Journal of Greater Khorasan

Journal of Greater Khorasan

Eastern Iran Prehistoric Archaeological Project; The Second Seasons of Archaeological Excavation in Kale Kub, South Khorasan Province (2020)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohammad Hossein Azizi Kharanaghi 1
Masashi Abe 2
1 Assistant Professor (ICAR), Research Institute of Cultural Heritage & Tourism, Tehran, Iran
2 Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Features, Tokyo
10.22034/jgk.2023.403121.1129
Abstract
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.
Keywords
Eastern Iran
Kaleh Kub
Rectangular mud brick architecture
Chalcolithic period
Khaleh Kub I phase

Subjects

  • Abdi, Kamyar (1999) "The Beveled Rim Bowls: Its Use and Distribution," in Archaeology and Art of Iran: 32 Articles in Honor of Ezzatollah Negahban, edited by Abbas Alizadeh, Youssef Majidzadeh, and Sadegh Malek Shahmirzadi, pp. 64-84, Tehran: University Publishing Center, (In Persian with English abstract).
  • Alden, John Robert (1979), »Regional Economic Organization in Banesh Period Iran«, The University of Michigan, PHD.
  • Alizadeh, Abbas (2014), Ancient Settlement System and Cultures in the Ram Hormuze Plain, Southwestern IRAN, Excavations at Tall-e Geser and Regional Survey of Ram Hoemuz Area, with contributions by Loghman Ahmadzadeh and Mehdi Omidfar, Oriental Institute of The University of Chicago, Oriental Institute Publications, Vol: 140.
  • Anani, Bahram (2012) "Interaction Spaces in Eastern Iran Based on Findings from the Site of Kaleh Kub in Sarayan District," Master's thesis, Zahedan: University of Sistan and Baluchestan, (In Persian with English abstract).
  • Azizi Kharanaghi Mohammad Hossein, Jamshidi Yeganeh S, Abe M, Akbari A. (2020). New Evidence of Beveled Rim Bowls from Kale Kub, South Khorasan Province. Parseh J Archaeol Stud. 4(12), 29-48. doi:10.30699/PJAS.4.12.29 (In Persian with English abstract).
  • Azizi Kharanaghi, Mohammad Hossein (2022) "Report on the Third Season of Excavation at the Kaleh Kub in Aysak, Sarayan district, South Khorasan Province," Archive of the Archaeological Research Institute, unpublished (In Persian).
  • Azizi Kharanaghi, Mohammad Hossein, Abe, Masashi (2022), »Eastern Iran Prehistoric Archaeological Project; The Second Seasons of Archaeological Excavation in Kale Kub, South Khorasan Province (2019) «, Journal of Archaeological Studies, Vol 14, Serial Number 30.
  • Azizi Kharanaghi, Mohammad Hossein, Abe, Masashi, Jamshidi Yeganeh, Sepideh, Akbari, Afshin ( 2021), »Eastern Iran Prehistoric Archaeological Project: First Season of Archaeological Excavations at Kake Kub, South Khorasan Province (2018), Relative and Absolute Chronology«, Journal of Archaeological Studies, Vol 12, Is 4 - Serial Number 24, Pp: 127- 151).
  • Azizi Kharanaghi, Mohammad Hossein, in collaboration with Sepideh Jamshidi Yeganeh, Afshin Akbari, Shima Pour Momen, Nader Kasraei, Amineh Khajeh, and Sanaz Beyzai Doost (2017) "Report on the Second Season of Archaeological Excavation at Tapeh Pahlavan, Jajarm District," General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of North Khorasan Province, unpublished, (In Persian).
  • Azizi Kharanaghi, Mohammad Hossein, Masashi Abe, Sepideh Jamshidi Yeganeh, Afshin Akbari Zarrin Qabai, Shahrzad Najafi (2019) "Report on the Second Season of Excavation at the Kaleh Kub in Aysak, Sarayan District, South Khorasan Province," Archive of the Archaeological Research Institute, unpublished, (In Persian).
  • Azizi Kharanaghi, Mohammad Hossein, Masashi Abe, Sepideh Jamshidi Yeganeh, Bahram Anani, Afshin Akbari Zarrin Qabai, Pegah Ghodrzi (2018) "Report on Stratigraphical Excavations at the Kaleh Kub in Aysak, Sarayan District, South Khorasan Province," Archive of the Archaeological Research Institute, unpublished, (In Persian).
  • Azizi Kharanaghi, Mohammad Hossein, Thomalsky, Judith, Khanipoor, Morteza, Jafari, Javad (2016), »Archaeological research at Tappeh Pahlavan, North Khorasan Province (Northeastern Iran): Report on the 2014 season«, Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Studies (ANES), Vol: 53, pp: 59-79.
  • Behnia, Mohammad Reza (2002), Birjand: The Gem of the Desert, Tehran, University of Tehran Press, (In Persian).
  • Coon, Carleton, S.(1951), Cave explorations in Iran 1949, Museum Monogeraphs, The University Museum, University of Philadelphia, Philadelphia.
  • Cultural and Communications Office (2005) "South Khorasan: The Land of Red Gold," Tehran, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, (In Persian).
  • Dana, Mohsen (2019) "Pottery Traditions of the Late Iron Age and Achaemenid Period in Eastern Iran," in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Iron Age Archaeology of Western Iran and Neighboring Regions, edited by Youssef Hassan-Zadeh, Ali Akbar Vahdati, and Zahid Karimi, Kurdistan: General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, pp. 410-392, (In Persian).
  • Delougaz, Pinhan, Helene J. Kantor, edited by: Abbas Alizadeh (1996), Choqa Mish I, The First Five Seasons of Excavations, 1961- 1971, Part 1: Text, The Oriental Institute of The University of Chicago, Oriental Institute Publications, Vol: 101.
  • Fazeli Nashli, Hassan (2006) "Political and Social Changes in the Qazvin Plain: Archaeological Excavations at the Tapeh Ghabristan (Third Season)," Tehran, Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization, Archaeological Research Institute, p. 147, (In Persian).
  • Ghasemi Sobhan, Hessari Morteza, Akbari Hassan. (2018). Zavarehvar, the Central Site from of the Urbanization Period (Protoliterate) of Varamin Plain: Studying Pottery Features. Parseh J Archaeol Stud. 2(4), 51-68. doi:10.30699/PJAS.2.4.51, (In Persian with English abstract).
  • Helwing, Barbara (2011), »Proto- Elamite pottery from areas A, C, D and E«, in Early Mining and Metallurgy on the Western Central Iranian Plateau, the first five years of work, editors: Abdolrasool  Vatandoust, Herman Panzinger, Barbara Helwing, Archäologie in Iran und Turan, Band: 9, P: 196- 253. 
  • Hessari Morteza, Akbari Hassan, Sardari Zarchi, Alireza. (2017). Bard Panir: A Station or Settlement of Proto-Writing in the North of Khouzestan. Parseh J Archaeol Stud. 1(1), 35-48. doi:10.30699/PJAS.1.1.35, (In Persian with English abstract).
  • Karlovsky, L, D. T. Potts (2001), Excavations at Tepe Yahya, Iran, 1967-1975, The Third Millennium, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  • Kopnick, Hilary, Rothman, Mitchell (2016) "On the Path of the Highway: Archaeological Research at Godin Tepe," translated by Mohammad Amin Mir Ghaderi and Hadi Sabouri, Tehran, Encyclopedia of Islamic Great Center (Iranian and Islamic Research Center), (In Persian).
  • Labaaf Khaniki, Rajabali (1997) "Study and Identification of Qanats in Gonabad," Archaeological Reports (1), pp. 298-271, (In Persian).
  • Labaaf Khaniki, Rajabali (2012) "A Review of Archaeological Activities in Khorasan from the Beginning to Present," in Proceedings of 80 Years of Archaeology in Iran, Volume 1, edited by Youssef Hassan-Zadeh and Sima Miri, Tehran, Paleolithic Publications in collaboration with the National Museum of Iran, pp. 158-127, (In Persian).
  • Labaaf Khaniki, Rajabali, Bashash, Rasool (1994) "Rock Carvings at Lakh Mazaar, Birjand," Series of Research Articles 1, Tehran, Deputy for Introduction and Education of the Cultural Heritage Organization, (In Persian).
  • Majidzadeh, Youssef (2010) "Excavations at the Ozbaki Archaeological Site, Volume II: Pottery," General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Tehran Province, (In Persian).
  • Mutin, Benjamin (2013). »Ceramic Traditions And Interactions On The South-Eastern Iranian Plateau During The Fourth Millennium BC. «, In Ancient Iran And Its Neighbours: Local Developments And Long-Range Interaction In The Fourth Millennium BC, edited by Cameron A Petrie, 253–85. Oxford: Oxbow books.
  • Sarlak, Siamak (2011) "Archaeology and History of Qom: Results of Archaeological Excavations and Stratigraphy of the Gholi Darvish and Shad Gholi Khan Sites, Test Excavations and Archaeological Surveys in the Historical, Cultural, and Religious Axis of Qom," General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of Qom Province, (In Persian).
  • Soroush, Mohammad Reza (2012) "Archaeological Research in South Khorasan," in Proceedings of 80 Years of Archaeology in Iran, Volume 1, edited by Youssef Hassan-Zadeh and Sima Miri, Tehran: Paleolithic Publications in collaboration with the National Museum of Iran, pp. 158-127, (In Persian).
  • Tohidi, Faiq (1977), Report on the Investigation and Identification of Historical Artifacts in Khorasan Province (Sabzevar), Khorasan Cultural Heritage Document Center, unpublished, (In Persian).
  • Tohidi, Faiq (1978), Report on the Investigation and Identification of Historical Artifacts in Khorasan Province (Bojnourd), Khorasan Cultural Heritage Document Center, unpublished, (In Persian).
  • Vahdati, Ali (2010), »Tepe Pahlavan: A Neolithic- Chalcolithic Site in the Jajarm Plain, North-Eastern Iran«, Iranica Antiqua, vol. XLV.
  • Yousefi, Saheb (2009) "Report on Test Excavations and Determining the Boundaries of the Kaleh Kub," Archive of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of South Khorasan, unpublished, (In Persian).
  • Zaferanlou, Raghieh (2004) "Report on Test Excavations and Determining the Boundaries of the Sar Takht Bagestan in Ferdows," Archive of the Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization of South Khorasan, unpublished, (In Persian).
  • Zagarell, Alan (2008) "Prehistoric Archaeology of the Bakhtiari Region: The Emergence of a Lifestyle in the Highlands," translated by Kourosh Roustaei, Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province.

  • Receive Date 19 June 2023
  • Revise Date 01 August 2023
  • Accept Date 03 September 2023