IranicaAntiqua, vol. LI, 2016 doi: 10.2143/IA.51.0.3117829 A PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE FIRST SEASON OF EXCAVATION AT JAYRAN TEPE IN THE PLAIN OF ESFARAYEN, NORTHEASTERN IRAN, 2012 BY Ali A. VAHDATI (ICHTO, North Khorasan, Province, Bojnord) Abstract: The Iron Age in Northeastern Iran is one of the least understood peri- ods of Iranian archaeology. Recent archaeological excavations in early Iron Age sites and systematic surveys in Northern Khorasan have made it possible to draw a sketch of the development of the Early Iron Age cultures in northeastern Iran. These fieldworks show that during the Early Iron Age two contemporary but dif- ferent cultures were present in Northern Khorasan: Yaz depe I culture (ca. 15th- 11th BC), characterized by the presence of handmade painted pottery, and the culture of the Archaic Dahistan (approximately 14/13th –6th BC) with its Grey Ware, that is the direct continuation of the Gorgan – Hissar culture. In this paper I have briefly discussed results of the recent excavations at the early Iron Age site of Jayran Tepe and conclude that in the late second and early first millennium BC this part of Northeastern Iran was engaged in close cultural interactions both with the Gorgan and Misrian plain (ancient Dehistan), the plain of Damghan, as well as the lowlands of Murghab delta (Margiana). Keywords: Iron Age, Handmade Painted Pottery, Yaz Culture, Archaic Dehistan, artificial platform, Esfarayen, Khorasan, Northeastern Iran Introduction The province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran is one of the least under- stood areas of Iranian archaeology. Before the Iranian Revolution of 1979, only a limited amount of fieldwork was conducted in Khorasan province, which can be summarized as follows: the large-scale excavations of the Metropolitan Museum of Art at the medieval site of Nishapur and small test excavations at the prehistoric site of ‘Nishapur-P’ in 1930s (Hiebert and Dyson 2002); the survey of northern Khorasan region by E. O. Negah- ban from Tehran University in 1966 (Negahban, unpublished report); excavations by S. Kambakhshfard on behalf of the former Ministry of Cul- ture and Art; a second expedition to the medieval site of Nishapur in 1968 86 A.A. VAHDATI (Kambakhshfard 1970); the survey of eastern Khorasan by a German team (Gropp 1995); the survey of the Atrek Valley and limited soundings by the Italian team of the Turin University (Venco Ricciardi 1980); and finally, the survey of the Darreh-Gaz plain by an American team (Kohl & Heskel 1980; Kohl et al. 1982). After the Revolution, a considerable number of survey and excavation projects have been conducted in various parts of Khorasan often by the Iranian teams, much of which has unfortunately still remained unpub- lished.1 With very few exceptions, such as the Sasanian site of Bandiyan in Darreh-Gaz, which has been systematically excavated since 1995, most of the excavation projects in this period have been concentrated on Islamic sites. Even these excavations have not usually been continuous, and systematic excavations have only been carried out in rare examples (e.g. Nishapur/Shadyakh, Tus). This considerable lack of fieldwork at prehistoric sites and the subsequent dearth of publications on this topic have caused a deficiency in our knowledge of the prehistoric period in Khorasan.2 Over the past six or seven years, however, a number of important survey and excavation projects have been launched in different parts of Khorasan either by the Iranian or joint international teams which have produced new insights into the cultural sequence of Khorasan province (e.g. Vahdati 2010; Vahdati & Francfort 1389/2011; Biscone & Vahdati 2011, 2012; Basafa & Rahmati 1391/2011; Garazhian 1389/2010; 2012; Francfort et al. 2014). In 2008 the author conducted an archaeological survey in the area of Esfarayen between the plains of Nishapur to the east and Jajarm to the west. This survey shows that in the ancient times the area in question was an interface zone between Central Asia and the Iranian Plateau, at times 1 A list of soundings and excavations in various parts of Khorasan exceeds fifty proj- ects and cannot be given here. For a complete overview of the history of archaeological activities in Khorasan see Labbaf 1391/2013. 2 It is true that some of the Neolithic sites may have been buried under alluvial sedi- mentation, but the fact that many of the large, imposing prehistoric sites such as Yarim Tepe in Darreh-Gaz plain, T. Yam, T.Shirvan, T. Devin in the Atrak zone, T. Qamari, T. Nanvy, T. Pahlavan etc in the Kal-e Shur river basin in Esfarayen and Jajarm area have not yet been excavated clearly show that, contrary to Garazhian’s opinion (2012: 20), the lack of field research on prehistoric sites of Khorasan should have had other reasons than inaccessibility of prehistoric sites. FIRST SEASON OF EXCAVATION AT JAYRAN TEPE 87 being differentially influenced to various degrees by one or both cultural areas (Vahdati, forthcoming). The site of Jayran Tepe, discovered in the survey of Esfarayen plain (site IS-156), is one of the recently excavated sites which provide us with invaluable information about the cultural interactions of this part of north- eastern Iran both with the Gorgan and Misrian plain (ancient Dehistan), the plain of Damghan, as well as the lowlands of Murghab delta (Margi- ana) in the late second and early first millennium BC. The following report briefly discusses the materials found in the first season of excava- tion at Jayran Tepe. Geography The area of Esfarayen in northern Khorasan is a fertile, well-watered area, drained by the Bidvaz and Rouin rivers, and it comprises both wide and intensively-cultivated flat zone as well as upland pasture areas. The northern part of Esfarayen is occupied by the Aladagh mountain ranges (a continuation of the Alborz system) separating the region of Esfarayen from the upper Atrak valley and provides summer pasture (or yelaq) for the Kurdish nomadic tribes. The southern part is a flat zone consisting of vast expanses of plains bounded to the south by the small, narrow ridges that separate Esfarayen from the Jovain corridor. In the southern part of the plain flows the Kal-e Shur (Salt-River), which is the final destination of all the perennial rivers and seasonal streams originating from the northern mountainous zone. This situation has created a well-developed network of streams collecting all the water running off the northern mountains in to the Kal-e Shur. These rivers and streams have deposited eroded materials from the northern mountains and have built up a series of small and large deltas and alluvial fans, which are the most remarkable geomorphological feature of the plain. These fans played an important role in the establish- ment of ancient settlements, especially during historical and Islamic peri- ods; almost all the qanat systems in the region that irrigated the lower desertic flood plains have their sources there. Jayran Tepe is located in the central part of the plain of Esfarayen at 57° 19’ 365” E, 37° 01’ 467” N, at an altitude of 1082 m above sea level. The site is situated some 15 km as the crow flies to the southwest of the town of Esfarayen (Pl. 1-2). The mound is a rather large site, covering an area of nearly 2 acres and consisted of two mounds oriented southeast- northwest 88 A.A. VAHDATI (fig. 1). The Southern Mound is larger, approximately oval shaped, and rises about 8 m above the surrounding plain. The eastern side of the mound slopes away gently to a series of natural rises. The western slope, on the other hand, drops steeply for more than 8 m to the surrounding flat lands. In the surface of Southern Mound, especially in the lower slopes of the western side, diagnostic sherds of the late Iron Age were found (Achae- menid-Parthian periods). The North Mound is smaller and almost semi-circular in shape. Its flat summit measures about 40 by 40 m and joins to the South Mound by a flat area, but on the north drops steeply for 4 m above the flat lands. Although the Southern Mound is almost intact, the western side of the flat joining area and the flat summit of the North Mound are both pitted with clandes- tine diggings, where a concentration of archaeological materials including sherds of Namazga VI period, diagnostic handmade painted pottery of Yaz I type, and Grey Ware of Archaic Dehistan, as well as agglomerations of cobblestones could be seen scattered around the illegal holes. In general, artifact density on the surface of the North Mound is much greater than on the Southern Mound. Excavation The first season of excavation at Jayran Tepe began on 20 June, 2012 and continued for one month. Excavation was done under the auspices of the Iranian Center for Archaeological Research (ICAR), and directed by the author. The team consisted of Ali A. Vahdati (director), Mr. Behzad Talesh, Mr. Sa’id Shanjamali, and Hadi Mohammadi (topographer). The main goal of excavation at Jayran Tepe was to study the Bronze and Iron Age cultural sequence of the Esfarayen plain in the southern foothills of the Aladagh Mountains and to compare the yielded data and materials with the results of several decades of fieldwork on the Bronze and Iron Ages sites of southern Turkmenistan. We also aimed at reaching a better under- standing of the relationship between this part of northeastern Iran with the central plateau of Iran, the Gorgan, and Misrian plains (ancient Dehistan) on the one hand, and with the piedmont zone of southern Turkmenistan and the lowlands of Murghab delta (Margiana) on the other.