Evidence of semi-sedentary life style in the Gachsaran region (case study: Site 29 of Cham- e shir Dam)

Sepidnameh, HOSSEIN; Azadi, Ahmad; Azizi, Akbar

doi:10.30465/shc.2025.51383.2612

Evidence of semi-sedentary life style in the Gachsaran region (case study: Site 29 of Cham- e shir Dam)

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

HOSSEIN sepidnameh ¹

ahmad azadi ²

Akbar Azizi ³

¹ Ph.D Archaeology, the expert of faculty members affairs and board of trustees, yasouj University,yasouj, iran.

² Assistant Professor of Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, tehran, iran.

³ phD Candidate, Department of archaeology, Bu- Ali Sina Yuniversity، hamedan,iran.

https://doi.org/10.30465/shc.2025.51383.2612

Abstract

The Gachsaran region was one of the strongholds of the Arjan State during the early and middle Islamic centuries and a part of the nomadic mountainous region of Giloyeh. In the historical Islamic era, this region was more important due to the passage of the Arjan highway to Shiraz; however, more historical issues related to this region, such as the nomadic developments of ancient times and the presence of the Ismailis in the southwest of Iran, can be investigated and studied. Archaeological studies in the catchment area of the construction of the Cham-Shir dam in the Gachsaran region provided an opportunity to excavate at several sites in this area, including site number 29. Archaeological investigations in this historical site were done to understand the settlement quality, space plan, architectural remains, and the history of the settlement based on archaeological evidence. This research is based on descriptive-analytical method, utilizing archaeological evidence such as architectural remains, pottery, and other findings from excavations and historical written sources. The type of arrangement of stones indicates the lack of accuracy and observance of technical principles in building construction, which can be considered comparable to the style of arrangement of stones in nomadic architectural structures. The archaeological evidence of the excavated building in Site 29, including six rooms with different dimensions around a central courtyard, indicates the semi-sedentary lifestyle. Nevertheless, based on the comparison of pottery, the settlement date in this area goes back to the early Sassanid, which continued until the middle of 6th century.

Keywords

Gachsaran

Site 29 of Cham-Shir Dam

Semi sedentary

Sasanian-Islamic era

Subjects

Social history

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