Greek presence in Iran since 2nd millenium B.C.

It seems an Indian people also claim to be Greek!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gill_(clan)

Marlik (intertwined snakes)

http://dooroodiran.blogspot.com/2004/04/marlik-culture.html : Some researchers believe that Marlik has attained its name from the innumerable snakes that have inhabited it. (As 'Mar' means snake in the Persian language).

I think this is the most famous Marlik gold object:

Read this thread: Cadusian Governmental Citadel Discovered in Gilan

And read this article: THE DOUBLE HELIX OF THE CADUCEUS (Cadusia is where Hermes originated.)

Amlash

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amlash_County

Amlash County (Persian: شهرستان املش) is a county in Gilan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Amlash.

Amlash is also the name of an important culture which is well represented in all major museums as well as important private collections and galleries of ancient art.

These persian websites mention that some archaeologists, historians and scholars, such as Professor Andre Godard, believe that Amlash culture almost certainly relates to Greek and Etruscan cultures:

http://guilan.irib.ir/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1256&Itemid=241

پروفسور آندره گدار كه اولين رئيس مؤسسه ي باستان شناسي ايران بود ، جنس اشياي به دست آمده از گورستان هاي نواحي املش ، پيركوه ، ديلم و ديگر روستاها را بيشتر از سفال سرخ رنگ دانسته است. طبق نظر او در گورستان هاي ديلم ، اشياي سفالي منقوش اگر هم وجود داشته باشد كشف نشده است ، اما مقدار زياد اشياي طلا و نقره كشف شده در اين ناحيه نشان مي دهد تزئينات آنها گاهي با هنر يوناني ها يا هنر آتروسك وابسته بوده است.

http://iran-travel.blogfa.com/post-72.aspx

تز ئینات انسانی آنها به خصوص از نظر فیگور و حرکت بدن نحوه قرار گرفتن پرسوناژ وحالت رزمی یا جنگی که بخود گرفته سبب شد کارشناسان آنها را با هنر یونانی و هنر اتروسک ( ناحیه ای در ایتالیای مرکزی ) خویشاوند بدانند . این آثارمربوط به اواخر هزاره دوم و اوایل هزاره اول قبل از میلاد می باشند.

Read these threads:

Statues of Zeus and her wife in Heraglan (NW Iran) (Hera-Gelan)

The huge Head of Zeus in the north west of Iran (Gela-deh)

Lets see again what great Greek stone-cutters have done in Geladeh:

This is really a Masonry Masterpiece!

http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/sicily/gela/ :

Ancient Coinage of Sicily, Gela

Forepart of man-headed bull (the river-god Gelas):

So this is man-headed bull (the river-god Gelas):

You are right about Mazani people, as I said in another thread there were two types of Scythian tribes in the north of Iran: Saka Haumavargau (Amyrgioi Scythians) and Saka Haumazan (Amazon Scythians), "Zan" in Iranian languages means woman and in Zoroastrianism "Hauma" is a sacred drink and also a powerful deity, in the middle Persian language, Haumazan was simplified to "Mazani" and their land was called "Mazandaran".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazons : Amazons had their right breast cut off or burnt out, so they would be able to use a bow more freely and throw spears without the physical limitation and obstruction; there is no indication of such a practice in works of art, in which the Amazons are always represented with both breasts, although the right is frequently covered.

Statue of an Amazon, 1st–2nd century A.D.
Roman copy of a Greek bronze statue, ca. 450–425 B.C.

Statue of an Amazon Goddess, found in Mazandaran, Sassanid period

In Mazandaran that is woman who still asks for the hand of a man in marriage, it may sounds strange but here men work at home and women do hard works in the farms and other places.

http://www.parstimes.com/women/employment_rural_women.html "Case studies show the situation of women and their labor force. In the villages of Gilan and Mazandaran provinces, women are considerably active and have a high share in productive activities. In the village of Ahandan in Gilan, women form 76 per cent of the labor force in rice-planting and 80 per cent in tea- planting. ... In most villages in Gilan and Mazandaran, a group of women under the supervision of a woman who is called "Mobasher" (Supervisor) go to the neighboring villages for weeding and planting seedlings."

In most of villages in Mazandaran these are women who rule and men should respect them, for example "Village of Alasht in Mazandaran":

http://www.chnpress.com/news/?section=1&id=1004 : "Walking in the streets of Alasht, men should remember that facing any woman they must lower their head and say hello, because there is the Village of women. ... As a matter of fact this building is a shrine called Dokhtar-e Pak (Immaculate Girl). Locals believe that this shrine belongs to a grand lady and according to an old superstition, men should not approach the shrine or they will be bitten by its guardian serpent. Every weekend women and girls pray in the shrine in the hope of meeting their wishes."

In the southern coast of the Caspian Sea (Mazandaran), Alexander was visited by Thalestris, Queen of the Amazons in the autumn of 330 BC.

http://www.pothos.org/content/index.php?page=lovers : "The dress of the Amazons does not entirely cover the body", says Curtius. "The left side is bare to the breast [...] One breast is kept whole for feeding children of female sex and the right is cauterized". Thalestris' eyes examined Alexander's body, and found that it in no way matched his reputation, as Curtius continues. Still, wearing her full armour, she begged Alexander to conceive a child with her. They spent "thirteen days" together as a couple (Just. 12.3; Diod. 17.77), while Alexander was "serving her passion" although "the woman's passion for sex was greater than Alexander's" (Curt. 6.5).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6661426/

Woman warrior found in Iranian tomb
Gender determined by DNA testing, archaeologist says

These days, Iranian women are not even allowed to watch men compete on the soccer field, but 2,000 years ago they could have been carving the boys to pieces on the battlefield.
DNA tests on the 2,000-year-old bones of a sword-wielding Iranian warrior have revealed the broad-framed skeleton belonged to a woman, an archaeologist working in the northwestern city of Tabriz said Saturday.
“Despite earlier comments that the warrior was a man because of the metal sword, DNA tests showed the skeleton inside the tomb belonged to a female warrior,” Alireza Hojabri-Nobari told the Hambastegi newspaper.