Final Report Summary - ARCHIRAN (Ancient Iran: a Social Archaeology)
The major research objective has been to conduct a synthetic and analytical study of the archaeology of Iran, maximising the immense experience and knowledge of the senior researcher, Dr Hassan Fazeli, with significant input from the host institution scientist in charge, Professor Roger Matthews, who has considerable experience and knowledge of archaeology in Iran and neighbouring countries. The output is a co-authored book, entitled “Ancient Iran: a Social Archaeology”, which will stand as a state of the art articulation and exploration of major themes and issues in the archaeology of Iran. The book’s publication in both English and Farsi (planned for 2017 with Routledge) ensures its broadest possible reception within appropriate archaeological and public communities. The book is designed to stand as a classic text on its subject for years ahead. There is a serious need for an up-to-date synthesis of the archaeology of Iran, in its geographical entirety, situated within the context of modern scientific approaches and theoretical frameworks.
The research objectives included addressing the following specific issues:
1. Selection and collation of available Iranian records relating to the archaeology of Iran
2. Articulation of a model of social archaeology applicable to ancient Iran
3. The development of Iranian archaeology as an academic discipline
4. Human-environment interactions in the land of Iran: geography, climate, natural resources
5. The early hominin and human occupation of Iran, 500,000-12,000 BCE
6. From hunter-forager to farmer-herder: sedentarisation and animal/plant domestication in the Neolithic period, 12,000-6000 BCE
7. Iran’s role in the rise and spread of urban, literate societies, 6000-2000 BCE
8. Iran in the world’s first empires, 2000-300 BCE
Each objective comprised thematic studies of key issues, thus allowing scope for theoretically-informed exploration of social, economic and cultural problems situated within a firm chronological framework. The production of such a study thus constitutes a highly innovative and valuable contribution to our understanding of this region, as well as situating the region’s archaeology firmly within a contemporary archaeological academic framework.
The research objectives included addressing the following specific issues:
1. Selection and collation of available Iranian records relating to the archaeology of Iran
2. Articulation of a model of social archaeology applicable to ancient Iran
3. The development of Iranian archaeology as an academic discipline
4. Human-environment interactions in the land of Iran: geography, climate, natural resources
5. The early hominin and human occupation of Iran, 500,000-12,000 BCE
6. From hunter-forager to farmer-herder: sedentarisation and animal/plant domestication in the Neolithic period, 12,000-6000 BCE
7. Iran’s role in the rise and spread of urban, literate societies, 6000-2000 BCE
8. Iran in the world’s first empires, 2000-300 BCE
Each objective comprised thematic studies of key issues, thus allowing scope for theoretically-informed exploration of social, economic and cultural problems situated within a firm chronological framework. The production of such a study thus constitutes a highly innovative and valuable contribution to our understanding of this region, as well as situating the region’s archaeology firmly within a contemporary archaeological academic framework.