Rouhollah Yousefi Zoshk

Abstract
The main subject of periodization, cultural classification and archaeological chronology is the temporal and spatial patterns of material culture collections (Lucas, 2001, 106-141). The assemblages of archaeological sites and their components have a great importance in the chronological division and periodozation, because they are basic materials of the cultural similarities comparing. Therefore, any error in identifying the internal patterns of these components, which have an inherent conjunction with their spatial and temporal dimensions, will have a direct reflection on wider spatial and temporal patterning that are based on. The prehistoric chronology of the Iranian Central Plateau, especially due to its vast geographical scope, has been one of the cases that faced by such a challenge. Over the recent three decades, there have been many archaeological excavations and surveys in this area, that most of them have focused on prehistoric periods and their chronologies. Despite the good quantity of the recent decades archaeological activities on the vast area of the Iranian Central Plateau, its prehistoric chronologies and periodizations that generally have based on tape Sialk’s more than eighty years old and not so detailed divisions, has not changed much. According to this division, Girshman divided the chronology of the tape sialk, from the Neolithic period to the beginning stage of the Bronze Age (the Proto Elamite period) into four cultural periods and seventeen sub-periods or strata (Sialk I1-IV2).
The fourth millennium BC, as the main subject of this paper, includes the sub-periods of Sialk III4-5, Sialk III6-7b, Sialk IV1, and parts of Sialk IV2. In particular, the second half of this millennium includes important sociopolitical developments that have played a major role in increasing social inequalities, the formation of early states, the proto literate and some technological changes, such as the production and use of bronze objects. The division of this sensitive phase between the sialk III6-7b and IV1-2 strata is in a way that emphasizes on the serious discontinuity between this two cultural periods. Regardless of whether the detection of this discontinuity is correct or not, the way in which these sub-periods are distinguished and differentiated have always been unclear and very generalized. So that, for example, the sialk stratum III6 has never been individually mentioned and has always been considered participant with the sialk III7. Of course, Silk's multiple chronological problems are not limited to that. While the sialk divisions was based on architectural strata, its comparative studies have all been based on ceramic styles, which has led to many errors in the process of inter-regional transformations and their chronological recognition. Most of these problems seem to be caused by insufficient attention to short-term Transformations processes.
The results of recent studies for providing a precise and appropriate image from the process of cultural transformation of various prehistoric periods in this area, has indicated the inability of such a generalized divisions, due to the lack of attention to the short-term cultural events and the inflexible normative perception of the concept of culture. While over the past century, due to the great changes in the definition of the concept of cultural change and its various stages chronology and periodization, archaeological studies in the interests of the inter-regional and site distinctions and short-term criteria endorsement, passed over the old rigid normative and generalized definitions of culture. This studies, over acceptation the fluidity of the temporal and spatial dimensions of cultural boundaries, have added to their carefulness in the recognition and differentiation of cultural processes. Continued studies of excavations such as tape Meymoon-abad, presenting sufficient evidence of such that errors, which emphasize on the necessity of review the Iranian central plateau prehistoric periods old studies and their divisions.

Keywords
'Periodization'; 'Chronology'; 'Central plateau'; 'Late Chalcolithic'; 'Sialk III'; 'Meymoon-Abad'

In terms of synchronic studies, the Late Chalcolithi period is characterized by Sialk IV1 cultural horizon at on the northern edge of the central desert. The final feature of proto-literate period known by the titles of Uruk and the Proto-Elamite characterized by the sudden disappearance of painted pottery of Sialk III6-7 and emergence of simple and coarse pottery of Uruk tradition. MeymanatAbad is an important site for study the Sialk IV1. Meymanatabad Tepe (N 3928141.46 and S 515322.47, AMSL: 1053.96 m) is located in southwest of Tehran, surrounded by two shallow hills of Northern and Southern ones. In general, a complete sequence of late chalcolithic was identified at this Tepe based on stratigraphic excavations. Stratigraphic excavation and presenting its chronological table help us to illuminate new information of the mid and late fourth millennium especially late chalcolithic in the frame of Sialk III6-7 and Sialk IV1. Considering the fact that the two mounds were settled along the chronological sequences, this report had done to present the Operation at the northern mound and relied upon on pottery analysis.

The ancient hills are the human’s close and far activities sense. These places may be the transit camp survivors or ruins towns or villages. This paper studies the archaeology of the ancient hill of Meymanabad using micromorphology methods. This hill situated in Robat Kareem_in South-East village called Meymantabad. The result has showed that before the establishment of the site occupations there have been a warm and wetter conditions througout the region.  According to the cubic microscopic structure that is the region natural examples index, a period lack of establishment from point E to point D has occurred.  The point C is the latest cultural point and after this there are no cultural effects. In fact, what makes this civilization wiped out was the river flooding of Shadchay River resulted in the destruction of the site and caused the peoples to abandon their settlement areas.

During the Holocene Epoch and simultaneously with the Neolithic Period, weather variations caused wide-ranging changes in temperature and humidity of various regions. These together with geographical and climatic features, led to the shaping of special regional matching of Neolithic cultures. We have obtained most of our knowledge of Epipaleolithic and Neolithic sites from excavations in locations on coasting regions bordering the Caspian Sea. Obviously, feasibility of relationships and population and information transfer between the mentioned regions is a research priority considering the role natural geography plays in the shaping of and developments in human communities. Available data includes climatic information from various sources such as magnetic analyses and geochemistry, paleoecology, palynology, study of oscillations in the water level of Caspian Sea, and sequences of loess sediments in the Gorgan Plain together with archeological data obtained from explorations made in the region. Considering the importance of developments in and environmental potentials of the region and their relationships with domestication of plants and animals, attempts were made to answer these questions through comparing and matching data obtained from reviewing studies carried out on oscillations in the water level of Caspian Sea, studies on soil sequences of loess sediments, and studies on archeological findings in the region.The study region is the cultural-geographical area of Gorgan that refers to a triangle in the southeastern corner of the Caspian Sea. The base of this triangle borders on the southern end of the eastern coasts and the other two sides meet the Alborz mountain range to the south and the Kopet Dagh mountain range to the east. The most important geographical feature of the Gorgan area, in addition to the Alborz and Kopet Dagh mountains, is the Caspian Sea that is fed by river sources in Iran and Russia. Presence of coastal sediments is the other feature of the region, and these sediments are derived from the rivers and aeolian loess belts. One of the strategies for paleoclimatology of the region is the study of alternate oscillations in the water level of the Caspian Sea that has yielded various results. The Caspian Sea region has experienced numerous alternate advances and recessions during the years. Moreover, soil studies have also provided interesting results. The loess formation in the region is in the form of the hilly areas in Gorgan and results from aeolian deposits of the last glacial recession in the Quaternary Period. Rereading archaeological data of the region and matching it with ancient weather can provide us with important information. Classification of Epipaleolithic layers in the Hotu and Belt caves can be matched with ancient weather and be confirmed by advances and recessions of the Caspian Sea. The present conditions indicate that the region faced hard and harsh conditions at the start of the Neolithic Period. Evidence of deep gaps between dating of the Hotu and Belt caves and evidence of plant and animal domestication and of pottery, and accumulation of aeolian loess sediments are among the available reasons for confirmation of population transfer. Another reason supporting this claim is that the Pokerdval area in the Gorgan Plain with materials and pottery of the Neolithic Period, that have great similarities with the oldest samples of the Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmagh and the Hotu and Belt caves, lies one yellow layers of loess that probably match the second advance of the Caspian Sea during the Holocene Period. Therefore, this set of information shows that cultural and technological developments in the human communities of the region strongly depended on conditions imposed by the environment, and severe environmental fluctuations necessitated continuous population movement, which caused infiltration of cultural material beyond geographical borders and created the relative homogeneity between the potteries attributed to the Jeitun Culture. Based on present documents, population mobility was one of the features of this region in Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene Periods.

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.

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