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To determine ancient seed species, 3250-3450 year-old charred seeds obtained from different Iranian archaeological sites were studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and molecular analysis. SEM analysis of ancient seeds revealed that the surface of the seeds was damaged. Therefore, we could not accurately identify their species. Molecular analysis on ancient specimens was done on different samples obtained from Masjede Kabood (Tabriz), Tepe Rahmat Abad (Pasargad) and Tepe Sagz Abad (Qazvin plain). The specific primer pairs were designed based on a part of the promoter region of the High Molecular Weight (HMW) glutenin gene and a short fragment of the vrs1 gene were verified on samples of modern wheat and barley varieties, respectively. The designated primers failed to amplify ancient DNAs (aDNAs) obtained from Masjede Kabood and Tepe Rahmat Abad, but successfully amplified the aDNA obtained from Tepe Sagz Abad. This finding was expected since the latter seeds had a better morphological preservation in comparison to the former ones. The accuracy of the amplified products was further proved by cloning and sequencing.

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In March 2004, a fluxgate gradiometer survey was conducted over Tepe Ghabristan, covering approximately 6ha of ground. It identified further areas of the Iron Age cemetery with possible grave pits (Areas B and C). In addition, an irrigation channel was discovered which could be contemporary to these Iron Age graves (Area D). The anomalies in Area E can be interpreted as buried structural remains, possibly linked to metalworking.

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Archaeological excavations on the western part of the Central Iranian Plateau, known as the Qazvin Plain provides invaluable information about the sedentary communities from early occupation to the later prehistoric era. Despite the past archeological data, chronological studies mostly rely on the relative use of the Bayesian modeling for stratigraphically-related radiocarbon dates. The current paper provides a new model for excavations and the chronological framework based on new radiocarbon dating of the six key archeological enclosures in the Qazvin plain. A Bayesian analysis of these data is presented on a site-by-site basis to give the best chronologies. Finally, all dates are combined into a single model of the chronology of the Qazvin Plain from the Late Neolithic to the Iron Age. The procedure aims to use the Bayesian model to predict the transition points between the archaeologically-defined periods with the highest possible precision, to redefine the existing chronology for the Qazvin Plain