Resources, Networks and Transformations in Southeastern Iran. Anthropological and Archaeological Perspectives.

Abstract

Trade and socio-political exchange have been a characteristic feature of the Iranian regions of Kermān, Hormozgān, Sistān and Baloučestān, and southern Ḵorāsān for more than 5000 years. From the Chalcolithic up to modern times, the country’s southeast maintained its vital economic and political importance, linking Central Asia to the Persian Gulf and beyond. One resource in particular stands out: stones and stone artefacts. The mining, processing and trading of stones such as calcite, diorite and – more recently – chromite can be traced back to its beginnings and is up to this day an important trading commodity despite all interruptions and setbacks. Trade and transregional trade networks have been crucial to the entire area. They constituted the base of the rise and fall of settlements, promoted the exchange of people and ideas and initiated a rich cultural diversity by a constant flow of transformations. The contributions of this book are predominantly based on archaeological and anthropological research in southeastern Iran. In addition, historical and linguistic investigations provide insights into the adjacent areas of the Persian Gulf and their connections to eastern Africa. They all outline a lively picture of a hitherto largely neglected region with its millennia-old history.