data from Iran, it is attempted to draw geographical distribution of seated human figurines in Near East. The main aim of this research is to see how the figurines were related together based on the form and style. While the figurines of some sites of Iran were in hand in this study, the rest information was gathered based on the publications. The method of this study is comparative study of the figurines forms to see their relation together. With the cultural historic point of view, this research is attempted to provide an overview to the geographical and timetable dispersion of the human seated figurines of Neolithic to Chalcolithic period. Based on the coincidence of the domestication distribution and the clay figurines manufactory in many sites of Near East on one hand and the repetition of some forms like seated figurines on the other hand, it seems that some forms of figurines were affected by the cultural interactions.
 

In the long process of Neolithisation, strike changes happened in the social and economic structures of Near East societies which caused in increasing diversity of symbolic behaviors which were performance in different ways. On the other hand, in this period, population growth and need for food increased the economical exchanges, especially in the area of equal latitudes in the way that the agriculture life style of south West of Asia reached to Europe, Egypt and Indian valley with the average speed of 1.1 kilometer in year (Diamond 1999: 178). In the result of economic and social interaction, the culture exchange too (Voigt 2002: 289). Among the cultural idea which got involved in cultural exchanges was the idea of manufacturing clay human, animal figurines and also geometric forms. According to the evidence, the tradition of clay human and animal figurines in Near East started at the early pre pottery Neolithic period (PPNA) in some parts of fertile crescent and soon after it was prevalent in most of the Near East sites. Most of these figurines are out of clay, in small size and most of them have been dried under the sun or heated with low temperature. Many of these figurines have been found in the household dump and trash bins. Based on what is mentioned, this article with an art historical point of view, aims to clarify the connection and exchange of the figurines form and style in different Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites of Near East. In the other word, it is attempted to response this question that did the tradition of figurine production in each sites was only based on the personal and local forms? Where the manufactures of each sites made the figurines only based on what they have seen in their society? Or this tradition was effected by the cultural interaction and therefore the idea, form and the kind of performances were exchanged too?

In contrast to Upper Paleolithic figurines which were always performed in standing position, in Neolithic period the form of seated figurines appears and stand for a several millennia. The oldest seated figurines has been obtain from PPNA site of Murybet III in Syria (Bar Yosef et al., 1991). During the PPNB the number of figurine and seated figurines increased. In Syria the seated figurines have been found in some sites include Seker al Aheimar (Nishiaki 2007), Netiv Haghdud (Bar Yosef et al., 1991). In Turkey, from Mezraa Teleilat (Hansen 2006), Çayönü (Broman-Morles 1990, plat: 23) and also in Çatal Höyük. In Catal Höyük, the form of seated figurine have been use to performance some very abbreviation forms which might be a combination of seated human form and horned animal too (Nakumara & Meskel 2008. Fig: 146). The geography of Turkey like a bridge connected the Mesopotamia to South East Europe so it is not strange if the figurines of Turkey and South East Europe to have some interaction (Hansen 2006).  In Iran the seated figurines have been obtain from Sheikh-e Abad (Mohamadifar et al., 2010 fig), Chogha Golan (Zeidi et al., 2012, fig 8.3). Chogha Banut (Alizadeh 2003, Plat 18), Ali kosh (Hole et al., 1969: 225) Sarab (Brman Morales 1990), Singe Chaxmaq and the early Calclothic site of Zaghe. The position of seated figurines have been interpreted as the moment of giving birth (Noy 1985: 64) but not all seated figurines shows the female gender, in some few cases like Halaf, the same position has been used to show the male figurine. On the other hand, the form of the figurines brings to mind if this position helps the figurines to be seated at some place but some seated figurines like Zaghe figurines are not stable and shows that the seated position in these small clay object had no practical functions.

In the Neolithic period, with settling the first farming villages, the manufactory of clay figurines in human and animal shape became common. The prevalence of the clay figurines in Near East was almost coincide with the domestication distribution. With increasing the farming sites, the number of the figurines increased too. The coincidence of farming life style and figurines prevalence on one hand and the repetition of some forms like seated figurines on the other hand could shows that some forms of the figurines have been distributed. According to this study, the form of the seated figurines covers a vast geography from West of Levant to North East part of the Iran’s plateau. In Iran, based on the archaeological documents, the figurine production appears first in Western areas, where the domestication were started. Afterward, with reaching the domestication to North East part of Iran’s plateau, from Zagros area, the producing figurines appears in some sites like Sang-e Chaxmaq. In general, based on the repetition of seated figurine form in many Neolithic sites, it seems that the cultural interaction affected the distribution of mentioned style. Beside the style, some similarities like size, organs omission or performance in figurines could support this claim.

Last year when I visited Leiden Museum of Antiquity (Rijksmuseum van Oudh Eden) for the first time, Parthian figurines, displayed at a small window in the Near East section and the part related to Iran, attracted my attention. To my eyes, they seemed very unique and of importance, therefore, I decided to introduce them briefly and write a report on them. In the present research, I will introduce 18 anthropomorphic Parthian figurines (five male, thirteen female) in six groups, including musicians, laying women, nude goddesses, mother and child, men bust and warriors with shields. They were mostly recovered from regions such as Iran (Susa), Seleucia, Assyria, and Turkey. The considerable quantity of female figurines has caused speculations and debates, the most prominent of which being the probability of their sacredness and their subsequent affiliation to Anahita, the goddess of the Waters and associated with fertility, healing and wisdom. The results of the previous examination of the similar works indicate that figurines were created in various styles and shapes, from abstract to realistic and plain while some of them have a mixed appearance. The clay or stone (usually marble) figurines are covered with a layer of color, while the hands are attached to the body with an string. The hands, interestingly, can move freely. All the figurines are in upright position and only one of them has a leaning posture. Some of them are made in a primitive way, with a sense of nativity in performing the heads, the hands and the feet. Some of these figurines have clothes on; some others are naked which probably represent their role in a ritual or royal performance. The outstanding peculiarity of these figurines is the many musical instruments accompanying them. Among the most interesting items are musicians with wind instruments. The comparison with the other similar works leads us to speculate that depicting female musicians were most probably taken into consideration only at Parthian and Sassanid eras. Nothing can be said, with certainty, about the function of these figurines. Are they made just to be dedicated to a temple as a vow or are they made as a decorative object by an artist or an artisan to nurture his or her own creativity and craftsmanship? These are the questions that deserve more investigation and speculation and haven’t been answered yet. The results of the previous examination of the similar works indicate that figurines were created in various styles and shapes, from abstract to realistic and plain while some of them have a mixed appearance. The clay or stone (usually marble) figurines are covered with a layer of color, while the hands are attached to the body with a string. The hands, interestingly, can move freely. All the figurines are in upright position and only one of them has a leaning posture. Some of them are made in a primitive way, with a sense of nativity in performing the heads, the hands and the feet. Some of these figurines have clothes on; some others are naked which probably represent their role in a ritual or royal performance. The outstanding peculiarity of these figurines is the many musical instruments accompanying them. Among the most interesting items are musicians with wind instruments. The comparison with the other similar works leads us to speculate that depicting female musicians were most probably taken into consideration only at Parthian and Sassanid eras. Nothing can be said, with certainty, about the function of these figurines. Are they made just to be dedicated to a temple as a vow or are they made as a decorative object by an artist or an artisan to nurture his or her own creativity and craftsmanship? These are the questions that deserve more investigation and speculation and haven’t been answered yet.