درآمدی بر جایگاه دام در چرخۀ اقتصادی شهر کهن اسفراین )براساس مطالعات باستان جانورشناسی( - CNRS - Centre national de la recherche scientifique Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue (Data Paper) Pazhoheshha-ye bastan shenasi Iran / Archaeological Researches of Iran Année : 2023

An Archaoezoological Account on the Role of Herding in the Subsistence Economy of the Mediaeval town of Esfarayen (Shahr-e Belqays) in Khorasan-Iran

درآمدی بر جایگاه دام در چرخۀ اقتصادی شهر کهن اسفراین )براساس مطالعات باستان جانورشناسی(

R Khazaeli
  • Fonction : Auteur
  • PersonId : 1259544
H Fathi
  • Fonction : Auteur
A A Vahdati
  • Fonction : Auteur
A. Nikgoftar
  • Fonction : Auteur

Résumé

The archaeological site of Shahr-e Belqays (the medieval town of Esfarayen) is located in northern Khorasan province, NE Iran. Archaeological and historical evidence suggest that since prehistoric times, the area of Esfarayen has always been a suitable zone for human populations. Due to its geographical location and high environmental potentials, Esfarayen continued to be an attractive place also, during the Islamic period. The equilibrium between hydrological and other natural resources resulted in the development of agro-pastoral activities. The main focus of archaeological research in this area has been the study of architecture and pottery, while, in the present article we address other under documented aspects of daily life, such as food procurement and consumption. We present here, faunal remains from several excavation campaigns at Shahr-e Belqays to produce first hand data on archaeological animals remain of this region and a set of information on the subsistence economy and production activities at the site from the Samanid to Ilkanid periods. Considering the geo-political location of this site in the historical geography of ancient Khorasan and its proximity and dependence to Nishapur, we also question the interactions between the two urban centers and their rural landscapes through the exploitation of animal resources. The faunal collection was recovered during 2009 and 2010 excavations at Shahr-e Belqays. It is composed of 1002 bones fragments with a weight of 16,560 grams. The animal bones were studied in the bioarchaeology laboratory, central laboratory of Tehran University using quantitative and qualitative methods with the aim of investigating the subsistence patterns in an Islamic site in northeastern Iran. Archaeozoological results were then confronted with other contemporaneous sites, as well as written sources. Sheep and goats are the most abundant herbivores represented in the faunal remains and must have been the main herded species. The similarity of the size of sheep populations in Kohan dej-Nishapur and Shahr-e Belqays-Esfarayen stress on the possibility that sheep population originated from the same source. Cattle was the second herded animal in Esfarayen. Donkeys and camels were used as draught animals and finally red deer and gazelles were hunted by the inhabitants. This archaeozoological study brings valuable information on agropastoral activities of an urban center before and during the Mongol invasion in North East of Iran. The paper has a long 2000 words abstract in English.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
NB_Volume 12_Issue 35_Pages Esfarayen 191-221.pdf (1.36 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte

Dates et versions

hal-04117898 , version 1 (05-06-2023)

Identifiants

Citer

R Khazaeli, H Fathi, A A Vahdati, A. Nikgoftar, Marjan Mashkour. درآمدی بر جایگاه دام در چرخۀ اقتصادی شهر کهن اسفراین )براساس مطالعات باستان جانورشناسی(. Pazhoheshha-ye bastan shenasi Iran / Archaeological Researches of Iran, 2023, 12 (35), pp.191-221. ⟨10.22084/NB.2022.21028.2088⟩. ⟨hal-04117898⟩

Collections

MNHN CNRS AASPE
145 Consultations
40 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More