Western Iran at the End of Fifth Millennium B.C., Change or Continuity? An Appraisal

Author

PhD in Archaeology, Researcher of Iranology Foundation, Kurdistan Branch, Sanandaj, Iran.

Abstract

The early phase of late chalcolithic period is corresponding with principal cultural changes in vast regions of west of Iran. After long time of using painted potteries, at least at the end of fifth and early fourth millennium BC overlapping with Godin VII (VII/VI3) in west of Iran, the painted ceramics style went out entirely and replaced by plain/coarse chaff tempered pottery style. The replacement of plain ceramic instead of painted one in west of Iran, is considered with great cultural changes in west Iran which an event has occurred in the Zagros region to be seen by a severe decline in the number of residential areas and functioned to bring a shift by which the sedentary societies were changed to the more mobile pastoralists using open-air or cave areas instead of large occupational sites. but noted that mentioned hypothesis regarding the archaeological studies of early phase of late chalcolithic period in west of Iran was based on early studies occurred at 1964-1975 in east of central Zagros Highlands at west of Iran. noted during recent decades the situation was changed and more investigations conducted mainly based on scientific approaches by using radiocarbon dating which resulted in challenging early mentioned hypothesis about this period. Most of thesis regarding the chronology, settlement pattern, distribution, socio-economic complexity and cultural interaction of Godin VII studies at the end of fifth and early fourth millennium BC was failed. The present paper is trying to evaluate this period based on review of archaeological studies carried out about Godin VII period during recent decades. Our studies in this article showing that Godin VII period at the end of fifth and early fourth millennium BC was one of the main period at the prehistory of west Iran that has a key role of socio-economic complexity that need more attentions.

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References

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pazhoheshha-ye Bastan shenasi Iran
Volume 13, Issue 37
September 2023
Pages 61-77

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