Perspectives on the Cultural Sequence of Mamasani

Abstract

The preliminary soundings that have been excavated at Tol-e Nurabad and Tol-e Spid, and the preliminary archaeological survey conducted in Dasht-e Rostam-e Yek and Dasht-e Rostam-e Do, have transformed our knowledge of the archaeological heritage of the Mamasani District. As observed in Chapter 1, this is a strategic but relatively unknown part of Fars, and while the excavations and landscape and surface survey have given us unique insight into the prehistoric and historic occupation in the region, they have also broadened and deepened our knowledge of the established cultural sequence of Fars, and provided an essential link in our understanding of the mountainous areas that lie between the better known plains of lowland Susiana and the highland Kur River Basin. As such, this research highlights the potential that regions traditionally considered as being peripheral can have for our understanding of the archaeology of southwestern Iran as a whole.