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ABSTRACT
Sardasht is a mountainous region located in the northern part of the Zagros. The Little Zab river, has had an important role in the formation of archaeological sites in the region. During field studies conducted along the eastern bank of the Iranian Little Zab we found seven pithos cemeteries, as well as archaeological sites that belong to multiple cultures. Unfortunately, all the cemeteries have been disturbed by illegal excavations and many pithos cemeteries have been destroyed. We were able to recover a significant amount of ceramic material, including glazed potsherds and sherds of the fine orange “Clinky ware” characteristic of the Parthian period, as well as glass, agate and clay beads. This paper presents the evidence from the newly discovered Parthian cemeteries in Sardasht, and compares their characteristics with other known Parthian pithos cemeteries such as those at Mingeçevir, Germi, Kangavar, Taq-e Bostan, Marivan and the Acropolis and the Royal City of Susa. A comparative study on the shape of the pithoi and other finds indicates a close similarity between the pithos cemeteries of Sardasht with the cemeteries at Germi and Taq-e Bostan. Considering these comparisons, we believe that the Sardasht cemeteries date to the first and second centuries AD.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Dr. Yaghoub Mohammadi, Dr. Abbas Motarjem and Mohammad Masoumian for permitting us to use the unpublished reports of Marivan Cemetery Excavations. We also thank Dr. Hossein Davoodi, Obaid-allah Sorkhabi and Salahaddin Ebrahimipour for participating in the investigation of some cemeteries.
Disclosure Statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
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19 Kargar and Binandeh, “A preliminary report of Excavation at Rabat Tepe, Northwestern Iran,” 113–129.
20 Heidari, “the Results of the Second Season of Archaeological Studies on the Archaeological Sites in Rabat and Sardasht,” 201–30.
21 Fallahian and Nazhati, “Rescue Excavation in Tepe Bagi, Sardasht,” 492–8.
22 These include Tepe Balan (Parthian period) excavated by Reza Heidari, Tepe Baghi (Neolithic and Chalcolithic) excavated by Yousof Fallahian, Nisk Abad (Parthian) excavated by Gholam Shirzadeh, Tepe Barweh (Bronze Age and Parthian) excavated by Mahnaz Sharifi, and Tepe Berisweh (Parthian and Sasanian) excavated by Ali Binandeh: for reports on all of these sites see the contributions in Chobak 2017.
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24 Hakemi, Excavation Reports in Rudbar(Gilan),
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26 Ibid.
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31 Schmidt, Perspolis. II. Contents of the Treasury and Other Discoveries, 117–57.
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33 Unvala, “Fouilles a Susaen 1929,” 133.
34 Demecqunem, “Fouilles de Suse 1929–1933,” 177–237.
35 Sarfaraz, A Guide Book for Khark Island Antiquities, 72.
36 Kambakhshfard, Anahita Temple in Kangavar, 225–46.
37 Colledge, The Parthians (Ancient Peoples and Places), 97–101.
38 Loftus, Travels and Researches in Chaldaea and Susiana, with an Account of Excavations at Warka, the Erech of Nimrod, Shush, Shushan the Palace of Esther in 1849–52, 203–5; Richter, Parthische Pantoffelsarkophage. Untersuchungen zu einer Sargform Mesopotamiens im Vergleich mit Tonsärgen von Ägypten über den Mittelmeerraum bis Zentralasien, 21–32; Curtis, “Loftus’ Parthian Cemetery at Warka,” 310–11.
39 Peters, Nippur, or Explorations and Adventures on the Euphrates, 226–30; McCown and Haines, Nippur I. Temple of Enlil, Scribal Quarter, and Soundings, 128–9.
40 Olbrycht, “Slipper coffins and funerary practices in Parthia,” 303–4.
41 MacGinnis, “The 2016 and 2017 seasons of excavations at Qalatga Darband,” 236; MacGinnis et al., “Excavations at the Darband-i Rania pass, Iraqi Kurdistan: Report on the 2016 and 2017 Seasons,” 1–40.
42 Azarnoosh, “Excavations in the cemetery of Sang Shir site in Hamedan,” 40.
43 Schmidt, Perspolis. II. Contents of the Treasury and Other Discoveries, 117–57.
44 Kiani, “Excavation on the Defensive Wall of the Gurgan Plain,” 73–81.
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47 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 37.
48 Kambakhshfard, Anahita Temple in Kangavar, 230.
49 Fukai and Matsutani, Halimehjan I, The Excavation at Shahpir 1976, 43–5.
50 Sono and Fukai, Dailaman III, The Excavations at Hasani Mahale and Ghalekuti 1964, 27–30.
51 Kambakhshfard, Anahita Temple in Kangavar, 230.
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53 Rahbar, “Shushtar: Las tombeaux d'époque parthe de Galalak,” 90–3.
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62 Dieulafoy, L'Acropole de Suse: D'Après les Fouilles Exécutées en 1884, 1885, 1886, 428.
63 Hashemi Zarjabad et al., “New Evidence of Cairn Burials in Mokran, Iran (Nikshahr and Chabahar areas),” 95–114.
64 Lamberg Karlovsky and Humphries, “The Cairn Burial in Southeastern Iran,” 247.
65 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 37.
66 Kambakhshfard, Anahita Temple in Kangavar, 230.
67 Solecki, “An Archaeological Survey In Western Azerbaijan, Iran,” 28–43.
68 Dieulafoy, A Susa, Journal de Fouilles 1884–1886, 150–3.
69 Boucharlat and Haerinck, Tombes d’ Epoque Parthe (Chantiers de la Ville des Artisans), 51–4; Boucharlat, Perrot and Lairay, “Les Niveaux Post-Achéménides à Suse. Secteur Nord,” 145–312.
70 Rahbar, “Archaeological Excavation in Galalak of Shushtar,” 175–208.
71 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 3.
72 Ibid, 45.
73 Kambakhshfard, Archaeology Excavations and Studies and Revitalizing Anahita Temple in Kangavar and Garra Arch, Volume 2, Treasures Found in the Excavations, 16.
74 Alibaigi et al., “‘Outlining the area, Proposing the boundary and salvage excavation at the so-called Parthian cemetery Taq-e-Bostan,” 444–51.
75 Mongait, Archaeology in the U.S.S.R, 251–2.
76 Mohammadifar, “A Study of Pithos Cemeteries during the Parthian Period in the Western Part of Central Zagros (Marivan),” 29–42.
77 Motarjem and Mohammadifar, The Final Report of the First Season of Excavations in the Pithos Cemeteries of Zarivar Lake in Marivan, 155.
78 Azarnoush, “Excavations in the cemetery of Sang Shir site in Hamedan,” 51.
79 Ghandgar, Preliminary Reports of Archaeological Excavations in Zahak Castle in Hashtrood, 36.
80 Nasrollahi, The Report of Studying and Identifying Hills, Sites and Ancient Items in the Central Parts of Baneh, 55.
81 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 44.
82 Motarjem and Mohammadifar, The Final Report of the First Season of Excavations in the Pithos Cemeteries of Zarivar Lake in Marivan, 223.
83 Gaziev, Kup Gebirleri Albomu, Azerbaijan,
84 Motarjem and Mohammadifar, The Final Report of the First Season of Excavations in the Pithos Cemeteries of Zarivar Lake in Marivan, 107.
85 Dieulafoy, A Susa, Journal de Fouilles 1884–1886, 150–153; Boucharlat, Perrot, and Lairay, “Les Niveaux Post-Achéménides à Suse. Secteur Nord”; Boucharlat and Haerinck, Tombes d'Epoque Parthe (Chantiers de la Ville des Artisans).
86 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 45.
87 Kambakhshfard, Anahita Temple in Kangavar, 236–40.
88 Motarjem and Mohammadifar, The Final Report of the First Season of Excavations in the Pithos Cemeteries of Zarivar Lake in Marivan, 221.
89 Saeedi Harsini, A Study of Burial Methods in Parthia (247 BC to 224 BC), 97.
90 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 12.
91 Ibid, 44
92 Gaziev, Kup Gebirleri Albomu, Azerbaijan.
93 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 71,97.
94 Ibid; Mongait, Archaeology in the U.S.S.R, 251–2; Haerinck, La Ceramique en Iran Pendant la Periode Parthe (Typologie, Chronologie et Distribution), 134–9.
95 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 47–67.
96 Motarjem and Mohammadifar, The Final Report of the First Season of Excavations in the Pithos Cemeteries of Zarivar Lake in Marivan, 139.
97 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 81.
98 Gaziev, kup gebirleri albomu, Azerbaijan.
99 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 87–92.
100 Ibid, 5.
101 Mohammadifar and Nobari, “A Study of Pithos Cemeteries during the Parthian Period in the Western Part of Central Zagros (Marivan),” 29–42.
102 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 5.
103 Ibid., 44.
104 Motarjem and Mohammadifar, The Final Report of the First Season of Excavations in the Pithos Cemeteries of Zarivar Lake in Marivan, 95.
105 Ghandgar, Esmaeeli, and Rahmatpour, “Archaeological Excavations in Zahak Castle in Hashtrood,” 206.
106 Haerinck, La Ceramique en Iran Pendant la Periode Parthe (Typologie, Chronologie et Distribution), 117, 124.
107 Kambakhshfard, Parthian Pithos Burials, Journal of Archaeology and History, Appendix no. 1, 44.
108 Ibid, 239.
109 Kambakhshfard, Anahita Temple in Kangavar, 236.
110 Mongait, Archaeology in the U.S.S.R, 251–2; Haerinck, La Ceramique en Iran Pendant la Periode Parthe (Typologie, Chronologie et Distribution), 134–9.
111 Dieulafoy, A Susa, Journal de Fouilles 1884–1886, 150–3; Boucharlat and Haerinck, Tombes d’ Epoque Parthe (Chantiers de la Ville des Artisans), 51–4; Boucharlat, Perrot, and Lairay, “Les Niveaux Post-Achéménides à Suse. Secteur Nord,” 145–312.
112 Motarjem and Mohammadifar, The Final Report of the First Season of Excavations in the Pithos Cemeteries of Zarivar Lake in Marivan, 211.