Majid Montazer Zohouri

• phd in Archaeology
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Tehran

The study presented here applied various analytical techniques to examine a small fragmented painted gypsum plaster with heart motifs discovered at the Sasanian site of Vigol, Central Iran, to identify the materials used to produce the plaster. The plaster and its paint layer were analysed by X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, optical microscop...

Gour, the first Sasanian capital, was founded by Ardeshir-e Bābakān, the founder of Sasanian empire. The extensive archaeological and historical studies have been done on this city so far, which has led to the identification of valuable archaeological evidence. One of the most important archeological evidence obtained during the excavations of this...

The fire temple has a special place in the Zoroastrian religion and as one of the necessities of worship, there is a fire temple wherever Zoroastrians are. However, given that we have infor� mation about Zoroastrian settlements in the first few centuries of Islam, we are equally less aware of their fire temples. For this reason, it will be helpful...

The historical site of Vigol and Harāskān is located in Isfahan province (Iran). Archaeological studies showed that this site was inhabited at least from the Sasanian period to the Islamic middle ages. Archaeological excavations in 2010 resulted in the discovery of a fire temple belonging to the Sasanian period. Previous studies have shown that thi...

Some historical minai and colorful luster glaze ceramic samples were investigated by means of ionoluminescence technique. The complementary ion beam analysis techniques RBS and PIXE were employed to reveal their elemental compositions and depth profiles. The samples were discovered in the historical site of Tappeh Ghale in Iran, which dates back to...

Syria is one of the areas in which various types of pottery produced in different historical periods. During the archaeological excavations ever conducted in this country, many centers have been identified related to the different periods in which pottery is manufactured. Ages of 11 to 14AD are the critical period in this country in which the varie...

Archaeologically, analytical research of chemical elements on ancient objects gives important information on the raw materials and the production techniques. PIXE analysis is one of the non-destructive methods which is common for analytical researches on archaeological objects, especially on ceramics. Archaeological investigation at the ancient und...

The expansion of the Seleucid realm in the East and its need to dominate the Iranian people led to the creation of pro-Greek bases by forcing its Greek-Macedonian subjects to emigrate into the eastern lands. The construction of new colonies along the eastern trade routes and their politico-economic performance strengthened the Seleucid rule. It mad...

Competition between Sasanians and Romans over the control of markets and trade routes stimulated the Sasanians to establish ports in various parts of the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, and in the Indian Ocean close to China. Since evidence for direct maritime trade between the Sasanian Empire and China is small, it has often been asserted that ther...

Ardeshir Khore: from establishment to abandonment on the basis of historical texts Abstract: The round city of Ardeshir Khore, with its concentric layout, can be considered as the first city which established by the founder of the Sasanian dynasty (Ardeshir Babakan) as an emblem of the Sasanian centralized royal ideology. This way of constructing r...

One of many historical underground structures in the Markazi province, Iran, is located near the modern village Robat Aghaj, c. 20km north to the town Khomein (33 ◦49 ′26 ′ ′N, 50 ◦05 ′55 ′ ′E). Partially filled with soil, it was excavated in February and March 2017 by a team from the University of Kashan directed by Majjid Montazerzohouri. the str...

Located on a terrace near the modern village, Estark (34 • 01 ′ 24 ′′ N 51 • 13 ′ 51 ′′ E) is one of a few identified Iron Age cemeteries around a cluster of artesian oases located at the foot of the Zagros Mountains, c. 10km west of the city of Kashan. It covers less than one hectare, and some parts (especially in the southeastern part) have been...

Ionoluminescence behavior of some golden glazed ceramic samples from the historical (12th-13th century) cite of Tappeh Ghale, located in the central part of Iran, has been investigated. The required complementary information of the samples, including their elemental compositions and depth profiles, have been provided by means of PIXE and RBS techni...

The Lar basin is located north-east of Tehran in the Central Alborz near Damavand mountain (Figure 1). After Arabic conquest of Iran this area was a part of Tabaristan, which was ruled by the Zoroastrian Dabuyid dynasty until 761 CE (Amoli 1969) and remained relatively isolated for the following centuries due its location. The area of the Lar basin...

Arān va Bidgol is a twin town located 6km NE of Kashan, on the western flanks of the Iranian central desert. One of old cultic centres in the town is Hoseiniyeh Khanqah...

At the onset of the Iron Age, after c. 1200 BC, Iran was a place of major social transformation. After the collapse of the Bronze Age urban civilisations, the land was inhabited mainly by groups of mobile pastoralists that gradually transitioned from tribal organisation into loose federations, before finally developing into the Median and Persian e...

Sīrāf was an important port in the Late Sassanid era; yet its highest glory and economic prowess occurred in the first Islamic centuries, especially in the tenth century A.D. Among the significant evidences of glory and prosperity of Sīrāf are the discovered coins ranging from Spanish to Indian and even so far as Chinese. These coins were found in...

Sīrāf was an important port in the Late Sassanid era; yet its highest glory and economic prowess occurred in the first Islamic centuries, especially in the tenth century A.D. Among the significant evidences of glory and prosperity of Sīrāf are the discovered coins ranging from Spanish to Indian and even so far as Chinese. These coins were found in...

In order to prove the archaeological hypotheses, other fields of science such as Anthropology, Botany, Zoology and Chemistry are required. The applications of molecular genetics in answering questions concerning the primitive populations have been clarified. Therefore, pre-historic archaeologists with co-operating of Human evolutionary geneticists...