Mohammad Hossein Azizi Kharanaghi

Archaeological research along the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf, has been intermittently conducted for several decades. However, frequent and prolonged interruptions have impeded the production of consistent and reliable results for both Prehistoric and Historical era. Despite the implementation of numerous archaeological surveys in Bushehr Province, the outcomes of these investigations have, regrettably, not been adequately published. In recent years, a series of archaeological projects have revealed that human communities inhabited the northern shores of the Persian Gulf as early as seven thousand years ago. These communities not only settled in the area but also exploited marine resources. Precise information regarding settlement patterns during the fifth millennium BCE remains limited. However, architectural evidence from the fourth millennium BCE ascertains the emergence of permanent settlements in this region. By the historical and Islamic periods, these areas had become fully and continuously inhabited. Toll-e Sohzu, a significant prehistoric site located in the Dashtestan District of Bushehr Province, offers valuable insights into these early communities. Based on stratigraphic excavations (Trench A) and radiocarbon ( ¹⁴ C) analyses, the site was occupied from the late fifth to the mid-fourth millennium BCE. The material culture suggests interactions with the interior regions of Fars and southwestern Iran, as well as evidence of sustained exploitation of marine resources. Two primary cultural phases have been identified at Toll-e Sohzu: the Bakun phase (Chalcolithic period) and the Lapui phase (Early Urbanization period), both of which contribute significantly to our understanding of the region’s prehistoric development.

Southwest and Central Asia were pivotal regions for the domestication and dispersal of domestic herbivores. Here we investigate long-term variation in bony labyrinth morphology of domestic bovids (sheep, goats and cattle) across the last 10 000 years. We focused on the osseous cavity of the inner ear, located within the petrous bone. We analysed semicircular canal (SC) size and shape using micro-computed tomography and geometric morphometrics (GMM) on 78 modern reference specimens and 234 archaeological petrous bones from 51 sites spanning the Iranian Plateau, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Indus Valley. Bony labyrinth morphometrics yielded a strong taxonomic signal, enabling species-level identification of 228 out of 234 specimens and revealing greater diversity than anticipated. Comparative analyses further documented contrasting, nonlinear diachronic trajectories in SC size and shape among sheep, goats and cattle, reflecting species-specific responses to domestication and long-term herd management. Together, these results demonstrate that bony labyrinth GMM provides a robust, non-destructive framework for taxonomic identification and evolutionary inference and underscore how long-term, interdisciplinary approaches can capture the complex, nonlinear dynamics of animal domestication across the longue durée.

Tule’i Tepe, located in northern Khuzestan, is one of the key Neolithic sites on the Susiana Plain and has been dated to ca. 6200–5900 BCE based on previous studies. Although the site has been interpreted as a seasonal settlement or a mobile pastoralist camp with a relatively short occupation span, it is remarkably ...

The correct position and the determining role of the second and first millennium BC cultures in the Fars region (Marvdasht plain) which we know as the Shoqa/Timuran cultures and the importance of this culture in the transition from the prehistoric to the historical period (Achaemenid) are still not well known. ...