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Rick Abad Tepe is located north of the Zab River in Northwest of Iran, close to the border with Iraq. The excavation at this archeological site was carried out in the summer of 2019. The materials and evidence obtained from there showed Rick Abad belonged to the Bronze Age, with some monuments not documented yet from any site in the Zab Basin. The Tamarchin passage, west of Piranshahr, connects this region to northern Mesopotamia. This research tries to respond to the following questions: What was the status of Zab Basin settlements in the Bronze Age? How was the regional and extra-regional communication with the surrounding areas? As a matter of fact, seven levels belonging to the Bronze Age were identified in the course of the excavation. In the south of Lake Urmia, Kura-Araxes potteries were less visible; however, typical black-burnished ceramics similar to those of the Kura-Araxes tradition were recovered from some sites. Surprisingly, Painted Orange Ware (POW) and beveled-rim Bowl were seen in the early Bronze Age of the Zab Basin. Furthermore, the impression of the seal from Rick Abad is remarkable as well since this type of object had an administrative function and it is a sign of economic and social activities as well as regional and extra-regional relations. The location of this region between northwest of Iran and the north of Mesopotamia (Iraqi Kurdistan) somehow turned this basin into a meeting place of various cultures. Probably these sites played a key role in trade and commerce, although, they never attained an urban status.  

The Liār-Sang-Bon cemetery is located in Amlash City in Gilan province. During the field research, more than 100  pit graves, catacombs, and jar burials were identified at the cemetery. Some of these graves contained various types of ornaments. The questions which are raised in the current research are as follows: Considering the comparison of the ornaments of the Liār-Sang-Bon cemetery with similar sites, what time frame can be suggested for these data? Based on the discovered decorations, what exchanges did this area have with the surrounding areas? What is the relationship between the use of jewellery and the gender of the deceased in the tombs of Liār-Sang-Bon? It is suggested that the typology and classification of cultural finds obtained from this site and their comparison with other Iranian cultural sites, especially from the first century BC to the fourth century AD, can help us in dating the graves. 

In the 1980s, Polish researcher Maria Składankowa promoted in her publications a theory stating that the representatives of the Sistani family described in Ferdowsī's Šāh-nāma were reflections of the rainy and sunny steppe shamans. The four main representatives of this lineage were said to alternately represent these particular shamans beginning with the primordial and rainy shaman personified by Sam and ending with the solar shaman in the form of Sohrab. Another rain shaman according to Składankowa was to be Rostam. This article aims to introduce Składankowa's theory to the international research community and to subject it to verification. The battle between Rostam and White Dīv, which was the seventh trial in Rostam's cycle of seven trials, was used for verification. This is a clash between two national heroes and the circumstances of this battle blur the boundaries between what is commonly understood as good and as evil. Thus, this is an example that perfectly demonstrates Składankowa's theory of rejecting religious notions of good and evil and focusing on the primeval connection between man and nature when it was man's greatest ally and enemy. Neither Rostam nor White Dīv, according to Składankowa's theory, are therefore completely good or completely evil, like any element of nature, which can be a life-giving or destructive force. Identified with good forces, the sun warms the earth and causes vegetation but can also cause drought and the death that follows. Identified with evil forces, rain can cause floods, but without it, vegetation will die. There is no absolute good or absolute evil in nature. Nor is there one in the battling Rostam and White Dīv. Ferdusī's description of this combat in Šāh-nāma clearly goes back to this primeval myth leaving the story universal.

The commercial and cultural relations of Shahr-i Sokhta with neighboring areas have a relatively long and complex history. During the first period of Shahr-i Sokhta, there are many evidences indicating the connection of this large center with the south of Mesopotamia, Elam and the southern parts of the Iranian plateau. There was also an extensive connection between this center and Central Asia, Afghanistan and the Waziristan region that overlooks the Indus valley. Based on archeological evidence, in parallel with the emergence of the social and economic structure and the beginning of urbanization, we see a significant expansion of trade with distant regions. 

Epic heroes are noble individual of prodigious martial strength but they too mostly pass through several trials to prove their legitimate position. These endeavors include battles with evils while the heroes rarely overcome mental evils. The trials are challenging for heroes’ power to defeat the evil. The seven trials of Rostam and Isfandiyār as well as the twelve trials of Heracles fall in this category. Twelve thousand years of the Zoroastrian world includes an eternal battle between good and evil and the good will win this battle at last in the Armageddon. Zoroaster is the highest level of Ahura Mazda’s forces against Angra Mainyu. He too passed the seven trials in his childhood and adulthood  which is not though the pure history but mixed with the myths and epics. Therefore, he acts as a hero to prove his legitimacy  and triumph over dēws, Karaps and evil thoughts was his utmost aim and established Zoroastrianism through converting Goštāsp and his court. All of the trials he passed proved his legitimacy for being the prophet. 

The Sasanian, the last Iranian dynasty before the Arab invasion of Iran, overthrew the Parthians and ruled the region for more than four centuries between 224-651 AD. One of the structural characteristics of the Sasanian state was the establishment of an official religion and the concentration of political and religious sovereignty. The official recognition of the Zoroastrian religion led the Sasanian kings and priests to build numerous fire temples in various parts of Iran, and many archaeological evidences of Sasanian era burials have been found, which are intertwined with art. The kings enriched the art of this period by creating rock carvings to display various matters. A rock carving in the Sasanian style was accidentally discovered a few years ago at a local airport in England. When this discovery was reported in the early days of 2023, the main question was whether it was an independent rock carving that had been detached from the mountain or whether it belonged to a structure? Based on the library studies and comparisons made with other works in this article, it seems that the newly discovered Sasanian rock carving from Stansted Airport in London was likely part of a stone structure similar to a fire altar or a Astōdān (one type of Ossuary), and it most probably dates back to the early Sasanian period.

A dakhma, also known as Tower of Silence is a place where Zoroastrian people used to put the dead bodies of their loved ones. A similar structure from the Sasanian period was discovered in Bandian Dargaz, along with excavations conducted at Gelālak of Shushtar, Saleh Davood of Shush, and Shoghab of Bushehr, as well as other researches and excavations across various regions of Iran. It provides evidence that Zoroastrians practiced a burial ritual involving the removal of flesh from the body of the deceased and subsequent collection of bones, which were then placed in a container known as an ossuary. This intriguing method served as a motivation for the author to undertake more extensive studies on Zoroastrian burial rituals. This article focuses on the archaeological excavations conducted in the Torkabad’s Dakhma of Ardakan, Yazd, shedding light on this particular aspect.

The Sistan region has played a prominent role in establishing and expanding civilization in the eastern region of Iran in different historical periods. The region’s favorable environmental conditions, including abundant water, fertile soil, and diverse flora and fauna, attracted various ethnic groups to settle and achieve significant advancements by constructing numerous cities and settlements. Over its documented existence, Sistan with a rich collection of historic buildings and archeological sites has experienced three periods of extensive settlement and three periods of non-settlement, commonly referred to as gap periods. Multiple factors have contributed to the development of Sistan socially and settlement wise. This article aims to identify the influential factors in the cycle of formation and collapse of civilizations in Sistan by examining geographical, historical, and archaeological factors. Among these, water availability, political considerations, and other natural and human-related aspects stand out as the main contributors to this cyclic pattern.

The customs surrounding burials hold significant importance as they shed light on the social and religious aspects of any given society. Shahr-i Sokhta is an ancient site of a sizable Bronze Age urban settlement, associated with the Helmand culture that dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. This is of great importance considering the fact that the information gathered from cemetery there proves instrumental in reconstructing the customs prevalent in this settlement. This article focuses on the changes observed in burial practices of Shahr-i Sokhta, specifically from period one to period four, and examines their correlation with the gender of the deceased. The study utilizes data obtained from excavations carried out during seven seasons between 1997 and 2003. A total of 213 burials with identifiable settlement periods were selected for the analysis. The study employed the SPSS statistical software and considered four factors: settlement periods, the number of burial objects, objects of significance, and gender. The settlement periods were treated as independent variables, while the remaining factors were dependent variables. The findings indicate a gradual increase in social class distinctions from the first period to the fourth period. Notably, these class differences are comparatively less pronounced during periods one and two.

The Parthian Empire was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient times and reigned in Iran for almost 500 years. There have been many books or articles written on Parthians over the past years; however, in recent years, research on this empire has intensified. The Parthians: The Forgotten Empire by Uwe Ellerbrook, was published in 2021. In this book, Ellerbrook has investigated all aspects of the Parthian kingdom and goes beyond the political history of the Parthians to familiarize the readership with the archaeology, history, culture, religion, art, and society of the Parthians.

An archaeological survey was conducted in 2004-2005 in the middle of Mianab Shushtar in Khuzestan, followed by an excavation there in 2005-2006, which led to the discovery of a Sasanian palace as well as valuable stuccoes at two other locations, namely the JilJilak Tepe and behind a Gas Station on the Shushtar-Ahwaz Road. In this article, the discovered stuccoes have been examined, which indicates that the Jiljilak stuccoes can be divided into three categories based on their features and application: a) geometric patterns, b) plant patterns, and c) animal patterns. Comparing these stuccoes with those found elsewhere such as Kuh-e Khwaja, Bīshāpūr, and Bandian in Dargaz shows that they can be attributed to the Parthian-Sasanian period. 

In the north of Ilam province, there are vast plains surrounded by rugged and forested mountains. Until many years ago, other than the Hollailan Plain that was examined by a Danish archaeological team, other regions of Ilam province remain unknown in terms of Paleolithic research. However, several sites from this period have been identified and introduced in recent years thanks to new studies and researches. In 2003, the author conducted a survey of the mountainous and forested areas of the Intermountain Plain of Aseman Abad for the first time. During the course of that survey, sites, and settlements from different periods were identified and studied. The results showed that the slopes and caves of this region have evidence from the Lower Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic periods and even later periods. In the current article, the author examines a cave and an open site located in the vicinity of the aforementioned plain, which, considering the presence of chert and flint rock formations on its surface level, as well as scattered remains near these rocks, appears to have been a place for obtaining stone and making tools during the Paleolithic era.

In 1994, it was reported that a group of smugglers had been arrested while excavating the hills of Hossein Abad, south of Susa, about 800m south of an area called Siahchal (Donjon). That excavation led to the revelation of half of a stone coffin or a sarcophagus and eventually led to the discovery of two more sarcophagi, which were located 2.5m from each other. The first sarcophagus was constructed in the form of a tomb with bricks of lion stamp patterns. Both sarcophagi are made of sandstones. The mine of these stones does not appear to have existed in Susa. However, the older fabric of Susa had instances of a sand mass, with underground cellars created inside these stones. Hence, the stones from which the sarcophagi were built could probably relate to Susa. No objects or human skeletal representing burial remnants were recovered from inside of the sarcophagi; however, out of Sarcophagus No. 1, some pieces of earthenware and perfume containers (Alabaster) were found. The bricks used in Tomb No. 1 were bearing lion patterns, as the pieces of earthenware and marble perfume bottles, numerous examples of which were reported from there, demonstrate they could reasonably be attributed to the Achaemenid dynasty.