This contribution aims to provide a detailed diachronic analysis of the settlement patterns in th... more This contribution aims to provide a detailed diachronic analysis of the settlement patterns in the Salmas plain, in north-western Iran. The chronological period taken into consideration goes from Prehistory to the Sasanian period, covering the entire pre-Islamic period. The work is based on a comprehensive re-evaluation of the archaeological data available to us, as well as new data produced using remote sensing. The contribution analyses the forms of interaction and control of the territory operated by the sites, in particular the fortified ones, and reconstructs for the periods for which the data are sufficient the management strategies of the plain using GIS software, as well as the analysis of the points of sight and intervisibility. The result is a highly complex and articulated situation where the settlement patterns have not always been the same over time although some forms of continuity can be noted. Due to its position and geographical characteristics, the Salmas plain is in all respects a place of great importance in the study of the archaeology of north-western Iran. It is no coincidence that key-sites such as Haftavan Tappeh or Qara Tappeh have had a long history spanning from Protohistory to the historical period. The aim of this contribution is therefore to be a first review and re-evaluation of the archaeological information of the Salmas plain and a recontextualisation of the sites in the pre-protohistoric and historical dynamics of the area examined using tools like G.I.S.
Central to this thesis is the identification of religious architecture in a region which has a sp... more Central to this thesis is the identification of religious architecture in a region which has a special position in Ancient Iran, the mountainous area of Khuzestan known to classical sources under the name Elymais. This area can be considered Iranian only due to its geographical position, since its population was not of Iranian origin. A more direct approach to the study of Elymaean archaeology concerns not just the Susiana plain – which shows a strong Greek and Semitic influence – but also the sites with major rock reliefs (Tang-e Sarvak, Shimbar, Izeh-Malamir), as well as the religious architecture of Bard-e Neshandeh and Masjed-e Soleyman. This study will try to prove, working from religious architecture in Elymais of the Arsacid era, that there were hereditary ties (historical, archaeological, philological) between the Elymaeans and the Elamites, the ancient inhabitants of these territories (Ancient Elam). Given the strong relationship between Elam and neighbouring Mesopotamia, t...
During the Parthian era (ca. 238 BC-224 AD), rupestrian art was mainly the product of the patrona... more During the Parthian era (ca. 238 BC-224 AD), rupestrian art was mainly the product of the patronage of kings, independent aristocrats, subjugated vassals, or peripheral rulers, which often developed independently from the main authorities conventions, shaping a proper tradition through the canonisation of certain motifs. In the minor kingdom of Elymais, the socio-political situation seems to have stimulated a creative combination of native, Hellenistic and Parthian artistic elements. Within this panorama, the enigmatic carving of Hung-e Azhdar within the Zagros-Bakhtiari region in southwestern Iran embraces a tradition of two to three centuries of Iranian art, starting from the use of well-rooted Hellenistic heritage at Izeh-Malamir. The choice of this specific boulder, already bearing an Elamite relief, suggests that this enclosed spot represented a regionally important cult site where the reaffirmation of royal power and the necessity of political propaganda was evoked by the kings of Elymais.
This study provides a new approach and interpretation of a remote Elymaean tetrastyle temple foun... more This study provides a new approach and interpretation of a remote Elymaean tetrastyle temple found in the course of excavations conducted at the sacred terraces of Bard-e Neshandeh in the mid-19th century. Perched on the heights of the Zagros mountains in the current province of Khuzestan (SW Iran), the shrine on the lower terrace reflects an innovative synthesis of structural elements engaging both Mesopotamian and Iranian templates and it occupies a special place in the records of temple architecture of the Iranian world before the Sasanid conquest. According to this investigation, a re- evaluation of the tetrastyle temple is proposed in order that it will yield new insights and progress of understanding on the cultic monumental apparatus in Hellenistic and Parthian Elymais.
This contribution aims to provide a detailed diachronic analysis of the settlement patterns in th... more This contribution aims to provide a detailed diachronic analysis of the settlement patterns in the Salmas plain, in north-western Iran. The chronological period taken into consideration goes from Prehistory to the Sasanian period, covering the entire pre-Islamic period. The work is based on a comprehensive re-evaluation of the archaeological data available to us, as well as new data produced using remote sensing. The contribution analyses the forms of interaction and control of the territory operated by the sites, in particular the fortified ones, and reconstructs for the periods for which the data are sufficient the management strategies of the plain using GIS software, as well as the analysis of the points of sight and intervisibility. The result is a highly complex and articulated situation where the settlement patterns have not always been the same over time although some forms of continuity can be noted. Due to its position and geographical characteristics, the Salmas plain is in all respects a place of great importance in the study of the archaeology of north-western Iran. It is no coincidence that key-sites such as Haftavan Tappeh or Qara Tappeh have had a long history spanning from Protohistory to the historical period. The aim of this contribution is therefore to be a first review and re-evaluation of the archaeological information of the Salmas plain and a recontextualisation of the sites in the pre-protohistoric and historical dynamics of the area examined using tools like G.I.S.
Central to this thesis is the identification of religious architecture in a region which has a sp... more Central to this thesis is the identification of religious architecture in a region which has a special position in Ancient Iran, the mountainous area of Khuzestan known to classical sources under the name Elymais. This area can be considered Iranian only due to its geographical position, since its population was not of Iranian origin. A more direct approach to the study of Elymaean archaeology concerns not just the Susiana plain – which shows a strong Greek and Semitic influence – but also the sites with major rock reliefs (Tang-e Sarvak, Shimbar, Izeh-Malamir), as well as the religious architecture of Bard-e Neshandeh and Masjed-e Soleyman. This study will try to prove, working from religious architecture in Elymais of the Arsacid era, that there were hereditary ties (historical, archaeological, philological) between the Elymaeans and the Elamites, the ancient inhabitants of these territories (Ancient Elam). Given the strong relationship between Elam and neighbouring Mesopotamia, t...
During the Parthian era (ca. 238 BC-224 AD), rupestrian art was mainly the product of the patrona... more During the Parthian era (ca. 238 BC-224 AD), rupestrian art was mainly the product of the patronage of kings, independent aristocrats, subjugated vassals, or peripheral rulers, which often developed independently from the main authorities conventions, shaping a proper tradition through the canonisation of certain motifs. In the minor kingdom of Elymais, the socio-political situation seems to have stimulated a creative combination of native, Hellenistic and Parthian artistic elements. Within this panorama, the enigmatic carving of Hung-e Azhdar within the Zagros-Bakhtiari region in southwestern Iran embraces a tradition of two to three centuries of Iranian art, starting from the use of well-rooted Hellenistic heritage at Izeh-Malamir. The choice of this specific boulder, already bearing an Elamite relief, suggests that this enclosed spot represented a regionally important cult site where the reaffirmation of royal power and the necessity of political propaganda was evoked by the kings of Elymais.
This study provides a new approach and interpretation of a remote Elymaean tetrastyle temple foun... more This study provides a new approach and interpretation of a remote Elymaean tetrastyle temple found in the course of excavations conducted at the sacred terraces of Bard-e Neshandeh in the mid-19th century. Perched on the heights of the Zagros mountains in the current province of Khuzestan (SW Iran), the shrine on the lower terrace reflects an innovative synthesis of structural elements engaging both Mesopotamian and Iranian templates and it occupies a special place in the records of temple architecture of the Iranian world before the Sasanid conquest. According to this investigation, a re- evaluation of the tetrastyle temple is proposed in order that it will yield new insights and progress of understanding on the cultic monumental apparatus in Hellenistic and Parthian Elymais.
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