نشریه پیام باستان شناس
پیاپی 30 (بهار و تابستان 1403)

The central part of Tafresh is a mountainous area surrounded by mountains. Since this area is next to the north-south highway that passes through the edge of the Kavir desert, it has been of interest in different historical periods and has given a special position to this area. In the Sassanid period, this area was a part of the Jibal state, and the roads connecting the south, southwest and west of Iran to the north and northeast passed through this area. Because this area is relatively safe due to its mountainous nature. During this period, many forts were built to protect the roads that passed through this area. In the survey of this area, 35 settlements from the Sassanid period were investigated and identified. which were formed on the side of the roads and the edge of the Qara Chai river. The study of the surface pottery of these areas along with the architecture shows that in the Sassanid period, in addition to the neighboring areas, this region had cultural connections with the south, southwest, north, northwest, and northeast regions, etc. In this article, firstly, the importance of archeological survey as an efficient tool, the historical background of Tafresh is discussed, the analysis and comparison of the surface data and architectural findings obtained, the end , have tried to provide a conclusion of them.

Passing from the Sasanian era to the Islamic era, the culture and art of Iran continued in its previous way and few changes occurred in it. One of the key archeological sites next to Tepe Hisar and Chal Tarkhan (and some other sites), which shows the transition from Sasanian to the early Islamic era, is Nizamabad. Despite this importance, the location of this hill has been shrouded in mystery and most researchers have noted it near Varamin or Ray. However, according to the photograph taken by Ernst Herzfeld in 1925 of Nizamabad, it can be identified by morphology. Nizamabad is located in the southwestern of the Tehran. In this article, by introducing this hill, we are trying to show its importance so that proper planning can be done for future research activities. Fortunately, there has been minimal encroachment on this hill -in the southeast of Islamshahr- and although it has been registered in the list of national monuments of Iran, the area and boundaries have not been determined. Considering the importance of the unique plaster casts of this hill in museums, measures should be taken to protect the hill.

The archeological studies of the Kani Shinka Dam basin in Piranshahr City were carried out in two stages, including archeological investigations of the dam catchment area in the fall of 2017, as well as exploration to speculate and investigate the condition of the historical-cultural layers of the areas identified in the summer of 2020. In the archaeological survey of the Kani Shinka dam basin, 27 sites were identified, including caves, settlements, cemeteries, and castles, and according to the size of the dam water basin and the number of dangers caused by the construction and drainage of the dam, the number of sites was finally reduced to 5. Receipt. Historical-cultural layers were chosen for speculation and reading. Archeological investigations of the Kani Shinka dam basin indicate settlements from the prehistoric era (iron, bronze, and iron), historical era (Parthian and Sassanian), and Islamic era. The primary purpose of this article is to introduce and review the historical places of the Kani Shinka Ore Dam basin so that while introducing these places, the most important factors of the formation and dispersion of the environments will be addressed. In terms of the extent and volume of historical-cultural layers, the Gerd Sheytan site The is the most extensive site, which has evidence of the copper (Dalma), bronze, and historical periods, and the Gerd Marwan site with little prominence, found evidence of the Old Bronze Age. Much of the extent and layers of the Bawleh site have been lost due to agricultural activities in recent years, and now there is little evidence of its historical period. The sites of Qalat Shakhtan and Qalat Marah also have evidence of the historical and Islamic era. Other sites can be documented and studied in ain a single period with few cultural finds. The topography of the area as well as the location of the building and the catchment area of Kani Shinka Dam is one of the most important types of quantity, quality, and distribution selection.

According to archaeological evidence before Zoroastrian religious doctrines, ancient Iranians used to bury their dead in the soil. However, with the spreading of Zoroastrianism, burial methods were revolutionary changed in some areas of the Iranian plateau so that cremation and burying the dead was considered an unforgettable sin in the Minuy-e xrad and Vendidād. For this reason, to prevent contamination of sacred elements such as water, soil, and plants survivors of the Zoroastrian religion should keep the bodies of the dead (Nasu that was unclean and empty of the soul) away from these elements. On the other hand, according to Zoroastrian religious beliefs, since the world inside the soil was stagnant, dark, and silent world and the root of all these actions was demonic beliefs, Zoroastrians hardly tried to separate the soul of the dead from the body as soon as possible and lead him to high world and light. According to this, exposing the bodies on top of the mountains and in the tower of silence(ascending of the soul by the sun's rays), stripping the flesh off the bones by vultures and birds, and (cleaning the bones with sunshine) were a precursor to putting the cleaned bones of the dead in burial methods that ideally corresponded to Zoroastrianism's corporeal resurrection. One of the new methods was Astōdān which is often referred to niche spaces created in the rocks and next to some of them, Pahlavi inscriptions were inscribed. The purpose of the research, which is presented in a descriptive-analytical way, is to look at the structure of Stoudans and to introduce two newly found burial epitaphs, one in six lines and the other in five lines in the Pahlavi script. These inscriptions were written at the end of the Sassanid period on the rock wall of Naqsh-e Rostam for Zoroastrians.

Caravanserai has played a key role in the growth and prosperity of trade, the expansion of cultural relations and the spread of traditions, and the creation of cultural recognition and understanding throughout the history of Iran. The creation of a wide network of caravanserais in Iran with special architecture and influenced by the climate and environment has become a vital solution for the creation, expansion, and integration of business networks inside Iran, and this has been important since the Safavid era with the construction of caravanserais known as Shah Abbasi. The special architecture of caravanserais and their importance and place in the history of Iranian architecture is such that in 2023, 56 Iranian caravanserais were registered in the list of world heritage sites. Kerman province is one of the richest provinces of Iran in terms of sequence and historical sequence and significant historical monuments, which has a special place in archaeological studies and architectural history; unfortunately, its northern areas, especially the Anar district, have received less attention from archaeologists and researchers in the field of cultural heritage In 2019, Anar city was investigated archaeologically and 120 artifacts were identified. Historical buildings had an important place among these, and the two caravanserais of Astaneh and Bayaz are identified in this survey, which will be introduced below. These two caravanserais belong to the Safavid period and have been completely restored and renovated in different periods, especially in the Qajar and contemporary periods.

The Sistan plain in the north of Sistan and Baluchistan province in the southeast of Iran, with suitable biological conditions, including fertile soil, a series of permanent and seasonal rivers, and a communication and commercial position as one of the most important centers of human societie is known in ancient times. Based on this and despite the limited archaeological activities in this field and the lack of comprehensive archaeological information from the historical periods of the region, it is necessary to carry out a systematic study and survey on one of the most important Islamic castles of this plain. For this purpose, in July of 2015, during the survey and speculation project in order to determine the area and propose the boundaries of the Bibi Doost hill chain, a methodical survey of Madrish Castle, which is located in a part of the northern area of the Bibi Doost area It was done by using the method of "methodical sampling of classified indicators". In this sampling, 218 ancient findings such as: broken pieces of pottery, stone vessels, manganese (glass bangles) and broken pieces of glassware were collected. In line with the objectives of the research, 77 pieces of indicative pottery were selected and subjected to typological comparisons. In this research, the basic question is: What period or era is the age of Madrish Castle through classification, typology and comparative studies of pottery? The method of data collection in this research is field and document methods, and descriptive-comparative research method, and the results have been analyzed based on comparative studies. The results of the studies carried out in this site clearly indicate the settlement date of the middle centuries of 5th to 9th A.H. And it shows the cultural connection of this region with neighboring regions such as Greater Khorasan, Afghanistan, Kerman and Baluchistan. Also, the significant and abundant type of pottery in this area is the unglazed pottery with carved motifs and geometric motifs.

The Sassanid Empire was one of the two great governments of the civilized world of that day, which not only had unique characteristics in terms of political, religious, cultural and social structure, and in a word, civilization; It also stands out in terms of geography and the extent of its borders. According to historical evidence and documents, with the rise of the Parthians and the coming to power of the Sassanids, the entire social and political structure of the society, including the dynastic system, was transferred to the Sassanid era as one of the main symbols of the continuation of the power of the ruling families. Specifically, in the mentioned period - from the beginning of the Parthians to the end of the Sassanids - the administration of all the affairs of the country was in the hands of the "seven families" and these families are considered as the main foundations for the preservation, stability and continuity of their respective governments. The sphere of political influence of the discussed families in ancient times was very wide and significant in such a way that not only many times the removal and installation of kings was done by them, but sometimes the government was formed by this class. . In this regard, the present study aims to examine the role of ruling families in the Sasanian period. The choice of this topic was mostly due to the fact that, according to the researcher's searches, specific and independent researches that can provide detailed and detailed information about the ruling families, their position and their role and influence in the changes of their service period have not been done. Except for very few and scattered materials among the few researches and historical works, no specific information was found about the mentioned families and their performance.

One of the important features of Iran at the beginning of the Sassanid rule was the close alliance between religion and the state to maintain the country's unity. Consolidation of the foundations of power through religion and the development of religion with the help of political and military force are the pillars of the Sasanian founders' thinking. In those days, religion and religious leadership were heavily involved in many political, cultural and even artistic trends. Inspired by the wisdom of Zoroastrian priests and the Avesta book, which always combines religion and mythology, Sassanid artists mixed mythological symbols with historical images in the design and engraving of Sassanid inscriptions and reliefs. And they considered the utmost care that the combination of religion and myth should be manifested in the form of symbols and signs in the reliefs. This close relationship, both from an artistic and physical point of view, as well as from a cultural and spiritual point of view, is a great connection to the ancient Iranian myths. has it.The question raised in this research is that; How are Izad Mehr, Izad Wai and Izad Bahram, the bestowers of the Yazidi fur, embodied in the symbols and emblems of Taq-Bostan in giving the fur to the Sassanid emperor? Symbols such as the crescent moon, two waving angels, wavy ribbons in the wind, patterns and motifs on the emperor's clothes, and two plants carved at the foot of the large tower of Taq-Bostan, how do they relate to Izad Mehr, Mitra's religion, and Fer's grace. Are they related to Yazidi?