Silk Road

A glorious past is what our women in East have experienced which is the path that leads to their power and dignity. As worthy cultural documents, old written texts reflect the political, economical and social stance of women in the Sogdian community. This is an attempt to indicate the Sogdian women's place in Sogdiana through the existing documents(texts,,manuscripts, paintings and archeological remains). We are concerned with the following questions regarding the Sogdian society: how was the women’s participation along the Silk Road, how the remained documents emphasize the importance of their presence and the important question about their identity, when and how they became powerful. Khatun-e Bukhara indicates the high potential of the women’s existence in Sogdian era. In order to illuminate women’s participation, strong motivation to draw the attention and authority, a link to this particular historic situation and a new grasp of women’s lifestyle at that era is essential. This article is an attempt to introduce the women’s role in Sogdian land through language, Culture and different social groups.

This study presents the analysis of nineteen glass samples from Jorjan (northeastern Iran), dating to the Early Islamic period, using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) as a first approach. While LIBS allowed rapid screening of elemental patterns, its quantification is not yet fully mastered; therefore, complementary SEM–EDXS analyses were performed for comparative purposes and validation of the results. Both methods consistently show strong calcium (Ca) and potassium (K) with variable sodium (Na), indicating the dominance of plant-ash flux technology and aligning with the well-known transition from natron to plant ash in the 8th–9th centuries CE. Variability in Na (and minor Al) intensities points to multi-source raw materials and highlights Jorjan’s role in regional production and exchange along the Silk Road. We also provide an integrated spectral comparison, group the assemblage by Na and Ca peak strengths, and discuss the analytical and heritage-conservation advantages of LIBS—when supported by SEM–EDXS—for the study of archaeological glass.