New Investigations in the Environment, History and Archaeology of the Iraqi Hilly Flanks: Shahrizor Survey Project 2009-2011

Recent palaeoenvironmental, historical, and archaeological investigations, primarily consisting of site reconnaissance, in the Shahrizor region within the province of Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan are bringing to light new information on the region’s social and socio-ecological development. This paper summarises two seasons of work by researchers from German, British, Dutch, and Iraqi-Kurdish institutions working in the survey region. Palaeoenvironmental data have determined that during the Pleistocene many terraces developed which came to be occupied by a number of the larger tell sites in the Holocene. In the sedimentary record, climatic and anthropogenic patterns are noticeable, and alluviation has affected the recovery of archaeological remains through site burial in places. Historical data show the Shahrizor shifting between periods of independence, either occupied by one regional state or several smaller entities, and periods that saw the plain’s incorporation within large empires, often in a border position. New archaeological investigations have provided insight into the importance of the region as a transit centre between Western Iran and northern and southern Mesopotamia, with clear material culture links recovered. Variations between periods’ settlement patterns and occupations are also beginning to emerge

From Three Possible Iron Age World-Systems to a Single Afro-Eurasian World-System

International audienceThe brutal collapse of the Late Bronze Age western world-system around 1200 B.C. and of the Shang state in China at the end of the first millennium B.C. led to a period of political fragmentation and then to a new phase of integration in the two regions. The renewed growth of networks and states was furthered by crucial technological and institutional innovations (development of iron metallurgy, agricultural progress, diffusion of alphabets, organizing of provinces or satrapies, creation of stamped money...). Innovations were also ideological, with the appearance of universal religions in the crucial period of the 6th century B.C. In China, intense competition between emerging powers (Warring States) led to the ascendancy of the Qin state in the 3rd century B.C. The different empires which built up in Western Asia were clearly aimed at controlling spaces and peoples between the Mediterranean and the Persian gulf, also pushing towards Arabia and Egypt on one side, and towards the Indus and Central Asia on the other. It could be argued that the urban blossoming in Central Asia in the 7th and 6th centuries B. C. and the thrust of the Persian empire towards this region and the Indus valley marked the formation of a single system uniting the spheres of western Asia-Egypt-the Mediterranean and northern India. For the former, it is possible to distinguish phases of limited demise and of restructuring during the second part of the 9th century, during the second part of the 7th century, at the end of the 5th and the beginning of the 4th century (the demise of Greece), and then a major phase of recession (for the Mesopotamian and Egyptian cores) and of restructuring between 200 and 50 B.C. Some of these recessions were partly initiated by climatic deteriorations - on a limited scale - around 800 and 200 B.C., which can be seen as part of a systemic logic. If we look at the trajectories of each region, we clearly see, first that not all of them followed the same rhythm, and secondly that some regions were directly affected (negatively or positively) by the expansion of dominant cores. The evolutions between the 3rd and the 1st century B.C. represent a decisive step towards an integration of the Mediterranean-western Asian, Indian and Chinese spheres. The unification of a large part of India under the Mauryas, together with the fast spread of Buddhism, the increasing integration of western Asia, and the unification of China (Qin and Han empires) made possible the opening of land routes across Central Asia and maritime routes in the China Sea and the Indian Ocean. They foreshadow the turning period of the 1st century A.D., when the rise of exchange networks led to an interdependence of the various parts of an area that can be considered as a single world-system stretching from eastern Asia to Europe and Africa

Women in Iran: ancient history to modern times, and back

This thesis is the written component to the art exhibit Women in Iran: Ancient History to Modern Times, and Back which will take place in March 2015 at the Design on Main Gallery, Ames, Iowa. This body of work explores issues of women in contemporary Iran. The topics range from personal freedom, gender equality, historical precedence, and the desire for peaceful change. The artwork uses multiple media, this including oil and acrylic on canvas, clay sculptures, digital illustration, pencil and paper, cardboard, pastel, and marker. Narrative and theatrical styles reach out to the viewer to draw their own conclusions based on the artist statement but without specific titles to color their perception. This thesis documents the creation of the work through the intentions, experiences, and influences of the artist. The audience is encouraged to place themselves in a world most likely beyond anything they have imagined, a hypocritical dystopian dream of religious zealotry

A Review on Influences of Pre Islamic Architecture on Islamic Architecture in Early Centuries

A cursory glance at presented definitions about architectural design proves that scholars have mentioned varied definitions. According to historical documents such as books, itineraries, illustrations and inscriptions they can be divided into two major groups. Firstly, architectural designs were introduced as an artistic field and the designer was an artist. Apparently, buildings which are included in first group have diverse decorations or some unique shapes. Additionally, they are not specifically for human, and they could be considered as monuments, tombs and mausoleums. As a result, people had a connection with building indirectly. On the other hand, the second group consists of the buildings which are used as homes, mosques, schools (Madrasah), Sera (karvansara) and market (bazzar). Obviously, builders and architects accurately respected topography and structure and preference was given to technique rather than beauty. The aim of this article is to gather different definitions and argue which one was the dominant theme in early Islamic architecture in Iran

The Pattern Of The World

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93544/1/j.1467-9736.2012.00830.x.pd

A Review on Influences of Pre Islamic Architecture on Islamic Architecture in Early Centuries

A cursory glance at presented definitions about architectural design proves that scholars have mentioned varied definitions. According to historical documents such as books, itineraries, illustrations and inscriptions they can be divided into two major groups. Firstly, architectural designs were introduced as an artistic field and the designer was an artist. Apparently, buildings which are included in first group have diverse decorations or some unique shapes. Additionally, they are not specifically for human, and they could be considered as monuments, tombs and mausoleums. As a result, people had a connection with building indirectly. On the other hand, the second group consists of the buildings which are used as homes, mosques, schools (Madrasah), Sera (karvansara) and market (bazzar). Obviously, builders and architects accurately respected topography and structure and preference was given to technique rather than beauty. The aim of this article is to gather different definitions and argue which one was the dominant theme in early Islamic architecture in Iran

A Comparison and Contrast of the History of Christianity as it Developed in Cappadocia and Armenia during the First Five Centuries AD

The purpose of this thesis is to examine key political, cultural or environmental factors which affected the rise and development of Christianity in two specific regions of eastern Anatolia during the first to fifth centuries AD. Hagiography and chronicle often portray the progress of Christianity as deterministic and providential. However, unique cultural and political elements proved very influential in shaping the success and forms of Christianity in Cappadocia and Armenia, particularly in the fourth and fifth centuries AD