Authors
1
Tarbiat Modares University
2
Department of archaeology, Faculty of Humanities, Islamic Azad University, the Central Branch, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Archaeology, Islamic Azad University, the Central Branch, Tehran, Iran
4
Department of Archaeology, Marlik Institute of Higher Education, Nowshahr, Iran
10.22084/nb.2024.28685.2642
Abstract
The findings from the last two decades in the Northern Dasht-i Kavir imply the importance of the area during the Pleistocene and suggest different yet variable environmental conditions were governing the region once. That is, the area was extensively receptive to human populations during the windows offered by milder periods. Resting on this, the hypothesis of considering the “Northern Iranian Central Desert (NICD) as a major Pleistocene dispersal corridor” was previously formulated. Nevertheless, the available information regarding the Pleistocene human populations in the area is meager and limited to its eastern and western parts. Up until recently, we were unaware of the Pleistocene “plain dwellers” in the more central parts of the NICD (corresponding to the modern-day Alborz, Tehran, and western Semnan provinces), and our knowledge was only restricted to more northern latitudes in the mountainous landscapes of southern Alborz. The Paleolithic evidence from downstream is only restricted to Showr-e Qazi. Thus, a systematic intensive pedestrian field survey was conducted in the vicinity of Eyvanekey County to tackle questions regarding the role of the central parts of the NICD for the dispersal of Pleistocene human populations and the degree of connectivity and relatedness of the landscapes, and resultantly, strengthening or weakening the mentioned hypothesis. As a result of conducting fieldwork using a combined method of proportionate stratified random and adaptive sampling, extensive Paleolithic surface scatters were recorded. Here, the lithics from one of these scatters, named Boulan, have been analyzed. The preliminary results based on techno-typology and comparative chronology suggest Middle and Upper Paleolithic affinities. In addition, in general terms, the lithic tradition in Boulan is directed toward the informal and opportunistic end of the spectrum. Finally, the discovery of vast Paleolithic landscapes in the central parts of the NICD led to the strengthening of the dispersal corridor hypothesis. .
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