DECONSTRUCTING THE DESTRUCTION OF HASANLU : ARCHAEOLOGY, IMPERIALISM AND THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE IRANIAN IRON AGE

Abstract

The destruction of Hasanlu IVb at or near 800 BC has remained a fix-point for Iranian and near eastern archaeology for nearly half a century. In this paper the methodological basis for this interpretation are analyzed. Moving from this, a complete stratigraphical and statistical re-analysis of the carbon-14 data from Hasanlu IVB is presented. When combined, these avenues of analysis show that a destruction date in the eighth century BC is not only not negated by the evidence, but jibes with long-held stylistic analysis of some of the Hasanlu IVb artifacts.