Ismeo activities 1971

fact different aspects of the same fill (cf. EW, XX, 1970, p. 510). It follows that the terracotta sculptures characteristic of @ must be considered stratigraphically contemporary (Le. thrown in with the same filling material) with the sculptures in yellowish unbaked day and the pottery with impressed

medalIions

of

damage by atmospheric agents; and after a few minor adjustments, it will be on show (though preferably not physically accessible) to all visitors.

A serious and prolonged drought prevented any further progress in Seistan in 1971. The state of preservation of earlier work, and of the monuments, was checked by Dr Maurizio Tosi in a brief visit from 17th to 20th September.

Dr Raffaele Bisdone, member of the Mission, stayed in Iran from 28th July until 10th November 1971, and took part in: the fourth season at Tepe Yahya (Kerman), directed by Prof. C.C. LambergKarlovsky for the Peabody Museum of Harvard University; the second season at the Parthian dty of Qumis, near Damghan, directed by Professor J. Hansman and DrD. Stronach for the British Institute of Persian Studies; and in the survey of western Luristan conducted by Professors L. Van den Berghe and W. Le Rouge for the Belgian Archaeological Mission.

Between September 20th and 22nd, Dr Tosi and Dr Bisdone paida brief visit to the upper valley of the Atrak, between Quchan and Bojnurd (Khorasan), in order to investigate the position and density of the ruins along the south face of the Kopet Dagh.

Given that new absolute dating techniques have emerged in 1he wake of the Radiocarbon method, it is logical to apply as many of them as possible to the as yet unresolved problem of the chronology of the settlements in eastern Iran

@.

Soundings a.Iong the west flank of the hill have barely begun; a long trench has been opened.

So far, a stupa (no. 64) has been found there; it is made of small schist slabs, very much like stupa no. 11 (at the north-east corner of the pradakfilJiipatha of the Great Stupa), and is under layer @. This is the first dear stratigraphical connection between the small schist slabs and the sculpture that precedes the last phase.

The long trench mentioned above has revealed part of a building constructed in thin courses of pabsa (pisĂŠ) with light blue plaster, red on the surface, of the same type as that found in fragments in @. An arrow-slit is satisfactorily preserved in the exposed portion of the building.

The upper part of the fallen chapel (vihara) no. 56, next door, to the east, to chapel no. 37, was also removed In addition, the collection of unbaked-clay sculpture fragments on the floor of chapel no. 37 was completed; these fragments made it possible to put tagether most af a splendid life-size standing image of Bodhisattva (Inv. no.

TS. 1272), still polychrome over much of its surface (cf. EW, XX, 1970, p. 509, fig. 6). Also in chapel no. 37, the Mission's restorer!> undertook the considerable task of cleaning and consolidating (with metal frames, and chemically) the remains of the decoration at the centre (fig. 2): the group of two niigas emerging from the waters beside three lotus stems growing from a single calyx to support the centraI flower on which the Buddha sits, together with the two flowers at the sides, which probably served as pedestals for two Bodhisattvas (one of this pair was dea,rly that mentioned above).

in

the

3rd

millennium

-

with

particular

reference to the site of Shahr-i Sokhta in Seistan, where the Italian Archaeological Mission has been involved since 1967.

A certain quantity of charcoal is currently being examined at the Institute of Geochemistry in the University of Rome; and a first selection from Tapa Rud-i Biyaban 2 (Shahr-i Sokhta IlI) has been treated and dated in the Tehran University Nuclear Center.

In 1970, the partidpation in our campaign (cf. EW, XX, 1970, p. 509) of five Japanese geologists and physidsts from the Universities of Osaka and Kyoto (leader, Prof. N. Kawai) led to the acquisition of the first chronological information by residual palaeomagnetism on hearths, ovens and kilns from Shahr-i Sokhta, Tapa Rud-i Biyaban 2 and Dahan-i Ghulaman, and by U-238 Fission tracks. The latter method was used on numerous fragments of pottery from all the levels in the proto-historic sequence.

The first results, somewhat different from those obtained by C-14, are assembled in the accompanying Table.

Regarding the terracotta production typical of phase @ of the filI, many pieces are worthy of note for their beauty and their exceptional iconographicimportance (figs. 3, 4). It must suffice here to record that the fragment ofa male head, with moustache and a 'ribbon knotted under the chin, noted in EW, XIX, 1969, p. 546, fig. 10), is now complete as regards the upper paĂŒt, including the forehead and a conical cap (fig. 3); it dosely resembles the head of the Ku~iiJ;laprince from Dal'verzin Tepe (Uzbekistan).

Finally, the walls of the vihiiras (chapels) along the south sideare being restored. In particiIlar, chapel no. 23 (cf. EW, XIX, 1969, p. 545, fig. ,6) can nowbe considered safe from

422

SHAHR-I SOK!HTA

DETERMINATIONS

FOR ABSOLUTE CHRONOLOGY JANUARY

1972

RADIOCARBON PERIOD

U238 FISSION

PALAEOMAGNETISM

TRACKS

+ MASCA FACTOR

UNCORRECTED

3200 .:I: 570 Re. Determined from potsherds found in rooms

I

not yet available

XX, IX, CIV

2550 -- 2450 B.C.

II

2430

Determined through ovens and fireplaces of House 01 Stairs building phase IIC (rooms XLIX, XXIV, XXV, XLVII) and House 01 Pit (oven in room CCI)

:!: 520 Boe.

Determined from potsherds and baked structures from House 01 Stairs

2380 .:I: 510 Boe. Determined from pot-

2300 -- 2200 B.e.

III

not yet available

Determined from furnaces sherds and structures in I

of TRB 2

Sokhta, TRB 2

baked Shahr-j

furnaces

in

TUNC 21: 2241

.:I:

TUNC 22: 1997

.:I:

TUNC TUNC TUNC TUNC TUNC

.:I:

23: 24: 25: 26: 27:

All samples

2050 --

IV

1950Re.

are fram:

Palaeomagnetic determinations N. Kawai in charge.

2115 2460 2291 2060

.:I:

.:I: .:I: .:I:

71

.:I:

67 B.e.

.:I:

62 Re.

.:I:

67 Re.

2565 .:I: 71 Re. 59 2910 .-f: 59 Boe. 73 2741 .:I: 73 Re. 92

2410

.:I:

92 Re.

fram TRB 2

1830 .:I: 390 Re.

Determined from kilns Determined from potsherds, kilns and and baked bricks in burnt bricks, mainly "Burnt Building" latest fram latest phase of phase "Burnt Building"

Radiocarbon determinations

2258

67 2691 62 2347 67 2708

not yet available

The Tehran University Nuclear Center, Mr e. Bovington in charge.

are fram:

The Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Osaka University,

U238 Fission Tracks determinations are fram: The Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Kyoto University, Praf. S. Sasajima in charge.

423

Institute,

ProÂŁ.

Faculty

of

oration with the Instituto Statale d'Arte per la Ceramica, Faenza, is being devised, to carry out technical analyses on the pottery of prehistoric Seistan.

The principal task in 1972 has been the study of the material from prehistoric Seistan, which is to be the subject of a collection of studies in the Reports and Memoirs series. In addition to the detailed excavation report, the volume will contain studies in environment and settlement in 3rd-millennium Seistan (R.1. Raikes, M. Tosi), pottery (R. Biscione, M.C. Bulgarelli, R. Gyselen, W. Le Rouge, V.I. Sarianidi, M. Tosi), single finds (G.M. Bulgarelli, M. Piperno, M. Tosi) and chronological problems (C. Bovington, N. Kawai, S. Sasajima, M. Tosi).

Following the agreement with the Istituto Italiano di Paleontologia Umana, most of the natura! remains bones, vegetable remains, shells - have been passed on to that Institute for study. The large collection of animaI bones is currently being examined by a team under the direction of Praf. A. Malatesta and Dr B. Compagnoni; the vegetable remains and pollens are being studied by PraÂŁ. M. follieri and Dr L. Costantini; and the shells are being classified by the malacologist Prof. F. Settepassl.

Colouring earths and samples of ceramic paint have been accepted for analysis by the Istituto Centrale del Restauro, Rome (Praf. P. Rotondi, Director; Dr L. Borrelli). A programme of collab-

The President of IsMEO, Prof. G. Tucci, and Mrs F. Tucci Bonardi, before joining the Afghanistan Mission, spent a few weeks in Pakistan in order to look after the Mission's excavation sites in Swiit, where diggings have not been resumed because of lorce majeure.

During the months of October and November, Dr D. Faccenna, Director of the National Museum of OrientaI Art, Rome and the Centro Studi e Scavi Archeologici in Asia of IsMEO, visited the excavations carried on by the Archaeological Mission at Ghazni (Afghanistan), then made a comprehensive survey of monuments and excavation sites in Western Iran.

It has not been possible to publish in the present number 01 EW the rest 01 the news concerning the activities 01 the Cultural Section, and 01 the Restoration Centre 01 IsMEO, that will appear in vol. XXII 01 the Journal.

424

EAST AND WEST

IsMEO

New Series, VoI. 21 - Nos. 3-4 (September-December 1971)