Paleoenvironment and Expansion and Contraction of ancient societies on the basis of geomythology (a case study of ancient Iran)

Abstract

Aim: This study seeks to challenge many existing studies on ancient Iran in different areas such as archeology, history, culture, and society to set a new theoretical framework to study the abovementioned areas. It also aims to clarify the paleogeography of ancient Iran based on ancient Iranian mythological scripts and oral traditions. Materials & methods: To conduct this study, very ancient Iranian stories are investigated. These myths are extracted from the holy book of the Zoroastrians, Avesta, which belongs to 1000-1500 BC, or other books written 1000 to 2500 years ago, including Shahnameh, an Iranian epic, or past oral traditions. Findings: The results show that contrary to previous theories, the formation of those societies dates back to the late Quaternary, after a rise in temperature about 19000 years ago. At that time, people started residing in the center, south, and south-east of Iran. Conclusion: The Younger Dryas, about 13000 years ago, forced them to dwell underground. Then, early Holocene droughts restricted them, and a long, severe drought about 4000 years ago scattered them and forced them to migrate. Based on some studies, it was in two time periods, probably before the Younger Dryas and in the mid-Holocene, that the ancient Iranian society experienced good ecological conditions. Innovation: This article opens a new framework in the field of cultural geosciences and expresses a new theory related to the ancient societies of Iran based on myths related to the earth, especially those left in the works of books and early texts.

Keywords

• mythology
• geomythology
• archaeology
• ancient iran
• anahita
• mitra