Journal of Iran's Pre Islamic Archaeological Essays

Journal of Iran's Pre Islamic Archaeological Essays

The effect of environmental factors on the Prehistoric sites in the southern Zayandeh- Rud by using the Pearson correlation

Author
Abstract
One of the important purposes of Archaeology, is studying the interaction of humans with the environment: This paper is trying to focus on and analyze the role of natural, geographical, and environmental factors in the appearance of human settlements in Neolithic and Chalcolithic, of Laran County. Laran County is located in the Southern branch of the Zayandeh- Rud River and due to the potential environmental and geographical conditions has caused appropriate human settlements are formed in different periods. Because this area is located in a mountainous terrain, it has a cold weather, with abundant rainfall and for this reason, landscape is causing many environmental constraints. Income in this region is based on agriculture and livestock. This area is now the number of Bakhtiari nomad's countryside come to this area in summer. The study of this part of Zagros, as one of the important areas is located between two central plateau regions of Khuzestan, and the natural environment role in shape, continuity or the collapse of archaeological sites is one of the gaps that needs to be investigated in the studies of this area. Therefore, our records of the changes of the region in different periods of prehistory and its mode of relationship with another environment are incomplete. In this study, a total of ?? Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites have been identified of the ???? survey in the Laran county. The Identified sites in the study were analyzed using descriptive and analytical methods and by using GIS and SPSS software. In this study, the extent of the archaeological sites was the dependent variable, and environmental conditions, such as distance and proximity to water resources, communication paths, vegetation type, slope direction, slope degree, and altitude were considered as independent variables. The reasons for the lack of correlation or correlation archaeological sites back to the relationship between man and environment that creates a special kind of the landscape. According to the results of the correlation, the height above the sea level, the seasonal water and vegetation resources have more impact compared to other factors such as slope direction, slope degree, distance from communication routes, and permanent sources of water are very low. The overall results of this study suggest that Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in the Laran County are little affected by environmental factors and this suggests that these sites are used seasonally. This area is high and has a cool climate and these factors have created special and different conditions, forming human settlements similar to other areas in Zagros Highland. According to the above, we must ask which life style is that the height, seasonal water sources and pasture vegetation plays an important role for human life. What characterized that in the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period, way of life in the region is similar to that of today’s and life style has been nomadic pastoralist that is still ongoing.