Archaeology

The aim of this session is to allow us to discuss the extent to which the way current archaeological procedures might structure what we can know, or what we believe that we can know, about the past. If current procedures prevent us from undertaking the kinds of research that we desire, then to what extent are we prepared to accept the current dogma as to how we should do archaeology? In other words: are there inherent limits as to what can be known in the mechanisms of archaeological procedures and in the development of archaeological theory, and if that is the case then what determines those limits? And if the limits are not inherent to either the available data or the form of the past itself and are instead imposed by conventional procedures, then what new procedures, from the identification of data to the writing of reports and historical narratives might we develop? And if we are prepared to push beyond the currently accepted limits what are the risks to our professional standing, and if we accept those limits with which we are dissatisfied then what are the risks to our professional integrity? To explore these issues in as open a way as possible the session is divided between two round tables of discussion followed by a series of presentations (these being selected by the Scientific Committee of the Conference). We will request the organisers that these be arranged as is show below (therefore, the timing and the order are purely orientative). We intend that contributors to the round tables simply offer position statement of no more than 10 minutes as an opening to discussion. The presentations will then offer a series of case studies. A. Morning session: ROUND TABLE

Iranian Central Plateau along with all environmental restrictions and capacities had a key role in Prehistoric time. During the Late Chalcolithic Period and with the increase of Complexity, the ancient societies had been connected with each other and traded the exotic and essential sources. Meymanatabad is located on the southwest of Tehran. It was excavated in the summer of 2012. The main objectives were to explore the stratigraphic sequences of the site and relative and absolute chronology from the lower layers to the end of settlement. In this paper, only the relative chronology results have been pointed and it is hoped that absolute chronology results are independently released in another article, which is currently under consideration. The study shows us Meymanatabad had continuous evidence from Sialk III6 (with the painted black on buff pottery) to Sialk IV (with the presence of Uruk trays and Bevel-rim Bowl) that indicates the interaction between Iran and Mesopotamia.