Takuro Adachi

TB 75 (Haji Baharami Cave) is the most conspicuous cave in the Bolaghi Valley, with an opening that measures about 9 m wide and 2.8 m high. It was chosen for excavation because of its strategic location in the valley and because of the presence of prehistoric material on the surface. We dug three trenches (Trenches A, C and D, totalling 10 m 2) inside the cave and one 2 × 1 m trench (Trench B) in the middle of the terrace slope. We reached virgin soil at a depth of about 2 m in the cave 1 With the collaboration of Akira Tsuneki, Kazuya Yamauchi, and Shin'ichi Nishiyama.

Wadi al-Hajana 1 is a smal-scale, stratified Neolithic site in the western piedmont of Mt. Bishri, central Syria, containing a Khiamian encampment and a PPNB (Pre-Potery Neolithic B) open-air flint workshop (Fig. 1). The site was discovered during a general survey in May 2008 and subsequently excavated in March 2010 [Fuji et al. 2011; Fuji and Adachi 2013; Fuji 2014] as a part of our research project in the Bishri mountain range [Fuji and Adachi 2010]. The excavation results were summarized in the preliminary reports cited above, which focused on the description of the overal picture of the two distinct flint assemblages, leaving their details for future study. What happened thereafter was the series of political disturbance. Since then, the access to the excavated materials left behind in our local storage remains interupted. Then we decided to change the policy and publish even if only basic information now at hand for the convenience of comparative study. This paper presents seve...

A peculiar painted pottery group, which was called Kite Ware, is known to have existed in Luristan. The excavation at Baba Jan by Clare Goff made it clear that the pottery group was dated about ninth - seventh century B.C., and she named them Baba Jan III Painted Ware. The purpose of this study is to investigate the regionality of Baba Jan III Painted Ware in the western part of Iran and to shed some light on the material cultures of the Iron Age in Luristan. Decorated designs of Baba Jan III Ware have been termed the "kite design" after their rhomb-shape designs. The most important point in this paper is the recognition that a rhomb and two triangles form two bow-tie-shaped designs. The kite design can also be considered an arrangement of bow-tie-shaped designs transversely. The bow-tie design is divided into ten patterns, the oldest pattern being the vertical bow-tie design (Pattern x) from around the Giyan II period (c. 1500-1200 B.C.). The bow-tie design is simplified ...

A peculiar painted pottery group, which was called Kite Ware, is known to have existed in Luristan. The excavation at Baba Jan by Clare Goff made it clear that the pottery group was dated about ninth - seventh century B.C., and she named them Baba Jan III Painted Ware. The purpose of this study is to investigate the regionality of Baba Jan III Painted Ware in the western part of Iran and to shed some light on the material cultures of the Iron Age in Luristan. Decorated designs of Baba Jan III Ware have been termed the "kite design" after their rhomb-shape designs. The most important point in this paper is the recognition that a rhomb and two triangles form two bow-tie-shaped designs. The kite design can also be considered an arrangement of bow-tie-shaped designs transversely. The bow-tie design is divided into ten patterns, the oldest pattern being the vertical bow-tie design (Pattern x) from around the Giyan II period (c. 1500-1200 B.C.). The bow-tie design is simplified ...

A peculiar painted pottery group, which was called Kite Ware, is known to have existed in Luristan. The excavation at Baba Jan by Clare Goff made it clear that the pottery group was dated about ninth - seventh century B.C., and she named them Baba Jan III Painted Ware. The purpose of this study is to investigate the regionality of Baba Jan III Painted Ware in the western part of Iran and to shed some light on the material cultures of the Iron Age in Luristan. Decorated designs of Baba Jan III Ware have been termed the "kite design" after their rhomb-shape designs. The most important point in this paper is the recognition that a rhomb and two triangles form two bow-tie-shaped designs. The kite design can also be considered an arrangement of bow-tie-shaped designs transversely. The bow-tie design is divided into ten patterns, the oldest pattern being the vertical bow-tie design (Pattern x) from around the Giyan II period (c. 1500-1200 B.C.). The bow-tie design is simplified from the early Baba Jan III phase to the late Baba Jan III phase. In the western part of the Iranian plateau and the Zagros Mountains, Gray Ware and beak-shaped spouted pottery began to be produced in about 1400 B.C. The new decoration style that came from outside of Luristan caused some important changes in the Luristan Iron Age culture. Yet the bow-tie design of Baba Jan III Painted Ware was an indigenous design in Luristan and lasted in the face of their new material cultures. The long tradition of the bow-tie designs suggests that the indigenous pottery culture survived despite repeated invasions by various ethnic groups into Luristan.

It is possible to understand the characteristics of the Parthian ceramics in Iran, since they were regularly researched by E. Haerinck [Haerinck 1983]. The Parthian ceramics in Mesopotamia was also studied a little prior to the Parthian pottery in Iran [Debevoise 1934; Day 1940]. It can be considered that a relatively large amount of general information regarding the Parthian pottery is available. However, new information regarding the Parthian material culture has not been published in recent times and it is not certain whether the study on this subject matter is in process. Hence, it is essential to compare the widely distributed Parthian pottery (fine ceramics) with the indigenous Parthian coarse pottery.
The author has excaveted the Parthian and Sasanian period site since the year 2001. This paper provides a provisional consideration before the authoritative report.
Although, it is well known that the Parthian material culture included the Hellenic group material culture, it is evident that it was influenced by the Iranian indigenous material culture. It also included the Mesopotamian group material culture. In order to understand the regional difference and the historical transformation of the Parthian culture, which was created by the harmonious union of the Greek, Iranian, and Mesopotamian culture, it is important to accurately classify the Parthian pottery, which is most commonly excavated.
Haerinck divided Iran during the Parthian period into nine archaeological areas, expounding on each regional difference. He particularly referred to the distribution of the Parthian fine cup-shaped pottery [Haerinck 1983:24]. The author also considered the distribution and the classification of the fine carinated cup-shaped pottery, which extended right from Iran to Syria in the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C. [Adachi 1997]. By comparing and reconsidering both Haerinck’s and Adachi’s studies, it is possible to study the transformation of the fine carinated cup-shaped pottery from 2nd millennium B.C. to 3rd century A.D in Iran.
This fine carinated cup-shaped pottery is believed to have a certain type of common ware shape which was in existence since the prehistoric period in West Asia. Therefore, studying the fine carinated cup-shaped pottery is extremely useful in understanding the regional relationships through the West Asian ceramic history. This shape of ware, commonly referred to as a Fiala cup not only in West Asia but also in Greece, existed in the shape of a wide sphere. It can be suggested that the fine carinated vessels are regarded as one of the suitable material cultures that examine the regional differences in the Hellenistic ceramic culture.
This paper shows the regional differences in the Parthian fine pottery group, while comparing new materials from Tappe Jalaliye, Gilan, Iran [Ohtsu et.al 2004a], and Adachi’s chronology regard- ing the fine carinated cup-shaped pottery [Adachi 1997] with Haerinck’s viewpoints [Haerinck 1983].

Iron Age gravesites are common in Gilan, Northern Iran. As the result of many years of research, some archaeologists have sub- divided the Iron Age into three periods: Iron Age I, II, and III. Of these, Iron Age III is thought to date between approximately the 8th century cal BC and the 6th century cal BC. During field seasons between 2002 and 2004, the Tappe Jalaliye site at Gilan in Northern Iran was excavated by joint Iranian and Japanese archaeological expeditions (Figs. 1 and 2). The aim of this pa- per is to reconsider the Iron Age III period in Northern Iran on the basis of Carbon 14 (C-14) dates from this site. Excavations reveal the presence of two Iron Age III building levels at Tappe Jalaliye: Layer II and Layer III. Seven C-14 dates—two from Layer II and five from Layer III—have been obtained from these levels. The dates associated with Layer III approximately cor- respond with the 8th century cal BC, and although one C-14 date from the higher level, Layer II, surround a range between the 8th century cal BC and the 6th century cal BC, the other date cor- responds with an age between the 7th century cal BC and the 5th century cal BC. On the basis of these dates, we propose that at least Layer III can be dated to 8th century cal BC, the beginning of Iron Age III. The presence of incised decorations and large jars from this layer provides additional evidence of a pottery as- semblage from this period.

TB 75 (Haji Baharami Cave) is the most conspicuous cave in the Bolaghi Valley, with an opening that measures about 9 m wide and 2.8 m high. It was chosen for excavation because of its strategic location in the valley and because of the presence of prehistoric material on the surface. We dug three trenches (Trenches A, C and D, totalling 10 m 2) inside the cave and one 2 × 1 m trench (Trench B) in the middle of the terrace slope. We reached virgin soil at a depth of about 2 m in the cave 1 With the collaboration of Akira Tsuneki, Kazuya Yamauchi, and Shin'ichi Nishiyama.