Papers by Abbas Moghaddam
There have been archaeological and ethnographic reports of artificially modified crania from all ... more There have been archaeological and ethnographic reports of artificially modified crania from all continents. Archaeological excavations at the late fifth millennium BCE cemetery of Tol-e Chega Sofla, located southwest of the Iranian plateau, also revealed these crania. This paper uses the morphometric approach to study Tol-e Chega Sofla's modified crania. The outlines of normal and modified crania of Chega Sofla and Khuzestan residents' specimens were considered. How accurate is the morphometric approach in identifying and recognizing Chega Sofla's modified skulls from normal ones? Can it recognize small variations in the skull's morphology, such as the flattening of the squamous part of the occipital bone? The results of this method can be compared with descriptive studies. Finally, it is shown that the morphometric approach based on Elliptic Fourier Analysis can identify the deformed skull of Chega Sofla and its intensity, as well as the flattening of the squamous part of the occipital bone.
پژوهشگاه میراث فرهنگی و گردشگری, 2024
سیاستهای توسعهی زیرساختهای وابسته به آب و الگوی ایجاد سرزمین در ایران سابقهی طولانی دارد. پژو... more سیاستهای توسعهی زیرساختهای وابسته به آب و الگوی ایجاد سرزمین در ایران سابقهی طولانی دارد. پژوهشهای باستانشناسی، مدارک تاریخی و حتی متون ادبی نشان میدهد که در دوران ساسانی اقدامات موثری در زمینهی ایجاد سرزمین مطلوب در جایجای ساهنشاهی ساسانی صورت پذیرفته است. بخش مهمی از اقدامات صورت پذیرفته، شامل توسعهی زیرساختهای گستردهی نظام آبیاری است. شوشتر، یکی از شهرهای عمدهی دوران ساسانی است که بیشترین سرمایهگذاری در طراحی و ساخت نظامهای پیچیدهی آبیاری در آن به اجرا در آمده است. بهرغم تخریبهای گستردهی صورت گرفته و نابودی آثار ارزشمند در میاناب شوشتر، در این نوشتار بر آن هستیم تا با استفاده از مدارک برجای مانده این پرسش را پیش کشیم که با توجه به تاسیس شهر شوشتر، ایجاد زیرساختهای پیچیدهی آبرسانی و نیز اصلاحات ارضی صورت پذیرفته در دوران ساسانی، آیا نمیتوان انتظار داشت که اجرای همهی این طرحهای گسترده برآمده از سیاست شاهانهی ساسانیان بوده است؟ فرض ما این است که حکمرانی هوشمندانه و توسعهگرای ساسانیان باعث شده است تا از «آب» برای اجاد سرزمینی مطلوب در شوشتر و به زیبایی هرچه تمامتر بهره گیرند. هدف این نوشتار مختصر آن است تا نمونهای از صدها نمونهی حکمرانی مطلوب در بهرهگیری از «آب» در سرزمین ایران را در معرض دید پژوهشگران قرار دهد.
Archaeopress, 2025
We present evidence of prehistoric human-coast interdependency on the Persian Gulf ’s northern co... more We present evidence of prehistoric human-coast interdependency on the Persian Gulf ’s northern coasts based on Tahmachi, a recently found site in southern Iran. The site lies on the flat plain of Liravi, currently about 5 km from the shoreline. Preliminary archaeological fieldwork showed that the site has a rich deposition of material culture dating to the 5th millennium BCE, thus being the first published coastal site from prehistory on this coast.
Preliminary geoarchaeological investigations suggest that the site was bordered by a seasonally active coastal lagoon, a dynamic landscape that has gradually disappeared in recent centuries, based on historical accounts. In this paper, we explore the idea that Tahmachi was a coastal settlement in prehistory and had established a direct partnership with another prehistoric site, the prominent site of Chega Sofla on the Zohreh Valley in Zagros hinterland (currently a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage list) by exchanging material culture (primarily pottery) and marine sources (seafood). We present our hypothesis supported by data from our recent fieldwork at both sites and complement it with remote sensing and archival studies concerning the ancient coastal lagoon at this location.
If proven, this is the first evidence of interdependency between inland and coastal settlements in the prehistory of the Persian Gulf and is comparable with findings from the Mediterranean cultural sphere in later periods. This paper explores these two points by presenting recent archaeological and geoarchaeological finds in the context of human-coast interaction in prehistory.
This article presents the Zohreh Prehistoric Project (2016-2020) at Chega Sofla, one of the large... more This article presents the Zohreh Prehistoric Project (2016-2020) at Chega Sofla, one of the largest prehistoric sites in Iran, as a case study in applying an integrated model of archaeological excavation, preventive conservation, and public awareness. Located in the fertile floodplain of the Zohreh River, Chega Sofla preserves valuable evidence of human life and burial traditions from six millennia ago. Decades of neglect, industrial encroachment, and environmental damage had placed the site at severe risk. The project's approach combined meticulous research design, in situ conservation strategies, community involvement, and context-focused heritage presentation, drawing on global best practices such as those implemented at Çatalhöyük in Turkey. This integrated methodology not only safeguarded fragile archaeological remains during excavation but also enhanced public awareness and institutional cooperation. The study demonstrates that in regions facing both developmental pressures and endangered heritage resources, conservation-oriented excavation can be a viable and replicable strategy for sustainable archaeological site management. History
Pajhouheshaye Bastanshenasi-e Iran, 2025
For decades, archaeologists have tried to answer questions about the social complexities of prehi... more For decades, archaeologists have tried to answer questions about the social complexities of prehistoric societies based on archaeological evidence. One of the common questions in this regard is the quality or the nature of social hierarchy in ancient communities. Earlier, in explaining the social hierarchy and especially the social ranks in the chiefdom societies, the researchers hoped to evaluate the difference in the burial pattern of the dead in the burial contexts of the 5th millennium BC in Greater Susiana. Finally, unlike the archaeological evidence obtained from the early cemeteries of Susa, Hakalan, and Dum Gar Parchineh, the limited excavations in the Chega Sofla cemetery, both for the methods used and the quality of its archaeological evidence, have opened a wider window to search for social ranks in prehistoric societies. The number of burials of women compared to men, as well as the quality and the manner devoted to the burial of women in the excavated graves of Chega Sofla, is more impressive. Anthropological studies on significant samples of dental documents have shown that women and men had equal access to food sources and no significant difference was observed regarding dental health between them. This equality was also seen in the amount of implemental use of teeth. Among the 102 burials examined, there is substantial evidence indicating that certain women received particular attention regarding their burial practices, notably through the intricate grave goods placed alongside them (BG1.2; BG7 & CG1.1), as well as the intentional alteration of their skulls (BG1.11, BG1.12, BG1.18, BG1.20, BG1.28, BG1.29, BG1.30), suggesting a clear differentiation in their social status. Furthermore, even within the group of prominent women, the evidence points to the status of BG7 or 'Khatun' as indicative of a higher social rank. Consequently, we propose the hypothesis that during the late 5th to early 4th millennium BCE, 'high-status women' held considerable social standing in Chega Sofla.
Undoubtedly, Chogha Mish is the most recognized prehistoric settlement, which has multiple cultur... more Undoubtedly, Chogha Mish is the most recognized prehistoric settlement, which has multiple cultural sequences of prehistoric Susiana, but our current knowledge assumes that from the end of the Late Middle Susiana to the first stage of the Late Susiana phase it had been deserted or became a marginal settlement. The evaluation of the available evidence, both those obtained from Chogha Mish and those from various areas and sites during recent decades, show that the idea of the decline of Chogha Mish in this period cannot be completely correct. Here we will first discuss one of the well-known pieces of evidence the "Burnt Building", which has been accidentally or unexpectedly identified in the margins of High Mound's during the ninth season of excavations at Chogha Mish. The most common analysis presented implies that the Building, which is not classified as an ordinary building in terms of dimensions and quality, is targeted and set on fire in hostile contact with the developing highland mobile pastoralist population. Therefore, this evidence attracted the attention of researchers as a turning point in the history of the Chogha Mish settlement development. Since someone has considered the beginning of this decline as the great fire in the building belonging to the Late Middle Susiana phase, it is reasonable to know that, what kind of characteristics the building has and if the presented evidence is indicative or not? Based on evidence from the deposits of the building can it be considered a Monumental Building? Given the existing archaeological evidence, we assume that the "inference" of the scholars has led to such a notion. Otherwise, we think the assumed decline of Chogha Mish may have various reasons. The new settlement configurations in the region which are fashioned by new economic and especially ritual practices may have led Chogha Mish to not be prosperous as before and left behind its counterparts.
The Study of Artificially Deformed Crania of Chega-Sofla Using Elliptic Fourier Analysis and Hierarchical Clustering
Social Science Research Network, 2022
Pearls, Politics and Pistachios. Essays in Anthropology and Memories on the Occasion of Susan Pollock’s 65th Birthday, 2021
IRAN, 2007
Many areas in southwestern Iran are unknown archaeologically. Recent archaeological surveys east ... more Many areas in southwestern Iran are unknown archaeologically. Recent archaeological surveys east of the Karun River indicate that this area acted as a corridor connecting various cultural zones over a period of some 7000 years. The archaeological evidence of human settlement in this area provides an important record of longterm socio-cultural change from the late fifth millennium B.C. to the post-Sasanian Islamic world.
IRAN, 2003
France and the Anglo-Russian Accords: the Discreet Missing Link, by Mariam Habibi. .. . Leon Tigr... more France and the Anglo-Russian Accords: the Discreet Missing Link, by Mariam Habibi. .. . Leon Tigranovich Gyuzalian, on the Centenary of his Birth (15 March 1900), by A.T. Adamova The Development of Women's Football in Iran. A Perspective on the Future for Women's Sport in the Islamic Republic, by Jenny Steel and Sophie Richter-Devroe. ........
IRAN, 2022
Previous archaeological investigations of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf have assumed tha... more Previous archaeological investigations of the northern coast of the Persian Gulf have assumed that it had an unstable landscape due to successive fluctuations and sea-level changes in the mid-Holocene, and no prehistoric settlements were expected there. This impression has also been reinforced by the lack of a systematic strategy for carrying out detailed archaeological surveys on the northern shores of the Persian Gulf, which contrasts to the systematic approaches use in the inter-montane valleys of the Zagros Mountain and the lowland plains of Khuzestan. Geoarchaeological studies have partially reconstructed landscape evolution of the Persian Gulf’s northern coasts, and prehistoric sites are now being found in this region. One prominent recent find is Tahmachi, a fifth millennium BCE settlement in the Liravi (Deylam) plain, which is less than 5 km north of the current shoreline. The two remaining mounds situated alongside the Zendarun stream attest to the presence of a permanent settlement with at least 10 m of cultural deposits in a dynamic and resource-rich landscape. Based on material culture and surface finds, the prehistoric population here had access to diverse resources from both sea and land.
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Papers by Abbas Moghaddam
Preliminary geoarchaeological investigations suggest that the site was bordered by a seasonally active coastal lagoon, a dynamic landscape that has gradually disappeared in recent centuries, based on historical accounts. In this paper, we explore the idea that Tahmachi was a coastal settlement in prehistory and had established a direct partnership with another prehistoric site, the prominent site of Chega Sofla on the Zohreh Valley in Zagros hinterland (currently a candidate for the UNESCO World Heritage list) by exchanging material culture (primarily pottery) and marine sources (seafood). We present our hypothesis supported by data from our recent fieldwork at both sites and complement it with remote sensing and archival studies concerning the ancient coastal lagoon at this location.
If proven, this is the first evidence of interdependency between inland and coastal settlements in the prehistory of the Persian Gulf and is comparable with findings from the Mediterranean cultural sphere in later periods. This paper explores these two points by presenting recent archaeological and geoarchaeological finds in the context of human-coast interaction in prehistory.