A New Perspective on the Archaeology of the Khorasan Region during the Iron Age

Abstract

Khorasan's Iron Age differs significantly from the Iron Age elements found in western Iran. In terms of culturalaspects and life structures, this encompasses two distinct cultures known as Yaz and Dahistan in classicclassifications. Such definitions, which Russian archaeologists introduced to archaeological literature, have beenheavily criticized. This is because the 8th and 7th centuries BC, 550-300 BC, and 330-217 BC, which correspondedwith the Medes, Achaemenid, and Seleucid Empires, were overlooked. Accordingly, the primary goal of theresearch was to investigate the political positions of the aforementioned empires in the region during the IronAge. However, data collected about the Achaemenid and Hellenistic eras, as well as documented sources, havefrequently mentioned the Satraps of these two empires in northeast Iran. The majority of cultural material on thisregion has been introduced based on the first millennium BC, but this study took a political sociology approachto present new suggestions in the chronology of Khorasan's Iron Age. Having said that, social developments inKhorasan from the Late Bronze Age to the establishment of ruling dynasties have been overlooked. According tochronology, the pre-Median, Median, post-Median, Achaemenid, and Seleucid eras all fall within the Iron Ageperiod, and it is suggested that they be included in the region's political history