چكيده فارسي :
The Reflection of the Architectural Remains and Ceramic Traditions between 7500 and 4500 Ago in the Structures of the Society
This study is based on the architectural remains and ceramic data collected from the excavations at three Neolithic sites located at the Central Iranian Plateau, Tepe Zagreb, at the Alvin Plain, Silk in the Kashan Plain and Agh Tepe located at the vicinity of Gonbad Kavoos in the Gorgan Plain.
On the basis of the available information, three levels of societies from egalitarian to hierarchical and in the third stage to an organized society with decision-making system can be seen.
The archaeological evidence, specially architectural remains and potteries from Sialk and Agh Tepe during the Formative Plateau period, i.e. about 7500 years ago prove that the dwellers were living in simple huts, made of branches of tree, which their outside was covered with mud and the diagnostic potteries of the period were coarse and hand-made, either plain or seldom with unrecognizable geometric motifs painted with diluted red ochre. The society of this period is a good example of the egalitarian society. A few nuclear families consisted of a father, mother and children living in the site for a short period of time that at maximum lasted for one season.
During the Archaeique Plateau Period, about 6500 years ago, the dwellers were living in single-room houses made of pise and still having hand-made coarse potteries either plain or painted. At this period, the motifs for decorating the potteries were simple of geometric patterns and still were painted with diluted red ochre. Within this period, while representing a hierarchical form of society, several nuclear families were living in an area for a longer period of time and when the population was reached at a certain level that caused some disorders in food supply, consequently a number of families moved to other regions. In this type of the societies, decisions were made collectively by the dwellers. The evidence for this period have been collected from Tepe Zagheh in the far western part, from Sialk, in the central part and also in Agh Tepe, the most eastern part of the Central Iranian Plateau.
During the Old Plateau period, witch began around 6000 and extended to about 4750 years ago, due to the increase of in number of the population and development of the technique of food production, the settlement grew larger in size and therefore, decisive decision-making became a paramount necessity. The society was managed by someone how could sovereign the society. During this period, the houses were larger in size with more rooms and some area in each house specified for different functions. The walls were made of hand-shaped mud-bricks. Although the potteries were still made by hand, but they were fired in a well-controlled kiln and the motifs were drown more delicately and in addition to plain or composed geometric designs at the end of the era, some naturalistic motifs were add to pottery decorations. One of the best examples of such society was recognized at Sialk of Kashan dating to about 5500 years ago. During the last period of settlement at village of Sialk, a fortification wall was made around the village. This wall was made of hand-shaped mud-bricks. To build the wall at least eight different kinds and shapes of mud-bricks were used and this indicates that a collective achievement managed and directed by someone in the society that could organize such task.
