Although prehistoric periods (especially CHALCOLITHIC) of western side of central Zagros is fairly known, Songhor and Koliyaei plains had not been sufficiently investigated neither by the foreign nor the Iranian archaeologists; however, in the course of recent investigations in 2002 and 2009, 33 CHALCOLITHIC sites were identified. Nine sites out of these thirty three ones had Dalma sherds. All these 9 sites are located close to the water resources and mostly in the hillsides, where it is easy to reach pasturelands. Considering low extent of settlements and their locations, it could be found out that there have been small sedentary or semi-sedentary villages which could satisfy their life needs by breeding herds. This paper assumes importance since it could provide valuable information on this culture and its probable interaction with its neighboring regions for us, such as Kangavar, Mahidasht, and south of Kurdistan.

In Persian, like many other languages, there are three voices, passive, active and MIDDLE. In Persian, MIDDLE voice, like passive voice, is a structure consisting of a one-place predicate. MIDDLE verbs are morphologically active and semantically passive. The purpose of this article is to describe the properties of MIDDLE construction in Persian and to explore the derivation of MIDDLE as a transitive structure within the framework of the latest version of Generative Grammar.

Pottery is of particular importance in archaeology as an indicator of chronology, art, technology, and subsistence system of ancient populations. Pottery discloses contacts and exchanges between different regions. Kelar Hill (henceforth: Tapeh Kelar) of the Kelardasht region is a major prehistoric site in western Mazandaran. The site contains cultural evidences spanning the Late CHALCOLITHIC (fourth millennium BCE) through the Islamic period. Amost significant component of the site’s sequence is a Kura-Araxes deposit. As the Kura-Araxes culture originated far from Tapeh Kelar (in South Caucasia), the primary concern of the present study revolves around the structureof the pottery from the site dating to the transition from the Late CHALCOLITHIC to the Kura-Araxes period to spot the existing variations or discrepancies. The study also tries to answer the question whether or not the Kura-Araxes material represented exotic products at Tapeh Kelar. Some 25 sherds dating to the Late CHALCOLITHIC, and Early‒MIDDLE Bronze Age were picked up for petrographic analysis to compare the mineralogical texture of the Late CHALCOLITHIC and MIDDLE Bronze Age ceramics with those of the Kura-Araxes material. The analyses suggest that the Kura-Araxes pieces from Tapeh Kelar were local products despite some disparities in their texture, which stemmed from the difference in raw material sources. Therefore, the presumption that the Kura-Araxes-type pottery first entered the site through exchange or trade before the related forms were copied by local potters is refuted.

In recent years, in various surveys carried out in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari area, a large number of CHALCOLITHIC settlements have been found; From the surface of these settlements, some potteries are obtained which earlier studies of them suggests the close relation between the ceramics of the region under study with CHALCOLITHIC material in Fars (Bakun A and B), Khuzestan (MIDDLE and Late Susiana) and some extent from the central and western Iranian plateau. Therefore, it seemed necessary to use laboratory methods , To begin with the technique of construction and some technical features of these types of pottery and It is also possible to determine whether these pottery, in addition to its apparent similarities, such as color, motif and form, are structurally and technically similar to simultaneous samples of adjacent areas. Because the extent of the influences of the peoples of the high Zagros from the neighboring areas on this important issue can help us to understand the social, cultural, and economic connections (Interactions) of the inhabitants of the area during the CHALCOLITHIC Age. For this reason, a combination of field, library, and laboratory methods were employed to achieve these goals and A total of 32 pottery samples collected from the pre-historic sites of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Khuzestan and Fars were analyzed using petrographic studies. Finally, by examining the technical and mineralogical characteristics of these samples, it was found that the MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC Pottery of High Zagros was handmade and fired at sufficient temperatures, and minerals have been used as their temper. In addition to the ceramics of this period, as in appearance, in technical and technical features, they were very similar to those of Fars and Khuzestan and in fact, these specimens were made with the influence of Bakun pottery and MIDDLE and Late Susiana. Introduction Manufacturing high-quality ceramics and creating various motifs on vessels during the CHALCOLITHIC Age, and especially in the MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC, became popular in different regions; Especially in areas such as Khuzestan and Fars, which are important pre-historic cultural regions of Iran. In recent years, numerous surveys have been carried out in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari region and in parts such as Farsan, Ardal and Miankoh, and many MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC sites have been found, and many of this pottery has Early studies have found that they resemble pottery in the adjacent regions. Despite this diversity and distribution, a few research has been done on these pottery types and the Pottery of this period is less well known in terms of technical characteristics. While laboratory studies on these potteries, in addition to understanding its construction technique and technology, can be achieved to a great extent through the communication and even cultural developments of the period under study, compared with the pottery of the neighboring areas. In addition to accessing this information, it can also provide the basis for the origin of these pottery species (Of course, with additional tests). Questions & Hypothesis: 1- What is the MIDDLE clay pottery of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari in terms of texture, fired temperature and constituent elements? 2- Are these pottery species similar in appearance to color and motif painted and in technical characteristics similar to those of Fars and Khuzestan?  1- The pottery studied seems to be handmade, often having a soft texture, painted surface, fired at sufficient temperatures, and minerals have been used as their Temper. 2- It also seems that in addition to the apparent similarity, the technical and construction features are similar to those of Fars and Khuzestan. In fact, the inhabitants of the high Zagros have been influenced by these two areas, which are the origins of the Bakun and MIDDLE and Late Susiana pottery, respectively. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, 32 potteries collected from the prehistoric sites of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Khuzestan and Fars were analyzed by petrographic studies, In order to examine the hypotheses of this study in this way.   Identified Traces The main target area of this research is Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province located in the central part of the Zagros Mountains (Banitalebi, 2010: 14). Considering the very similarities of the pottery of this region with neighboring regions namely Khuzestan (southwest of Iran), Fars (south of Zagros) and similarity of some pottery samples of the north of the region with coinciding ceramics of Central Plateau, Khuzestan, Fars and Isfahan as control areas, are intended. In spite of the follow- up and lack of permission for sampling the plateau areas, a sample of the central plateau and Isfahan has not been selected for testing in this study. in line with the objectives of this project, 13 samples of MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC pottery from 4 sites (Kian Tepe, Qal,e Afgan, Gard-e Chellegah and Jamalo) were distributed in different geographical directions of Chaharmahal province and the area’s most settlements  during the study period, Have Compared with 9 pieces of pottery from Khuzestan (Chogha Mish and Tall-e Geser) and 10 pieces of Fars (Tall-e Bakun, Tall-e Gap and Tall-e Nokhoudi), In the selection of Khuzestan and Fars areas, the areas that were located in the nomad movement and of course indexed and excavated. The petrographic method was used to achieve the goals of this study. In this method, a thin section of stone or ceramic object is made, This section is so thin that it can pass light and By placing it under the geological microscope (polarizer) they study the minerals in it. Because minerals that form rocks or in pottery in polarized light have different properties and colors, petrographers can distinguish them from one another (Ellis, 2000: 458). In this study, after preparing thin sections, the microscopic study of the pottery was performed with” James Swift” polarized binocular microscope. The magnification used in this study was 4x, in addition to identifying pottery components and compounds present in the texture, temper, fired temperature of pottery and comparing properties of pottery with adjacent areas.   Conclusion After microscopic studies on the samples of pottery in all three regions of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Khuzestan and Fars and comparing the results of these studies, it was found that potteries of MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari period are handmade, They have silty texture and well-fired, Quartz (the main sand-forming mineral) has been used as a temper. It was also found that the pottery of this region not only looks similar to the patterns of neighboring areas such as Fars and Khuzestan in terms of appearance and motifs painted but also has many similarities in terms of technical features to those of pottery. Pottery in all three regions had a similar situation in quality and kneading. Structurally, some samples of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari were similar to Khuzestan samples and others were similar to Fars samples. Quartz, calcite and Fe-oxide constituted the major constituents of the pottery in all three regions and Quartz has been used as a temper. Also, in all three areas, the temperature of the kiln for firing is about 800 C0 and this temperature is sufficient for firing high- quality pottery. In fact, the construction of the MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC Age pottery in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari was quite influenced by neighboring cultures such as Bakun and Susa.

The work has tried to study the structural propinquity of MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC potteries in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, which, in terms of appearance, are very similar to those of Khuzestan and Fars, by using laboratory studies. The pottery with well-firing was made in the color range of buff, cream, buff-green, light green and less frequently orange wares. Characteristic of these ceramics is the paste which tends to be buff or its different shades. Sand and fine white particles were used as temper. The painted type is seen in buff, creamy or greenish creamy. The designs generally include geometric motifs represented mainly by parallel bands and lines, undulating lines, hanging triangles, checkerboard patterns, ladders and dot motifs. For the provenance of these types of pottery, the use of laboratory methods seemed necessary to find out whether this pottery is native or has entered to area by the nomads. We can largely determine the interactions of the communities on the Iranian plateau during the MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC. For this purpose, it employs a combination of field, library and laboratory methods. 32 pieces of pottery, collected from the surface of the MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC sites of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, Khuzestan and Fars, were analyzed by performing petrographic and ICP-OES analysis. After the analysis and multiplicity compering between Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari samples and similar structural samples, it was concluded that specimens of Khuzestan and Fars are naturally produced in the same regions as the origin of the Susa and Bakun pottery, respectively. But the samples of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari have been produced in itself, the Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari areas, despite the apparent technical similarities with the neighboring regions. In fact, the production of pottery, is made by the influence of neighboring cultures, but, this effect was due to the transferring of potters to the area or the transferring of the technology of making pottery due to the nomad movements.

A B S T R A C T Transformations such as globalization, the contiguity of geographical spaces, as well as developments in the field of military technologies have transformed the issue of defense as the main factor for the survival of countries. Because the transformation from hard to soft war and then the smart war in recent decades has changed the approaches to defense. These transformations have led to the development of discussions about defense purposes. Meanwhile, MIDDLE East countries have a prominent position and importance in terms of defense due to their special conditions. This article has tried to investigate the basic dimensions affecting the defense of foreign countries with descriptive and analytical methods, using library and field findings and Smart-PLS software. The results of the current research show that the effective components in the current research include 130 items that are placed in the form of 15 dimensions. The importance of these dimensions in defense of the MIDDLE East countries is, respectively, geopolitical dimension with a 0.43 score, military dimension with a 0.41 score, economic dimension with a 0.41 score, political dimension with a 0.39 score, hydrology dimension with a 0.34 score, security dimension with a 0.32 score, social dimension with a 0.29 score, demographic dimension with a 0.28 score, cultural dimension with a 0.26 score, scientific-health dimension with a 0.25 score, geomorphological dimension with a 0.25 score, mathematical dimension with a 0.2 score, climatic dimension with a 0.2 score, biological dimension with a 0.2 score and soil dimension with a 0.18 score. Extended Abstract Introduction Security and defense are among the most vital issues for the preservation and survival of countries. In fact, defense and military affairs are necessary for countries' independence and political, cultural and economic development. Among them, geography and political geography are prominent fields that directly affect defense issues. Actions taken by a country in dimensions (political, military, economic, etc.) in order to maintain security and territorial integrity, guarantee independence and protection of its people against any enemy attack, will organize the geographical (spatial) environment, wise and appropriate distribution of critical places and sensitive centers and infrastructures are identified by taking into account the threats and the correct use of environmental capacities in political, economic, social, cultural, etc. dimensions, and as a result, it can lead to stability and stability in the country's geographical space. The design of defense planning model according to the economic, cultural, political and environmental features in the new era when countries are facing external and internal threats as a sub-branch of territorial planning has received the attention and importance of officials and governance systems in order to be able to reduce these threats with accurate and systematic planning in the geographical space, defense planning is not separate from the flow of national and regional planning. It is important to pay attention to it based on the type and amount of external and internal threats to governance. Due to the expansion of the security circle, the government is not only responsible for creating military security. However, it must also exercise part of its authority in the direction of territorial management. On the other hand, there has been a transformation in the form of threats and wars based on changes and the movement from hard to soft war and finally, smart war is the basis for reviewing and recognizing the components that can be used in defense of countries, including the MIDDLE East countries, have a prominent position and importance. Despite the internal differences between countries, the MIDDLE East has commonalities and connections that can directly affect the overall defense of this geographical space.   Methodology In terms of type and purpose, the current research is fundamentally applied. Also, it is descriptive and analytical in terms of nature. This research, in addition to the correct and realistic depiction of the defense situation of the MIDDLE East countries, it is tried to provide a suitable model for the defense of the countries. The sources used in the current research are library and field sources (questionnaires). According to the subject of the current research, the statistical population of this research is a collection of people, experts and elites who have sufficient knowledge, experience and expertise regarding the research topic, which is the design of the defense model, according to the nature of the Delphi pattern model, at least the statistical population based on the sources should be between twenty and fifty people to reach statistical saturation. The number of selected samples included 51 people who were identified in the form of a non-random sampling pattern and introduced as a statistical sample in the framework of the Delphi model. Due to the qualitative nature of this research, it has been tried to use the Delphi model in the framework of the targeted non-random model. Therefore, based on these cases, the current research has selected the maximum statistical population of 51 elites, experts, and opinionated people in this field. In this research, to evaluate the research hypotheses in the form of the hardness equations model, the partial least squares method and the SMART-PLS software, which is a variance-based path modeling technique and provides the possibility of checking the theory and metrics simultaneously, have been exerted.   Results and discussion In this research, approaches such as political, military, cultural, etc., in the field of land use have been discussed. In the meantime, the defense of countries as an emerging approach is significant. According to the developments in geographical spaces, such as the evolution of military-defense technologies, the connection of geographical spaces to each other and most importantly, the movement from hard and soft war to smart war has witnessed a transformation and wide attention in a way that countries are suited to these developments are trying to prepare the geographical space of their country in terms of defense. Therefore, the defense planning of the MIDDLE East countries as a geographical region has great importance from a geopolitical and strategic point of view, which indicates that the countries of this region face threats and complex defense-security issues in different ways.   Conclusion The results of the present research show that the defense planning in developing countries should be considered according to their characteristics, considering all 15 dimensions, which include 130 components. In the design of the defense planning of these countries, attention should be paid to the weight and importance of the shaping dimensions. In general, it can be said that the defense planning of the MIDDLE East countries is proportional to the geographical features of these countries and on the other hand, considering the developments in the field of threats and moving from hard to smart war, 15 dimensions should be considered for the defense of these countries.   Funding There is no funding support.   Authors’ Contribution Authors contributed equally to the conceptualization and writing of the article. All of the authors approved thecontent of the manuscript and agreed on all aspects of the work declaration of competing interest none.   Conflict of Interest Authors declared no conflict of interest.   Acknowledgments  We are grateful to all the scientific consultants of this paper.

Rahmatbad is an important perhistoric site which located in Dasht-e Kamin in Pasargadae district, close to the Pulvar river basin in Fars province. Based on absolute C-14 dating, Rahmat-Abad is dated to the MIDDLE of the 8th millennium BC. This site is well known as one of the key perhistoric sites with a cultural sequence from pre pottery neolithic to Islamic era. 10 pieces of pottery sherds from the Neolithic period (formative Mushki and Mushki) and 5 pieces of pottery sherds from the CHALCOLITHIC (early MIDDLE Bakun) of Rahmatabad were investigated using petrography, XRD and XRF methods in order to compare the chemical compositions and the manufacturing progresses in pottery making during the Neolithic to CHALCOLITHIC period. Chemical and mineralogical studies on the investigated potteries from different sequences of this site indicate a precise classification of using the same raw materials but through different techniques during the Neolithic to CHALCOLITHIC period in Rahmat-Abad. Furthermore, the progress and development of the pottery manufacturing technique used in Rahmat-Abad might have been introduced as an important site in pioneering the pottery progressing during the Neolithic to early MIDDLE Bakun period in Pulvar River Basin.

This article discusses the settlement patterns of the MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC sites in the Talvar river Basin in an area expanding from the river tributaries to its fairly lower bed eastwardly. The river basin is mostly placed within the both counties of Dehgolan and Ghorveh in Kurdestan Province. The archaeological investigations indicated the rise of occupation and presumably even its beginning in the CHALCOLITHIC period coinciding with various ways of life sustenance. In terms of size, elevation and access to the environmental resources, the MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC sites (34 sites) could be divided in to several different groups. This issue is possibly based on the different ways of life sustenance. The earliest evidence in the region goes back to the MIDDLE CHALCOLITHIC period, but this result should not be known finally as both natural and cultural post-depositional alternations such as erosion, sedimentation and cultivation couldplay an important role. This article, however, is based on the yielded data collected as the result of archaeological investigations by provincial ICHO and also the first author who undertook a survey to write his Ph.D dissertation.

Analyzing administrative documents holds significant importance within the realms of archaeology and sociology, akin to the study of other archaeological evidence. These examinations play a pivotal role in reconstructing various systems, encompassing management, social dynamics, economic structures, and political frameworks. Delving into administrative management within prehistoric societies unveils the intricate social intricacies and the supervision exercised by a designated leader or head over a subordinate group, representing an internal control mechanism. Notably, seals, impressions on seals, and diverse accounting artifacts serve as pivotal administrative documents. However, the exploration and investigation of such cultural data in northwestern Iran remain relatively scarce. Therefore, the current study endeavors to present, evaluate, and scrutinize the administrative records of CHALCOLITHIC societies in northwestern Iran, employing a descriptive-analytical approach. Numerous inquiries persist without resolution regarding the administrative records and evidence pertaining to the later prehistory of northwest Iran. Ambiguity surrounds the quantification of CHALCOLITHIC administrative documents within this region. Furthermore, the methodology for analyzing and evaluating the ownership and managerial evidence from the later prehistoric era in this area remains unclear. Addressing these uncertainties can establish a definitive framework and a solid foundation for investigating these matters in northwest Iran. Leveraging administrative data obtained from various sites including Tepe Chay Khoy, Chakhmaqluq, Tepe Kulyeri (Tepe Caravanserai), Sohachay Tepe, and others, the authors conduct an assessment of managerial evidence in the northwestern region of Iran. Furthermore, utilizing extant cultural artifacts and drawing upon the outcomes of prior studies facilitates an exploration into phenomena such as long-distance trade, economic endeavors, social intricacies, and cultural exchanges with neighboring areas

One of the prehistoric traditions which have been less noted in Western Iran is Dalma tradition. This, has a wide spread areas of the North West to the Central Zagros, but our knowledge is only few articles and very brief and limited reports. Despite the archaeological research on the region since the 60s and 70s in the Mahidasht, Kangavar, showed the Sarfirouzabad entity little information were available. Sarfirouzabad is located 38 km southwest of Kermanshah including three villages Sarfirouzabad (center Halashi), Jalalvand (central chenar) and Osmanevand (Bozhan center). Sarfirouzabad is the largest in the region, which has an area of 1787 square kilometers. The natural plains is located along Mahidasht extended to South and South East. In 2009, a Mission from University of Tehran, headed by Kamal Al-din Niknami carried out a survey on Sarfirouzabad in order to study and identification of the history of human settlement and patterns spanning from the prehistoric times to contemporary period. During the survey some 28 sites were identified. According to the settlements localization, some of them with less than one hectare in size are located in the slopes and hilly areas while some are located with 10 hectares on the plains near permanent water sources. It appears that this settlement was different groups of sedentary and nomads who lived together. The importance of this research is that one can characterize the inter-regional cultural interactions between the two groups of people in a specified period of Dalma; the settlement pattern analysis of Sarfirouzabad plains, was applied by five varying slope, elevation above sea level, vast area, vicinity to water source and its distance of each site from the main routes. The distribution of sites and settlement patterns shows that during the period they were mainly depended on the environmental resources, especially water resources. The location of site’ s relative to studying area between 1400 and 1700 meters above sea level. So that the sites where the altitude between 1400 and 1500 meters above sea level are 6, 4/21% of total area, the area with elevation of 1500 to 1600 meters above sea level, 14, 50% of the total, sites at altitude of 1600 to 1700 meters above sea level, are 8, 28. 5% of the total. In this study, the distance in between Dalma sites to water resources, river, and springs possible, Mirage has also been considered. Of the Dalma Sites, there are 14 sites located at a distance of 0 to 100 m of water, 50% of total. 7 sites are between 100 to 200 meters, 25% of the total, 7 sites are between 200 to 400 meters, 25% of the total. The main road of Sarfirouzabad is near Mereg River, Considering the placement of sites alongside the road and the river, it seems that they have been used in ancient periods. Of The total Dalma sites in Sarfirouzabad, 12 sites have 0 – 2500 meters from the main road, this included 42%, 9 of the total, 32% of sites are located at a distance of 2, 500 to 5, 000 meters 7 sites more than 5, 000 meters, These sites are mostly located hilly and rims areas in the mountains and forests.