| چکیده انگلیسی مقاله |
Abstract
Qareh Tepe in Sagzabad is the only Iron Age site in the Qazvin Plain that has been extensively excavated. Unfortunately, due to the destruction of the upper layers of this mound, the information from the end of the second and first millennia BC of the area is insufficient. A new cemetery, in the east of Qareh Tepe, was found in the archeological excavations during 2016. The graves in this cemetery belonged to the first half of the first millennium and the end of the second millennium BC. Since cemeteries are valuable archaeological contexts to study various social aspects, the finds from this new cemetery could provide valuable information on the social structure of the resident society in the area during the timeframe mentioned. According to the existing theoretical models about social evolution, the present study aimed to evaluate the archaeological findings and compare them with the information obtained from the Neo-Assyrian accounts. The results revealed the existence of a hierarchical society with the transmission of hereditary social status at least since the end of the second millennium BC in the area. Furthermore, the finds from the first half of the first millennium BC indicated evidence of the separation of the cemetery space, emphasis on genealogy, population growth, sizeable mud-brick buildings, extensive trans-regional relations, and the intensification of metal production in the area. These findings indicated the increasing social complexities at the beginning of the first millennium BC. In addition, in their accounts, some Neo-Assyrian kings mentioned a place called “Bit- Kapsi”; this place was probably in the Qazvin Plain. “Bit- Kapsi” was a kind of regional polity or chiefdom during the 8th century BC in the area. The archaeological evidence indicates increasing social complexities at the beginning of the first millennium BC in the area, which could be associated with the emergence of “Bit- Kapsi”.
Keywords: Qareh Tepe, Sagzabad, Qazvin Plain, Iron Age, Social Complexity, Bit-Kapsi.
Introduction
Qareh Tepe of Sagzabad, located in the southwest of the Qazvin Plain, was one of the three mounds selected for archaeological excavations by the Department of Archaeology of the University of Tehran. Its archaeological sequence encompasses the Chalcolithic Period, Bronze Age, Iron Age, and the Achaemenid Period (Malek Shahmirzadi, 1987; Azizi Kharanaghi and Niknami, 2013). Unfortunately, due to the extensive unauthorized digging and farming activities, many parts of the upper layers of this mound have been damaged (Malek Shamirzadi, 1987), leading to insufficient information about the communities of the end of the second millennium and the beginning of the first millennium BC. Fortunately, recent excavations have led to the identification of a cemetery on the eastern side of Qareh Tepe (Dehpahlavan, 2016). The archaeological findings and two C14 samples indicated that the graves of this cemetery belong to the end of the second millennium and the first half of the first millennium BC. Considering the value of cemeteries in studying various social aspects, we had the opportunity to answer some of the questions regarding the social structure of resident communities in the area during the mentioned period. This study aims to better understand the social structure of the communities in the first millennium BC, according to the findings obtained from the excavations of this cemetery and the results of previous excavations in Qareh Tepe, as well as the written sources (Assyrian accounts).
The Eastern Cemetery of Qareh Tepe
In 2016, a cemetery belonging to the Iron Age was found in the east of Qareh Tepe (Dehpahlavan, 2018a: 437). Five seasons of excavations in this cemetery revealed evidence of graves that belonged to the end of the second millennium BC and the first half of the first millennium BC (Dehpahlavan, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021). Since the graves of this cemetery were found in different depths, they were classified into five levels: the graves of the first to fourth levels belong to the first millennium BC, while the graves of the fifth level belong to the end of the second millennium BC.
Burial of Children and determination of the social organization
Hierarchical societies are introduced as regional polities (Johnson and Earle, 2000) or chiefdoms (Service, 1962). Ethnographic and anthropological studies have indicated that in hierarchical societies, children benefit from their fathers’ material and spiritual advantages immediately after birth. At this stage, lineages are categorized, and people have a particular social status from birth, regardless of their capabilities (Flannery, 2001: 55; Flannery, 1995: 12, 13). One of the most important archaeological findings to identify this type of society is the burial of children with prestige goods (Marcus, 2008).
In the eastern cemetery of Qareh Tepe, 16 independent graves of children were found, eight of which had prestige goods. The oldest grave of children with prestige goods belonged to the fifth level of the cemetery. Therefore, the communities of the Qazvin Plain had a hierarchical order and hereditary social status, at least from the end of the second millennium BC.
Evidence of increased social complexities in the Qazvin Plain in the first millennium
Evidence that hint to increased social complexities in the first millennium BC has been found in the eastern cemetery of the Qazvin Plain. They are:
• Division of the cemetery space and emphasis on genealogy
Using different parts of the cemetery by groups with different social prestige and status (Dehpahlavan, 2016), as well as the evidence of pisé walls to separate parts of the cemetery (Dehpahlavan, 2017), and evidence of the usage of some graves multiple times (Dehpahlavan, 2018).
• Population growth and the emergence of the sizeable mud-brick building
The increase in the number of sites in the Iranian Central Plateau (Talaei, 2010: 20), the increase in the size of the site of Qareh Tepe of Sagzabad during the first half of the first millennium BC (Azizi Kharanaghi, 2011: 83; Dehpahlavan, 2016), and the establishment of a substantial mud-brick structure at this site in the first millennium BC suggest an indication of population growth (Yadollahi & Azizi Kharanaghi, 2010).
• Developed trans-regional relations and the intensification of metal production
The increase in the number of goods from foreign origins (Babazade, Dehpahlavan, in press) and the increase in the iron and bronze products in the first millennium BC (Tali, 2002; Ghodussiyan et al., 2017; Mortazavi et al., 2011) hint at well-developed trans-regional relations.
Neo-Assyrian Sources
Some of the Neo-Assyrian kings mentioned a place known as “Bit-Kapsi” in their historical accounts, as noted by Luckenbill (1926 and 1927). Julian Reade identified this location to be situated in the Qazvin Plain (Reade, 1979: 180, Reade, 1995: fig 3). These references suggest elements of regional integration, economic control, territorial governance, and defensive strategies against the Assyrian invasions, indicating that “Bit-Kapsi” functioned as a regional polity or chiefdom during the 8th century BC, according to Johnson and Earle (2000). If we accept the Qazvin Plain as the accurate location of “Bit-Kapsi,” the archaeological evidence pointing towards increasing social complexities in the region further bolsters the argument for its status as a developing entity during that period.
Conclusion
Based on the newly discovered cemetery findings, we know that the institution of power and hereditary social hierarchy existed in this plain, at least from the late second millennium BC. The findings of the 9th century BC showed the segregation of parts of the cemetery with pisé walls and an emphasis on genealogy, according to the findings obtained from the graves excavated from within these walls. These findings may indicate the emergence of a new social class or institution in which social status was hereditary. In addition, there was an increasing process of population growth, the emergence of a sizeable mud-brick building, developed trans-regional relations, and intensification of metal products in the first millennium BC in the area, indicating increasing social complexities. This increasing social complexity is in line with the Assyrian written sources. It could be associated with the development and emergence of “Bit-Kapsi,” mentioned in the sources of the 8th century BC, which some researchers locate it in the Qazvin Plain. |