Preliminary Report on the Survey of Hajjiabad-Varamin, a Site of the Konar Sandal Settlement Network (Jiroft, Kerman, Iran)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to introduce the large prehistoric site of Hajjiabad-Varamin, its changes in time and the first discoveries made there, in the specific literature on the early Bronze Age of the south-eastern Iranian Plateau. The first part of the article describes the site, its present damaged conditions, the periodisation we adopted and the complex topographic shifts and changes of functions through time. The second part focuses on the settlement of the 3rd millennium BC and discusses a major craft activity area found east of the main elevation of the site, in which were manufactured vessels in various stones (white alabaster, grey limestones with white fossil inclusions, and probably chlorite). Collections include large drill-heads in volcanic rocks used on the interior of the stone pots, and standardised beads of a green and red-banded calcite broken while being drilled. While the stone vessels find abundant comparisons and were certainly in demand for long-distance trade, the beads type is not known in other contexts and were presumably made for a local demand. We also present the unusual find of a hoard of copper objects which helps framing the 3rd millennium BC centre in terms of cultural links and chronology.

Drilling stone vessels in third-millennium BC Iran: new evidence from Hajjiabad-Varamin, Jiroft (Kerman Province)

“…Shahdad, Shahr-i Sokhta and the Konar Sandal South complex) reveals that stonecutters produced vessels, beads and other objects using carbonate rocks with white/translucent bands of calcite alternating with bands of deep red aragonite (e.g. Kavosh et al 2019;Eskandari et al 2021). This evidence complements the documented long-term exploitation of travertine deposits in Iran as a source of various ornamental stones through to the present day (Hora 1996).…”

“…The site of Hajjiabad-Varamin is located near the town of Jiroft in Kerman Province. Investigations of the site have identified a large settlement on a mound, with occupation extending from the late fifth to the late third millennium BC, forming part of a dense network of contemporaneous sites, including the urban centre at Konar Sandal South 5km to the north-east (Pfälzner & Soleimani 2017;Eskandari et al 2021). The site includes a number of cemetery areas, and, to the immediate east of the main mound, an area characterised by large quantities of broken stone vessels, indicating industrial-scale craft production (Figure 2).…”

“…Stone vessels produced from a variety of lithologies were widely used across the ancient Middle East. In this article, we present evidence from a craft-production site at Hajjiabad-Varamin in south-eastern Iran and focus, in particular, on a collection of stone drill heads, or bits, used for the manufacture of travertine/calcite vessels (Figure 1) (Eskandari et al 2021). We establish the regional geological context and then use a comparative approach to consider the manufacturing techniques used and possible networks of technological knowledge across the wider Middle East.…”

Prediction Model of Ancient Village Pottery Building Microspace Design Style by Integrating Machine Learning

“…By meticulously analyzing these microspace design styles, researchers can gain valuable insights into the cultural practices and artistic expressions that shaped these ancient communities [4]. The recurring patterns, symbols, and design choices might offer clues about the villager's rituals, beliefs, and symbolic systems [5][6][7]. Studying these styles can also reveal artistic techniques employed by the potters, preferred symbols or patterns used in decoration, or the evolution of artistic expression over time within the village [8].…”