نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسنده
دانشجوی دکتری باستان شناسی، گروه باستان شناسی دانشکدۀ ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسنده [English]
Central western Iran located just beside tow of the most important regions regarding social structure studies. These area are northern/southern Mesopotamia and southwestern Iran(Khuzestan). from the Neolithic period onwards, mentioned areas experienced continues complexity which reached the maximum level in Late Chalcolithic period and lead to Urbanization (fourth millennium B.C) finally. Although there are some rare evidences related to primary social complexity of Neolithic period societies of western Iran, but it is in late chalcolithic (Godin VII) period that exact and considerable documents of social complexity became clear. During this time, for the first time we see apparent issue concerning complex and hierarchical communities. This process was started by building those special structure of Godin VII period seems to have an industrial role in this period. it was continues and even more developed in succeeding period in Godin VI/1-V period. the complexity of central western Iran communities raised to its maximum level at the end of fourth millennium B.C. during Godin V period, those well-known circular compound structure of Godin Tepe was built. Although the central western Iran reached to extreme level of social complexity at the end of fourth millennium B.C, but they did not reach urbanization process at least. The main goal of current paper is investigation the social structure of central western Iran societies in Neolithic and chalcolithic period. comparing with neighboring areas and particularly northern and southern Mesopotamia and southwestern Iran, this paper want to know that central western communities of western Iran was at what level of complexity in Neolithic and chalcolithic period? to reach this goal, we study and analyzed archaeological documents like architecture, clay token and figurines, seals, burial custom and….at the end we concluded that beside geographical issues which has key role in urbanization process, role of religion, believe, communal structure and feast, should not be neglect also.
Keywords: Social Complexity, Chalcolithic, Mesopotamia, Urbanization.
Introduction
Peoples and society has a mutual relationship. The study of this mutual relation and also the role of people in forming the society and its evolutions has been studied by sociologists leading many theories in this regard (Hodder, 200; Service, 1964; Tilley, 1982). To demonstrated the relationship of people and society, the sociologist divided in to 2 main groups: Methodological Individualism and Structuralism. Methodological Individualism believe that each individuals are more important than own society but the Structuralism has a complete different view and believed that society and structure are more important than the peoples. This mentioned issue showing the main role of knowledge like sociology and philosophy in socio-archaeological studies (Tilley, 1982). Western Iran is located at the nearby of 2 main areas regarding of socio-archaeological studies (Mesopotamia and Khuzistan). Against this areas, the history of such research in western Iran is not so long. Just Recently the social structure and complexity of Neolithic period sites of western Iran have been investigated. (Darabi, 2017). in his paper, Darabi try to investigate the social structure of Neolithic period communities based on archaeological evidences like Architecture, clay token, figuring, burial and resulted that Neolithic communities of Western Iran had some primary administrative controlling goods, some intra/inter site cultural interaction and the sign of earliest private property but did not mentioned clearly to existence some things beyond simple societies and any rank communities (Darabi, 2017). Against the Neolithic period, the archaeology of chalcolithic period are mainly focused on reports for publishing the result of archaeological surveys and excavations. There was not exact information regarding social structure of chalcolithic period society in western Iran. the important issues regarding the social structure studies of prehistoric western Iran society like when they goes beyond simple society and enter hierarchical one? Why they did not reached urbanization process at the end of late chalcolithic period (end of fourth millennium B.C) the same as Mesopotamia and Khuzestan? In order to answer this questions, we collected the issue like Architecture, clay token, figuring, burial, seal and sealing, settlement pattern to investigated the social structure of Neolithic and chalcolithic period of western Iran. even Darabi reported some kind of primary complexity in Neolithic period, but it was at the started of late chalcolithic period (Godin VII period) that exact clues regarding the social complexity became appeared but it was not leading to the urbanization processes at the end of 4th millennium B.C. at the end we concluded that beside geographical issues which has key role in urbanization process, role of religion, believe, communal structure and feast, should not be neglect also.
Question, Theory and Research Method
A review to the archaeology of Neolithic and chalcolithic period studies of western Iran, it became clear that the main goal of such studies was focused to reported the results of various surveys and excavations carried out in west of Iran. In this way the studies like socio-archaeological studies, social structure, social complexity of Neolithic and particularly chalcolithic period has not pay attention. Just recently archaeologists like Darabi (Darabi, 2017) started such studies about Neolithic period studies. Using data like architecture, clay token, figuring, burial custom, He find interesting information regarding the social structure and social complexity of western Iran Neolithic period. But such studies did not continue to the chalcolithic period and there is not exact information regarding the social structure of Chalcolithic period of western Iran. generally speaking, the important issues regarding the social structure studies of prehistoric western Iran society like when they goes beyond simple society and enter hierarchical one? Why they did not reached urbanization process at the end of late chalcolithic period (end of fourth millennium B.C) the same as Mesopotamia and Khuzestan? remained without any exact answer. In order to answer this questions, we collected the issue like Architecture, clay token, figuring, burial, seal and sealing, settlement pattern and … to investigated the social structure of Neolithic and chalcolithic period of western Iran. in the following by comparison of western Iran with neighboring area like, south-west of Iran, Mesopotamia, North of Syria, Turkey and Levant it became clear that in west of Iran the role of issue like communal building, temple, feasting and similar issue are not so important the same as mentioned area. This issues has a key role in social complexity of mentioned areas and at least reaching them to urbanization. Future studies on Neolithic and Chalcolithic period of western Iran should pay attention to this issue regarding the social structure studies.
Conclusion
Today the role of cult, feasting, ritual, communal and cleric king is really essential to emergence of social complexity (Hyden, 2014). This mentioned issues was reported from Neighboring area of Central Western Iran and particularly Upper Mesopotamia. The communal buildings like temple has a key role in gathering the prehistoric people in one place. The management of this feasting and temple need someone to manage it. So those who manage this communal building and feasting become as an elite and eventually cleric king in Uruk period. but in Central Western Iran the lack of this communal building and feasting and totally different ideology of Central Western Iran compare to the Mesopotamia has a main role that this area remain as regional elite and did not arrive in urbanization. Beside the ecological and geographical limitation of western Iran that may have a great role did not arrive in urbanization, the role of issue like communal building, temple, feasting and similar issue should be considered at future Neolithic/Chalcolithic period studies in western Iran.
کلیدواژهها [English]