Tappeh Qazānchi, A Settlement from the Early Neolithic to the Bronze Age in the Kermanshah Plain, Iran

Abstract
Despite the extensive excavations and research in the eastern part of the Fertile Crescent, questions remain regarding the Neolithization process and the role of the Zagros region in these dynamics. Tappeh Qazānchi, is located at 1323 m.a.s.l. to the northwest of the city of Kermanshah and lies close to the Razavar river, was selected for archaeological research due to the presence of a long chronological sequence. The project aimed to study the Early Neolithic societies’ material culture, residential practices, subsistence economy and the environmental conditions of the site. mechanized agricultural practices over the past five decades have damaged the site, revealing a section (approximately one hundred meters long on the northern part of the mound) of cultural sequences from the early Holocene period. The site was sounded during the winter of 2019 to identify the cultural sequences, determine the core area and buffer zone. The extent of the core area was estimated to be approximately two hectares. The stratigraphy was carried out in the section of the northern wall in three trenches. The results indicate that the lower levels contain a Pre-Pottery Neolithic sequence and the upper levels of the site belong to the Late Chalcolithic and Middle Bronze Age periods. Archaeological, and high-resolution bio- and geoarchaeological investigations (archaeobotany, archaeozoology, micromorphology, and sedimentology) reveal that the Holocene environment around the site was characterized by small-scale permanently waterlogged areas or periodically flooded zones. During the Middle Bronze Age, Tappeh Qazānchi is contemporaneous with Chogha Maran (upper phase) and Godin Tepe (Period III), and during the Late Chalcolithic with Siahbid (middle and late phases), Chogha Maran and Godin Tepe (Period IX). The Pre-Pottery Neolithic phases at Qazānchi were contemporaneous with several other early Holocene settlements of the Zagros, including Sheikh-e Abad, East Chia Sabz, Kelek Asad Morad, and Chogha Golan.
Keywords: Central Zagros, Lithic and Pottery Technologies, Bioarchaeology, Soil Micromorphology, Palaeoenvironment.
Introduction
Tappeh Qazānchi is located in the northwest of the alluvial plain of Kermanshah, and the site is within a seasonally waterlogged area on the floodplains of this meandering river system. The archaeological site was previously recorded on an unpublished map from the R. Braidwood survey (Biglari, 2012: Fig. 3), and the first season of excavation was conducted in the winter of 2019 (Mashkour and Davoudi, 2019). The first objective was to preserve the site from further destruction by defining the core area and buffer zone. The second was to document the chronology of the site, its formation, and the settlement patterns within the regional cultural sequence while also collecting bioarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental data. To this end, 13 test trenches were sounded for the defining of the core area and buffer zone. Some of the test trenches reached the water table, preventing deeper excavation. There were ca. 2 hectares identified as the core area and ca. 4 hectares as the buffer zone.
A stratigraphic trench (ST) was opened in the centre of the north section of the mound. Overlapping with this ST, two 2x2 m trenches were opened, Trench I at the top and Trench II on the lowest part in the plain, the latter containing mixed washed material. In Trench I two distinct periods were identified. The Late Chalcolithic period, characterised by handmade plain red-slipped ware and a few sherds of painted red-on-buff ware, comparable with the pottery from Chogha Maran and Siahbid, as well as the Godin IX/Seh Gabi traditions of Central Zagros (Levine and Young, 1987; Henrickson, 1983). Dating by C14 indicates a mid 5th millennium BC occupation, equivalent to the Late Chalcolithic 1 based on the new chronological framework of Zagros (Renette and Mohammadi Ghasrian, 2020, contra Henrickson, 1985). The upper levels of Trench I belong to the Middle Bronze Age, characterised by wheel-made painted buff ware and handmade plain grey-black ware, comparable to the Godin III tradition in the Central Zagros (Henrickson, 1985) and Susa Dc-d/IVA (Carter, 1980). Two radiocarbon samples indicate an occupation during the mid 3rd millennium BC for these layers. This period at Qazānchi is comparable with Chogha Maran, Godin III6 and III5 (Henrickson, 1986), and Giyan IVA and IVB (Contenau and Ghirshman, 1935).
Trench III (1.5×1 m) was opened to the west of the ST. We excavated 195 cm of cultural deposits in this trench, including Pre-Pottery Neolithic ashy layers. The lithic assemblage recovered is dominated by blade/bladelets, with a resemblance to the early M’lefatian. Results from C14 dating are indicative of an occupation during the mid-9th millennium BC. Overall, the archaeological evidence at Qazānchi is comparable to Sheikh-e Abad (Matthews et al., 2013), East Chia Sabz (Darabi et al., 2013), Kelek Asad Morad (Moradi et al., 2016), and Chogha Golan (Zeidi et al., 2012).
Discussion
This study has shed light on various topics within the site, contributing to wider knowledge of the region. Based on the pottery typology and absolute chronology, Tappeh Qazānchi during the Bronze Age can be linked to the Godin III6-5 tradition in the Central Zagros and the Susa IV/D period in Khuzistan. It is also in line with the cultural homogeneity that may be a part of the formation of the Old Elamite dynasty (Šimaški). The artifacts from the Late Chalcolithic from Qazānchi share some characteristics with the Seh Gabi/Godin IX tradition, but the major cultural characteristics moreover resemble the material from west of Central Zagros, and from the northern Zagros regions. The Neolithic remains from Qazānchi are also among some of the earliest settlements from the second half of the ninth millennium BCE in Central Zagros. The palaeoenvironment of the site was studied with two sediment cores taken from waterlogged areas, in the vicinity of Tappeh Qazānchi and from the floodplain of the Qara Su - Razavar rivers, providing a continuous sedimentary record. The preliminary results show lithological variations suggesting that fluvial and wetland environments have alternatively dominated the area around the site as a result of natural river dynamics and the displacement of the main watercourse and the floodplains. Preliminary micromorphological results indicate that the stratigraphy of Trench III is formed of successive layers of fine clayey silt sediments mixed with plant remains and some scattered ashy aggregates. The nature of the latter is indicative of hearth waste, and the sediments appear to have been deposited by regular or seasonal flooding events. The horizontal orientation of the phytoliths follows what would have been the direction of the water flow, and the absence of diatoms suggests non-stagnant water. Fungi present are related to the biological activity of roots. Archaeobotanical samples are abundant in Qazānchi and reveal a rich and diversified plant assemblage, in particular for the Neolithic period. Wild species including pistachio and almond are represented by woody fruit stones. Besides the presence of almond-pistachio forests, a high number of seeds from sedges is indicative of a body of water. Wild grasses and small-seeded pulses are plentiful, as seen at other pre-ceramic sites in the Zagros (Whithlam et al., 2018, Riehl et al., 2012, Riehl et al., 2013, Weide et al., 2017). Animal remains were underrepresented in the upper layers. Bovids, canids, birds, turtle and freshwater fishes were however identified in the Neolithic layers. 
Conclusion
The first short excavation campaign in Qazānchi was highly informative and produced a set of new data that documents a long sequence of prehistoric settlements in the Kermanshah Plain, covering 6000 years of human occupation. Besides working on the preservation of the site and defining the archaeological core area and buffer zone, several trenches were sounded, producing valuable cultural and palaeoenvironmental information. During future excavations we will continue our investigation down to the level of the virgin soil, and also explore new areas of the site for a better understanding of the everyday life in this very peculiar area surrounded by wetlands.
Acknowledgment
During the first season of the archaeological project at Tappeh Qazānchi in Kermanshah, several people and organizations provided valuable support and assistance to the excavation team, for which we are thankful. We extend our gratitude to Dr. Rouhollah Shirazi, Dr. Siamak Sarlak, and Dr. Behrouz Omrani at the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR) and RICHT for issuing the excavation permission. We also acknowledge Dr. Jebrael Nokandeh and Fereidoun Biglari at the National Museum of Iran, Dr. Haeedeh Laleh and Dr. Ahmad Aliyari at the Bioarchaeology Laboratory of the Central Laboratory of the University of Tehran for their support. Moreover, we thank Dr. Omid Qaderi, Mrs. Akram Tahmasebi, and Elham Afkari, as well as Mr. Akbar Rezaei, Yahya Rajabi, and Hamed Baveisie from the Kermanshah Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Organization who brought their help and assistance during the filed season. We are grateful to Mr. Abbas Baversaie and Loqman Ahmadzadeh for their efforts in the aerial photography and preparation of the topographical map of the site. The team would like to express its sincere gratitude to the residents of Miankouh and Chalaweh villages in Kermanshah for their cooperation and hospitality, particularly to Mr. Payam Farrokhi and his family, for providing their home for wet sieving operations. We are grateful to Mrs. Zeinab Fathi for her efforts in sorting and classifying small cultural artifacts and microvertebrate bone remains found in the sediments of both dry and wet sieving. Additionally, we acknowledge Dr. Hojjat Darabi and Dr. Sepideh Maziar for their feedback and helpful comments on the article on their areas of expertise, and we thank the two referees for their constructive suggestions. Also, the Authors are grateful to Dr. Mohammad Ebrahim Zarei, the editor-in-chief of the Journal, and his colleagues for their encouragements and assistance. Finally, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (MNHN), the Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie and the LIA-HAOMA Project are thanked for having supported the archaeological project at Tappeh Qazānchi.