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Scythians were one of the most important tribes who occupied many parts of the Central Asia, West Asia, North and South Caucasia, and Northwest of Iran in the first millennium BC. The most striking feature, of the Scythian culture was the magnificent funeral of the Princess. Horse is among the sacred animals that have a specialy veneration in different cultures; this honor in the Scythian nation’s culture has appeared as sacrifice of it for Scythian Princess. In Central Asia and North Caucasia, many tombs were found from the Scythians with numerous horses that all of them have been burked and buried insid or on the top of the Scythian magnifico graves. Scythians during their entry into Western Asia conquered parts of the north-west of Iran in the Median period at the first millennium BC. Recently, a unique Scythian interment was obtained in a cemetery in Meshgin Shahr city with a striking characteristic of horse burials, like the other Scythian interments. In the present paper, we will discuss the features of Scythian interments in Khoram Abad cemetery based on historical and archaeological sources and with regard to the overall characteristics of the Scythian burial ceremony.

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In Archaeology the Iron Age refers to the period in which the immigration struggle intensified between different ethnic groups. The best data from these immigrant communities are their funerary structures. So that these structures have been seen in many areas of Archaeological where they are occupied. The most prominent funeral feature of these tribes that can be seen in the most entered lands is a circular stone structure on the grave that surrounds the central space or location of the dead. The study area is ​​one of the flooded rivers of Meshgin city that such a system is one of the important factors in the appearance of the ancient sites of this part of Ardabil province. In archaeological surveys, many Iron Age cemeteries were identified and studied in this area. One of the sensible Features for the tombs of these cemeteries is interesting circle-shaped structures that surround the inside of the grave and location of the dead place. This research is worked with brief background of the transmittal rate of such structures in the second and first millennium B.C graves in different parts of the world with looking for the mythological and symbology studies that why and how the circular structures are made in the ancient Iron Age burials of Meshgin Chayi basin. A sociological regard to this topic shows that there have been special belief between Iron Age societies that believe on those due to appearance and continuation of special methods in the dead interment

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North-western Iran comprises diverse geographical landscapes, including pastures of piedmonts, mountains, and well-watered plains. The present chronology of this region, nevertheless, is based exclusively on data collected from sites around the Urmia Lake, other regions being almost totally ignored. During the late Bronze Age (hereafter LBA) a new way of life took shape in the mountainous region, the most outstanding characteristic of which was fortified settlements. This paper attempts to revise the chronology of North-western Iran by deciphering LBA materials from some of these sites.

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Silybum marianum  (Family: Astraceae) is an annual or biennial plant, which  it grows in the most regions of Iran. The extracts of the mature milk thistle seeds are used as medicinal compounds against liver diseases and liver cirrhosis and inhibitor of liver cancer. In this study, oil content,fatty acids profile and phytosterol compounds were determined in three ecotypes which are in north-west of Iran including Khoreslo, Moghan (in Ardabil) and Babakcastle (in East Azerbaijan). The extracted oil contents of the seeds were from 28% to 29.5%. linoleic acid (49-52%) was predominated followed by oleic acid (25-29%) and linolenic acid was in the lowest level in the all samples. Moreover, phytosterols such as β-Sitosterol, Stigmasterol, Campesterol, Cholesterol, Cleroesterol and ∆7- Sterol were determined in the all extracted oil samples by GC, which β-Sitosterol was the highest in comparison to the others in the all samples. Therefore, the highest content of β-Sitosterol (34.9% of total phytosterol) among the three different ecotypes was belonged to Khoreslo ecotype. In conclusion, using of milk thistle seed oil which has high nutritional value is beneficial in production of edible oil in the country.  

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Tuluq and Torba bag yoghurt are the traditional concentrated yoghurt that is produced in some parts of Iran such as Azerbaijan. In this study, traditional concentrated yoghurt was produced in four methods, Tuluq and Torba bags, packed in polyethylene containers and was evaluated with control yoghurt during storage time. The chemical properties were included pH, acidity, total solid, fat and protein content. Also samples were evaluated of the Starter cultures such as Streptococcus salivarius ssp. Thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. Bulgaricus count, post contamination microbes such as coliform, psychrotrophic bacteria, mold and yeast count and pathogenic microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli count. In analysied samples yoghurt, pH were (3.89-4.56), acidity (0.94-1.70 g/100 g), total solid (12.5-37.5%), fat (2.9-17.9%) and protein content (3.7-12.5%). Starter cultures decreased during storage time. Streptococcus Thermophilus count was more than Lactobacillus Bulgaricus count during storage time. Psychrotrophic bacteria mold and yeast count increased during storage time but the coliform, staphylococcus aureus and E. coli bacteria did not change. The results revealed that Tuluq yoghurt not only has high nutritional quality and microbiological properties but also has long shelf-life and it can be introduced as a valuable dairy product.

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Khanghah Gilvan cemetery is located in Khalkhal, in the Iranian province of Ardebil. This cemetery came into light during a highway construction project in Khanghah village. Until now, three archeological excavations, under the author’s supervision, have been carried out in this cemetery that has resulted in burials from the Middle Bronze Age up to Parthian period.   Among the excavated burials, four of them belong to the Parthian period. These burials are pit graves containing gifts such as potteries, bronze and iron materials, metal ornaments and beads with different forms. Grave usually containing single body had different conditions such as open or closed burials in different directions. Samples of pit graves of Parthian period, apart from Khanghah Gilvan cemetery, have also been discovered at Sad Eskandar in Gorgan, Sang Shir at Hamadan, Cheshmeh Sar at Takht-e-Jamshid and Vaskeh cemetery. The burial samples with open-pit were prevalent during Parthian period that apart from Khanghah Gilvan cemetery have also found at Sang Shir tepe at Hamadan, Kangavar, and Cemetery at Susa, Cheshmeh Sar at Takht-e-Jamshid, Sad Eskander at Gorgan, Veskeh and Mianrud in Talesh. Likewise, samples showing closed-pit burials of Parthian period, apart from Khanghah Gilvan cemetery, have also found at Sang Shir at Hamadan, Kangavar, Tagh Bostan, Germi, Vaskeh and Mianrud cemetery.

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Chronology of northwestern Iran is principally based on archeological excavations of the area located around Urmia Lake. Although plain and filled with water, and the outcomes of these excavations are extended to the whole northwestern region. However, northwestern Iran despite having geographical diversities with mountainous plains and low stretches, systematic and comprehensive studies have been lacking until today. Khanghah cemetery in the province of Ardebil has been one of the important archeological enclosures in Iran from where graves of the Middle Bronze Age, Iron Age, and the Parthian period have been unearthed. The excavated Iron Age graves in this cemetery are of pit grave with generally individual form of burial, but in some cases, double burials are also seen there. It seems that direction was not observed in the burials. The form of potteries are comparable with ceramics found from places such as Marlik, Lamehzamini, Ghalekuti, Hasanlu V, Kordlore Tepe, Yanik Tepe, Sialk V, Qeytariyeh, Geoy tepe B, Dinkha III, Shahiryeri, Sagzabad, Lasulkan, Mariyan, Chir Chir, Ghabrestan, Khurvin, Haftavan V, Agh evlar, Chilakhaneh and Uzbeki.  

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