A GIS Modeling of Prehistoric Site Distribution in the Sarfirouzabad Plain of Kermanshah, Northwestern Iran

Abstract

The Sarfirouzabad survey project of 2009 in the Kermanshah Province of Iran was aimed at obtaining a reliable overview of the occurrence of archaeological sites across the area. Many sites in the area are under threat of economic development projects and erosion by changing land use practices. As the area plays an important role in the archaeology of Iran, a protection program essentially has to be developed. This study was mainly concerned with the Landscape Archaeology in general and reconstruction of Prehistoric archaeological settlement patterns in particular in Central Zagros. The primary aim of this project which combined a set of digital archaeological methods was to improve understanding of settlement system and land organization of prehistoric period and ultimately the human behavior behind this aspect of settlement system. Another main priority was to display graphically cultural resources of a functional or temporal class in relation to environmental features which provides cultural heritage manager with the necessary tools to locate and manage known cultural heritage and can enable them to protect archaeologically or culturally significant sites.