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Title: The Iron Age in the Dargaz Plain (Northeast Khorasan)
Subtitle: The Site of Kohne Ghale, a Case Study
Author(s): BASAFA, Hassan , HEDAYATI, Zahra
Journal: Iranica Antiqua
Volume: 55    Date: 2020   
Pages: 129-143
DOI: 10.2143/IA.55.0.3289193

Abstract :
In Iran, the Iron Age refers to the period between the beginnings of the mid-second millennium BC and the end of the first millennium BC. Investigations on the archaeological material of this period have been done in different parts of Iran. However, in the northeast of Iran and in the cultural zone of Greater Khorasan, the Iron Age remains largely unknown due to a lack of studies. In fact, the basic chronological sequence has not yet been defined. Despite this, it is clear that the neighbouring regions and cultures, such as Yaz and Dahistan, have influenced the material culture of Greater Khorasan. In this research, the cultural materials of the site of Kohne Ghale were collected during a systematic survey; the samples were dated by a comparative-analytical approach. The pottery from Kohne Ghale resembles those from the Yaz culture of Central Asia. The Iron Age pottery industry of Kohne Ghale demonstrates both local and indigenous features and influences of ceramic traditions characteristic of sites in Turkmenistan (including Yaz Depe and Ulug Depe). Such influences are recognizable in the forms of containers and pot-building techniques. The influences also extend further to the west and south of Kohne Ghale, and are found especially in the Neyshabur Plain and the settlements related to the Yaz culture of the Atrek River.

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