Natural Factors Affecting the Distribution Pattern of Archaeological Sites in the Silakhor Plain, Lorestan Province

جغرافیاوتوسعه ناحیه ای

Article 10, Volume 12, Issue 1 - Serial Number 22, September 2014   

Document Type: scientific-research article

DOI: 10.22067/geography.v12i22.32100

Authors

mehran maghsoudi¹; siyamack sharafi^{* 2}; fatemeh sharafi³

¹University of Tehran, Iran

²University of Tehran and a Lecturer at the Department of Geography, Lorestan University, Iran

³Islamic Azad University, Khorram Abad branch, Iran

Abstract

Objectives: Archeological sites are the remains of the ancient settlements that were positioned on foothills of the mountains and slopes that were not suitable for settlement, burial and other uses. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental factors (geomorphology, topography and water resources) and the formation of archaeological sites.
Method: The research method is descriptive - analytical and tools such as topographic, geological, geomorphological maps and Arc GIS software have been used to carry out the study.
Findings/Results: There results show differences between sites and natural factors so that of 25 sites with a height of greater than 1602 m, 21 sites belonged to the historical period. Also, each of the environmental factors had acted differently during the formation of three different sites.
Conclusion: The results indicate that the formation of archaeological sites in three historical periods in Silakhor plain have been facilitated by flat topography and availability of water resources. Given the availability of adequate water resources, fertile soil and low altitude and slope, alluvial plains have the greatest density of archeological sites whereas highland regions due to natural limitations have the lowest density of these sites.

Keywords

Silakhor plains; Geomorphology; Historical site; Environmental conditions