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Islamic Settlement and Chronology in Fars: an Archaeological Perspective

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Islamic Settlement and Chronology in Fars: an Archaeological Perspective Iranica Antiqua, vol. XXXIV, 1999 ISLAMIC SETTLEMENT AND CHRONOLOGY IN FARS: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE BY William M. SUMNER and Donald WHITCOMB From its foundation in 1961 the British Institute of Persian Studies in Tehran was a vital center of intellectual discourse for scholars working on the archaeology, history, and culture of Persia. The lunches were lively, the library was essential, the pool was a welcome respite from the heat, and there was almost always a bed for bedraggled archaeologists returning from the field. We owe David and Ruth Stronach a great debt for all of this: for their unstinting hospitality, wise council, and their scholarly example. We are both pleased to present this contribution in David’s honor. We also believe it is entirely appropriate that an important aspect of this paper is based on a preliminary chronological study of ceramics by the late Andrew Williamson, who was a Fellow of the Institute in 1969-72. * * * The first attempt to conduct a regional archaeological survey in the Kur River Basin, Fars Province Iran (hereafter KRB) was Erich Schmidt’s aerial survey. Flying a series of traverses across the valley at 4 km intervals at an altitude of 300 meters above the plain, Schmidt recorded over 400 sites in 13 hours of flight time (Schmidt 1939:139). Unfortunately the onset of W.W.II prevented Schmidt from conducting a ground survey to collect ceramics for chronological studies as he intended (Schmidt 1953:57). The first comprehensive study of Islamic settlement in the KRB (Kortum 1976) was based on historical and geographical sources, but also made use of Vanden Berghe’s surveys (1952, 1954) and Schmidt’s map. The discus- sion presented in this paper is based in part on survey data and ceramics collected during dissertation research in the KRB between 1967 and 1969 by one of the authors (Sumner 1972) supplemented by data from earlier surveys conducted by Vanden Berghe (1952, 1954) and Gotch (1968, 1969 and p.c.). Other Islamic sites were added to the inventory by Alden (1979), 310 W.M. SUMNER & D. WHITCOMB Jacobs (1980), and other members of the Malyan Project staff (Rosenberg 1990 and Joseph Kole, p.c.). The dissertation analysis completed by one of us (Sumner 1972) was focused on the Achaemenid and earlier periods. As a result, the collection of sherds from 210 Islamic and other post-Achaemenid sites was turned over to the late Andrew Williamson for study. It was Williamson’s intention to publish a detailed chronological study of Islamic ceramics from Fars and Kerman based on his extensive surveys in the region and soundings at several sites (Williamson 1970, 1971, 1972a, 1972b); he continued to work on this project until his untimely death in the spring of 1975. Responsibility for the study of Islamic ceramics and settlement patterns in the KRB was then assumed by the other author of this paper (Whitcomb 1979a, 1979b) as part of a dissertation research pro- ject on Istakhr and the surrounding districts. Although the study of the Islamic archaeology of the KRB is still in progress, this paper presents additional discussion of site morphology and settlement (Sumner), a dis- cussion of Williamson’s chronology (Whitcomb) and the first publication of Madabad Ware, a painted unglazed Islamic ceramic found on some 58 sites in the KRB (Whitcomb). PART I. SITE MORPHOLOGY AND SETTLEMENT The first attempt to provide a morphological typology of archaeological sites in the KRB, including Islamic sites, is known only from the map of Schmidt’s aerial survey. Schmidt used symbols to identify five types of sites: 1) tepes (mounds), 2) tepe clusters1, 3) citadels, 4) city ruins, and 5) kalehs (1939, Fig. 97). As far as we are able to determine, Schmidt did not publish a description of the morphological types represented by these symbols. The correspondence between Schmidt’s site typology and the one used here, which is only approximate, is discussed below. The site inventory of post Achaemenid sites within the study area under discussion contains entries for 555 sites, many of which represent several morphological types that could be considered separate sites. When all the 1 The symbol for tepe clusters appears on the published map, but is not listed in the key to symbols. However, the designation “tepe cluster” is found on a preliminary version of the KRB map in the archives of the Oriental Institute. Similar symbols are used on the maps of the Oriental Institute surveys in Turkey, perhaps prepared by Schmidt, who was on the project staff (von der Osten 1928). ISLAMIC SETTLEMENT AND CHRONOLOGY IN FARS 311 morphological types are counted separately there are 749 items in the inventory (Table 1). This inventory includes all sites with a known Sasanian or Islamic component and sites known only from aerial photographs or maps that are considered likely on morphological grounds to have Sasanian or Islamic components. Fifty-two of these sites also have Achaemenid or ear- lier components. The chronological periods mentioned in the following discussion of site morphology are described in Part II of this paper. Table 1. Morphological Types Type Symbol Number Percent Kharabi K 61 8 Complex C 131 18 Qaleh Q 215 29 Tall T 232 31 Other – 110 15 SUM 749 Kharabi (code K) sites are the remains of recently abandoned rectangular fortified villages identified by the presence of standing wall stubs made of unfired clay bricks. These sites generally correspond to sites indicated by the “citadel” or “kaleh” symbol on Schmidt’s map. Twenty-eight of the 61 kharabi sites were recorded on the basis of maps or aerial photographs alone and were not visited. Several of these sites can be identified with vil- lages described in the geographical section of Farsnama-ye Naseri (Fasa’i 1896) and are found on the map published by Fasa’i, which implies that they were founded before about 1870 when the data for the book and map were completed. The 33 kharabi sites that were visited were rarely sherded and only two have been dated on ceramic evidence; both have Islamic Period 3 (AD 1500-present) components and one has a Period 1 (AD 80- 1150) component. Nine of the kharabi sites are within or on the periphery of complex sites (code C), one is associated with a qaleh (code Q) site and ten are associated with mounded sites (code T). A preliminary study of maps recently made available suggests that a significant number of kharabi sites have not yet been added to the site inventory. Complex (code C) sites are extensive, low density clusters of generally small mounds less than two meters in height, comparable to the Sasanian 312 W.M. SUMNER & D. WHITCOMB “hummacky mounds” noted by Wenke (1975-76) in Khuzistan (Fig. 1). In the KRB these sites generally correlate with sites represented by the “city ruin” symbol on Schmidt’s map and the “lake sites” reported by Gotch (1968). Twenty-four of the 131 complex sites are recorded solely on the basis of maps (10) or aerial photographs (14); the remaining 107 sites were recorded during ground survey. Among the 131 complex sites in the present inventory 32 are associated with qaleh (code Q) sites and nine with kharabi (code K) sites. The chronological pattern for the 49 complex sites that have been classified is summarized in Table 2 and discussed at the end of Part I. Qaleh (code Q) sites are characterized by a mounded geometric outline of the settlement defensive wall, usually square or rectangular (Fig. 1). Although Schmidt has a symbol for “kaleh” sites it is not apparent that this designation coincides with the qaleh sites described here. Most of these sites are less than two meters in height and have very little depth of deposit within the wall. A few are taller, with steep slopes around the perimeter and with considerable depth of deposit. It appears that some of the latter sites were occupied for a considerable length of time, but others were originally constructed on earlier habitation mounds, or possibly on natural hills or man-made artificial mounds. A number of these sites have prehistoric components, but only the Islamic and Sasanian components are summarized in Table 2. Many low qaleh sites, up to 2 m ht., are Islamic; steep, tall qaleh sites are often Partho-Sasanian. Mounded (code T: tepe, tappeh tall, tal) sites, occurring individually or in pairs, are the characteristic prehistoric type of site in the KRB. They are represents on Schmidt’s map by the “tepe” symbol. These mounds are generally larger, with greater height and with a smoother more geometri- cal profile than the rough, uneven mounds of complex sites. A variety of unmounded surface sites (morphological codes H and L in the site inventory) are identified by sherd scatters, the remains of stone walls (Alden 1979; Rosenberg 1990) or wall foundations. These sites are rare on the plain but common along the stony talus slope and appear in many instances to be related to pastoral nomad winter camp sites. Other types of Islamic or Sasanian sites, representing special purpose locations include dams, canals, forts, emamzadehs, caves or rock shelters, roads, bridges, caravanserai, and mills. ISLAMIC SETTLEMENT AND CHRONOLOGY IN FARS 313 Fig. 1. A typical large complex Islamic site located at grid 6040N-8812E (KRB field number 391) just NW of Rejabad on the Marv Dasht. Williamson identified a Sasanian component and all three Islamic components, including Madabad ware, at this site. Evidence for ceramic production includes kiln wasters and firing tripods. A barren conical hill nearby is possibly a tumulus mound. “Q” identifies a typical small qaleh (type Q) site.
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