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Iranian Iron Age

Middle Elamite, Neo-Elamite, Median

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Encyclopedia of Prehistory

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Abstract

The main area of Iranian Iron Age development is located in what is known today as the Khuzistan, Luristan, Fars, and southern Kurdistan regions of Iran. These areas are dominated by the Zagros mountains and the river valleys that carry runoff and alluvium from their slopes. In the south of the region, Khuzistan is an arid plain dependent on the highlands for metals, stone, and wood; whereas Fars, to the east of Khuzistan, contains numerous fertile valleys and abundant resources. In the north, the environments of Luristan and Kurdistan are varied dramatically by elevation, forming a mosaic of fertile valleys, upland steppes, and forests.

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Suggested Readings

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    Google Scholar 

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    Google Scholar 

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  • Solecki, Rose L. and Ralph S. Solecki (1983). “Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene Cultural Traditions in the Zagros and the Levant.” In The Hilly Flanks and Beyond: Essays on the Prehistory of Southwestern Asia, ed. T. C. Young, P. E. L. Smith and P. Mortensen. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civilization 36. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 123-137.

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  • van Zeist, Willem and Sytze Bottema (1977). “Palynological Investigations in Western Iran.” Palaeohistoria 19: 19-85.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA

    Peter N. Peregrine

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  1. Peter N. Peregrine
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA

    Peter N. Peregrine

  2. Human Relations Area Files/Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Melvin Ember

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Peregrine, P.N. (2002). Iranian Iron Age. In: Peregrine, P.N., Ember, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Prehistory. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0023-0_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0023-0_20

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