Ancient Artifacts: An Investigation about Designers’ Solutions for Tackling Similar Problems in Neighboring Civilizations in a Same Period of Time

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Industrial design, Kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Iran.

2 Department of Industrial Design, Art and Architecture Faculty, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran.

3 School of Built Environment, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.

Abstract

Comparing artifacts or products of civilizations to each other shows that how diverse historical nations made different decisions when confronted with the same challenges. This paper aims to investigate designers’ solutions for tackling similar problems in neighboring civilizations, Helmand (Shahr-i-Sokhta) and Indus valley (Mohenjo-Daro), in a Same Period of Time. Research methods have been developed through the study in two steps. initially, after studying all the discovered seals from two civilizations, based on research hypothesis, comparing factors were defined based on three main product design dimensions (functional, aesthetic, symbolic), and 4 seals of each civilization were selected. Afterward, the similarity of Shahr-i-Sokhta and Mohenjo-Daro’s seals was evaluated via a sample group, including 34 Iranian industrial designers, as participants with a DbA (Design-by-Analogy) questionnaire. The results show that in the considered period in both civilizations, the design focused on the form, aesthetic, and the symbolic aspects more than the engineering considerations.

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Journal of Design Thinking
Volume 4, Issue 2
December 2023
Pages 307-318

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