EXCAVATIONS AT THE BRONZE AGE PASTORAL SITE OF HANZAF, S.E. IRAN: STRATEGY OF PASTORALISM IN THE HALIL RUD BASIN BASED ON THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ETHNO-ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

Southeastern Iran consists of several different geographical zones. Archaeologically, Halil Rud Basin is one of the most important parts of the region. This little known basin includes two different geological parts, highlands and lowlands. This dichotomy was to cause interactions between the two areas. The evidence for interactions between the highland mobile pastoralists and lowland urban centers in the urban phase of the 3rd Millennium BCE in Southeastern Iran has been elusive. However, it is supposed that scattered highland settlements have played a very subservient role in developing the cultural landscape of the region during this period. In May-June 2012, an archaeological project was carried out by one of the authors (NE) at the area of Hanzaf Dam in the highlands of Halil Rud Basin. This paper deals with the results of the project that includes excavations at two Bronze Age pastoral sites, and destroyed cemetery dating back to the Bronze Age. Furthermore, it attempts to present the strategy of pastoralism in the Halil Rud basin based on the ethno-archaeological studies. Finally, we suggest that the pastoral societies had a main role in the prehistoric economic landscape of the Halil River Valley by exploiting the natural resources (instance; copper).