Investigating the Post Depositional Processes of Tepe Ferizi in the Sabzevar Plain

The analysis of natural and cultural factors in the contexts of an archeological site would reveal the processes constituting the event of settlement after the formation of cultural layers. In other words with the study of cultural processes, we seek the information and patterns which cause formation, shaping, and unevenness of the site to its present shape. In this regard, the initial studies in Tepe Ferizi indicated that its particular current shape and topography has been formed under the depositional processes of natural factors because of the specific ecological characteristics of the area. The study site is located in northwest of Sabzevar close to the Sabzevar–Esfarayen Road. According to the surveys conducted in this region most of the artifacts discovered from Ferizi site were assigned to be contemporanous with the Bronze Age horizon and most of its pottery materials were recognized to be related to the Bactria Margiana archaeological complex (BMAC). Based on the distribution of surfacial artifacts on the site it can be regarded as one of the largest settlements of Bronze Age north east of Iran.The main goal of the study of post-depositional processes in Ferizi site is to understand the formation of depositions and cultural layers after the abandonment of site and to assess the role of the different natural and cultural factors affecting the transformations of the site.