Nomads of Luristan: History, Material Culture, and Pastoralism in Western Iran (The Carlsberg Foundation's Nomad Research Project) [first edition]

The Lur nomads live in Luristan in the west of modern Iran. Two Danish scholars, Carl Gunnar Feilberg and Lennart Edelberg, visited this region in 1935 and 1964 respectively, and assembled two valuable ethnographic collections which provide a remarkable perspective over time on the historical transformation of Lur nomadism at a critical time when the sedentarization of these people was gathering momentum. This book discusses Lur material culture and practices within the wider social, political and administrative setting which historically allowed their nomadism to flourish but in the end curbed it. Theories linking modeern pastoral nomadism in this area with ancient forms of life are critically evaluated in the light of recent archaeological data from the Zagros, a cradle of early agriculture and domestication of sheep and goats. A generously illustrated descriptive catalogue presents the collections grouped under subject headings with short introductions: Settlements; Imamzadehs and Cemeteries; Transport; Domestic Animals; Hunting; Agriculture; Furniture and Household Equipment; Cooking and Food Storage; Weaving; Tools for the Manufacture of Skin, Wood and Metal; Dress and Personal Equipment; Musical Instruments. The Lur perpetuated ancient nomadic ways in a region which first saw their development out of prehistoric hunter-gatherer subsistence. Here is a fully documented record of their material legacy.