A Field Study on Pictographs in Dombeh Mountain in Isfahan

Pictographs are a visual representation of culture, mentality, and different human-environment interactions in an ecosystem. The art of pictography is historically one of the most common methods for societies to convey their meaning that has been featured on stone-rock panels and frames and they have been produced and reproduced like media from prehistory to contemporary times. The diversity and abundance of pictographs in most zones of the Iranian plateau highlight the fact that their pictographs need to be further studied. This is worth noting because most pictographs were made by illiterate individuals, groups, and communities in the past. Since pictographs were made in stone-rock environments, Isfahan province was a special place for this artistic representation. However, Isfahan has rarely been the subject of archaeological studies of art. Hence, the pictographs of Dombeh Mountain near Isfahan city are the subject of our study. Since there are no precise dating methods for determining when the pictographs were made, this study aims to recognize and thematically understand the motifs and narrative scenes and experimentally analyze the pictographs of Dombeh Mountain. To this end, some questions, such as what characteristics of lifestyles are presented by the pictorial elements and graphic scenes and what materials, elements, and color compositions were used by pictograph makers to depict the graphic themes, are addressed here. This is a qualitative and quantitative study by gathering data using field, experimental, and documentary research.
The results indicate that almost 90% of the human motifs were in front view, and the animal motifs were all in profile. Goats were painted more professionally, similar to their real anatomy. There were always two horns on their heads. Human motifs are mostly in front view in narrative scenes, including pastures, hunting, dancing, riding, etc. In ancient times, a ritual dance was performed during harvest or when praying for rain. In the study area, a ritual dance was performed during hunting as a thanksgiving ritual. Due to the regional climate, goats were mostly used as livestock by the local residents. Regarding the main pigment used in motifs of Isfahan, the result of analyzing red or ocher pigments indicates that they contain a high content of Fe, which is related to iron oxide or hematite mineral compounds, which is in red ocher. Furthermore, Al, Si, Mg, and K were identified in three analyzed sample points, which are usually found in clay compounds. These compounds, along with hematite, are the constituents of ocher pigment formed on limestone rocks.
The painted scenes on Dombeh Mountain narrate ranching, farming, and recreational hunting. In fact, the painter painted a completely naturalist and realistic picture based on the everyday activities of the people living around him, which indicates the dominant way of living at that time. Another interesting point is that the pictographs are located in an area with a desirable climate and a seasonal spring, which made it a perfect location for a farming and ranching lifestyle (semi-sedentary). The climate, water, and vegetation of the area turned the subsistence economy into a proper choice of living in the area, and thus, almost all the areas surrounding the pictographs depended on this type of living. Most probably, this living system was dominant in the area in the distant past, and the pictographs were made by semi-nomadic communities.
The investigations reveal that the pictographs are similar to other areas of Iran, such as the petroglyphs of Songon (Arsbaran), Bawki (Azna), Timreh (Khomein), Djerbat, Khore Hanjiran, Mahabad, Chalamber, and western Iran in terms of motifs (not the nature of the paintings). Regarding the dating of pictographs in Dobeh Mountain of Isfahan, animals and tools are noticeable. Comparing these motifs with the cultural information related to the Iron Age (e.g., horse, plow, bow, arrow, and yoke), the pictographs cannot date back to more than the 2nd millennium BC. Dating tools were used for the chronological analysis of pictographs in Dobeh Mountain of Isfahan in terms of morphological comparison to other petroglyphs and cultural information. Therefore, the pictographs can be cautiously dated back to the Iron Age, i.e., the 1st and 2nd millennium BC, based on the animal motifs and the discovered tools.