Settlement Clusters Research Articles

РЕСУРСНО-СЫРЬЕВАЯ БАЗА ИТКУЛЬСКОЙ МЕТАЛЛУРГИИ РАННЕГО ЖЕЛЕЗНОГО ВЕКА СРЕДНЕГО ЗАУРАЛЬЯ

The paper addresses the question of ore resources (occurrences and deposits) exploited by the Early Iron Age metallurgists of the Itkul culture in the middle Urals. The main method of the study was the analysis of geological maps and reports, and the analysis of the correlation between the identified ore occurrences and the Itkul culture metal production centers. The results of the study reveal a relationship between the location of the Itkul culture settlement clusters and various types of copper ore (VMS, skarn and stratiform) and iron ore (infiltration and sedimentary ironstone) deposits, which could have been exploited for copper, and iron metallurgy in antiquity. We suggest that the primary smelting of copper ore was performed only in clusters: Polevskoy, Itkulsky, Isetsky and Irtyashsky. The use of ironstone ores is attested in copper metallurgy, where they were added into the charge as fluxes to reduce the viscosity of the slag melt and more efficiently extract copper from the ore. The Itkul metallurgical settlements seem also to have direct evidence of iron smelting. The ironstone deposits of infiltration-sedimentary type, common in the middle Trans-Urals, were apparently one of the main ore sources used. The provided geological maps showing the location of the possible iron and copper metallic resources make it possible to localize areas having the potential for finding new archaeological evidence of ancient mining and primary metallurgical operations. Based on these data, the first early Iron Age iron ore mine was discovered in the Urals.

The Gobolitide (Al-Jibal) microregion: geography and settlement network evolution from Nabataean to Byzantine times

A spatio-temporal analysis of the ancient settlement landscape of northeastern Edom (ancient Gobolitide, Islamic al-Jibal) from Nabataean to Byzantine times was performed based on surface survey data, taking into account various geographical factors (main morphological units, floristic regions, annual precipitation) and climatic fluctuations. The article presents preliminary conclusions concerning the distribution of settlements in the microregion, the determining factors behind the evolution of the settlement network and the temporal changes observed. The mapping of sites based on chronological and typological criteria indicated specific settlement clusters in the Edomite highlands and in episodic river valleys (wadis). The pattern is disturbed only by Wadi al-Hasa. Overall, climate change turns out to have the greatest impact on the change in the number of sites over time.

Spatial characteristics of vegetation habitat suitability and mountainous settlements and their quantitative relationships in upstream of Min River, southwestern of China

Vegetation habitat suitability (HS) and mountainous settlements are continuously varying, and display spatial heterogeneity in their spatial arrangement at multiple scales substantially. This paper focuses on spatial characteristics of vegetation HS and mountainous settlement and their quantitative relationships in the upstream of Min River, southwest of China. Based on the spatially distributed maps of vegetation HS types and different nationality mountainous settlements, we first described spatial differentiation and cluster of vegetation HS from global and local standpoints through lacunarity analysis and Multilevel Bayesian model. Then, we depicted the effects of nationality attribute on the spatially distributed characteristics of mountainous settlements. Finally, we revealed the relationships between the geometrical features of mountainous settlements and vegetation HS. The detailed results were as following: 1) The vegetation habitats are classified into four types based on the vegetation HS indexes, the largest spatially heterogeneities of comprehensive, unsuitable and worst unsuitable vegetation HS types occurred in Wenchuan county, but the largest spatially heterogeneities of suitable and sub-suitable vegetation HS categories appeared in Songpan county. The largest spatially clusters of comprehensive, suitable and sub-suitable vegetation HS categories were in Wenchuan, Songpan and Lixian counties, respectively. This suggested that their spatial clusters were low and spatial heterogeneity were high. However, the largest spatially clusters of unsuitable and worst unsuitable vegetation HS types were in Maoxian county. 2) The largest spatially cluster occurred in the Han nationality mountainous settlements revealed their closure characteristics in mountainous regions. Meanwhile, the spatial cluster of all mountainous settlements across watershed approximated to Tibetan nationality mountainous settlement, indicating that the spatial heterogeneity and layout characteristics of Tibetan nationality mountainous settlement could reflect the spatial differentiation of all settlements across watershed. 3) The average values of vegetation HS indexes for Tibetan-Qiang-Hui-Han nationality mountainous settlements were 2.8157, 2.6217, 2.5291 and 2.6441. It meant that the spatial distribution of mountainous settlements perfectly match with spatial pattern of vegetation habitat. Moreover, the sensitivities of geometrical feature characteristics for all mountainous settlements to vegetation HS were similar to Qiang nationality mountainous settlement. The quantitative results obtained from analysis on spatial characteristics of vegetation HS and mountainous settlements, and their interactive relationships could provide effective data supports for ecological construction of vegetation habitat and spatial reconstruction of mountainous settlements.

Cultural adaptations and island ecology: Insights into changing patterns of pottery use in the Susuya, Okhotsk and Satsumon phases of the Kafukai sites, Rebun Island, Japan

Island chains provide access to terrestrial, coastal and offshore marine resources, attracting peoples and cultures and serving as conduits for migrations and long-distance exchange networks. Situated between Hokkaido and Sakhalin, Rebun Island connected the prehistoric cultures of northeast Asia in a major “marine highway”. Rebun was repeatedly settled by distinct cultures who originated in different geographic locations and left an imprint on the local ecology. To better understand how these cultures adapted to the local island ecosystems, lipid residues from household cooking containers were investigated across a 1000-year period at the Kafukai river mouth on Eastern Rebun, where a prominent Late Holocene settlement cluster is located. Our study suggests periodical shifts in pottery function, with the Susuya focussed on the processing of intermediate trophic-level aquatic resources, and Early Okhotsk specializing towards isotopically enriched marine products. In the Middle Okhotsk phase, both marine and terrestrial animal, and plant resources were exploited. These findings elucidate changing patterns of household consumption and the range of resources processed between cultural periods. We conclude that pottery lipid analysis can play an important role in island archaeology, clarifying shifting relationships between communities, exploitation of resources and the responses of new cultural traditions to new insular ecological niches.

SIEĆ OSADNICZA I SZLAKI KOMUNIKACYJNE NA ZACHÓD OD POZNAŃSKIEGO PRZEŁOMU WARTY W STARSZYCH FAZACH WCZESNEGO ŚREDNIOWIECZA

In the oldest stages of the early Middle Ages, the settlements located between the Warta and the Obra were concentrated predominantly in a few areas: between the Warta, the Sama and the Samica Stęszewska, in the vicinity of Pniewy and Lwówek, and to the west of Sieraków. The resulting structure, over time supplemented with settlement clusters in Opalenica Plain, formed the basis for a network of gords established in the 9th and the early 10th centuries. The arrangement of hamlets and gords allowed to reconstruct long-range transport routes connecting these regions with south Wielkopolska, Lusatia as well as the north-western Slavic domains.

Chronology for Mississippian and Oneota Occupations at Aztalan and the Lake Koshkonong Locality

The Middle Mississippian component at Aztalan was a mixed, Late Woodland / Mississippian occupation sited within a heavily fortified habitation and mound center that is located on a tributary of the Rock River in Wisconsin. It represents the northernmost large Cahokian-related village recorded. The Oneota Lake Koshkonong Locality of the Rock River drainage is located approximately 20 km south of Aztalan, and it consists of a 25 km2 area along the northwest shore with a small cluster of habitation settlements. Sixty-eight radiocarbon measurements have been obtained from Aztalan, and 52 from Oneota settlements in the Lake Koshkonong Locality. We discuss how to best interpret this dataset, and we use Bayesian chronological modeling to analyze these dates. The results suggest that (1) Aztalan's Late Woodland (Kekoskee phase) occupation began in the AD 900s or early AD 1000s, (2) Aztalan's Mississippian occupation ceased in the AD 1200s, (3) Oneota occupations at Lake Koshkonong began after AD 1050 and were established by the AD 1200s, and (4) Oneota occupations at Lake Koshkonong continued after Aztalan's Mississippian abandonment until at least the late AD 1300s. Additionally, the results demonstrate that Aztalan was fortified with a palisade with bastions for much of the Mississippian occupation, suggesting a contested presence in a multiethnic landscape.

The first finding of a Greek amphora in Poland

Abstract In 2017, an expedition of the Institute of Archeology of the University of Rzeszów (Poland) carried out excavations on a hillfort belonging to the Scythian cultural circle (its forest-steppe variant) in Chotyniec, in south-eastern Poland. The hillfort is the central and most important point of a large settlement cluster, which is the furthest north-western enclave of this cultural circle. In an excavated cult object – the so-called ‘zolnik’ – we made an interesting discovery. Here we show this unique finding for the first time: a Greek wine amphora, from the beginning of the sixth century BC. We were able to explore and reconstruct it almost entirely. Amphora is the only artefact of this type found in the present Polish borders. The amphora was subjected to archaeometric research with the use of PLM, SEM/EDS, TXRF and ToF SIMS. The massive fabric was made of high calcium clay enriched in quartz and volcanic lithoclasts. The lack of chromium and nickel among trace elements makes the vessel different from the amphoras from the Eastern Meditteranean analysed so far, suggesting a specific workshop. Red painting was executed with very fine grained iron compounds predominantly based on aluminosilicates, enriched in phosphorus. Obviously, since it is associated with the presence of Scythians in Eastern Europe, it simultaneously delimits (geography-wise) the borders of Greek influence.

Groundwater contamination and health risk assessment across an urban gradient: Case study of Onitcha metropolis, south-eastern Nigeria

Urban population growth in south-Eastern Nigeria and associated proliferation of built-up areas predispose groundwater to contaminants of anthropogenic origin. This study compared the groundwater quality across an urban gradient, in Onitsha, a notable urbanized region and beehive of commercial activity in southeastern Nigeria. Groundwater samples (n = 120) from sixty boreholes tapping into aquifers spanning major settlement clusters at upper Iweka, Mgbuka and Nkpor, were sampled over 5-months from August to December 2019. Faecal coliforms, water-soluble metals, and nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) were estimated in groundwater samples. Noncarcinogenic risks of heavy metals in ground water samples was estimated for Average daily dose (ADD) and Total Hazard Quotient (THQ) using both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Concentrations of mercury and heavy metals (Fe, Pb, and Cd) estimated in water samples revealed a general exceedance of World Health Organization (2009) standards for drinking water. However, significantly higher Hg, Pb and faecal coliform levels (0.122 ± 0.03 mg/L, 0.115 ± 0.014 mg/L, 2.3 × 106 ± 300 MPN respectively) in groundwater of the more built-up areas of upper Iweka highlight increased chances of metals and pathogens impacts on water quality with increased urbanization. High incidence of nutrients (nitrates: 258.40 ± 62.1 and phosphorus: 33.05 ± 4.06 mg/L) in groundwater of less urbanized areas suggests impacts of fertilizer applications from greater agricultural activity. Probabilistic estimates for heavy metals in ground water from Onitsha via ingestion route, showed that Upper Iweka had the highest HQ (3.262) followed by Mgbuka (2.1233) and Nkpor (2.0187). On the other hand, estimates showed that Mgbuka had the highest HQ (0.0241) followed by Nkpor (0.016) and Upper Iweka (0.014) for dermal exposure routes. Strategic mitigation measures including urban planning and infrastructural upgrade are recommended to protect the water resources, prevent further groundwater contamination and reduce population health risks emanating from poor drinking water sources.

GIS Based Multicriteria Decision Analysis of Riverine Flooding: A Case Study of Maharashtra Deluge 2019

Riverine flooding is frequent catastrophic event for Indian subcontinent and prevalent in western ghat region. The south-western monsoonal precipitation escalates the situation to detrimental level in the populous regions along the rivers. The previous studies suggest that the settlements in the vicinity of seasonal rivers are mostly affected during heavy precipitation due to unpredicted event and lack of preventive infrastructure along the bank. Such devastation can be reduced with detailed analysis of river basin and flood recurrence trends. Present study focuses on the flood frequency and settlement patterns in the Krishna River basin of Maharashtra state. The region has cotton soil (clay to loamy dark grey soil) cover, which encourages the agricultural practices. The agriculture being major occupation of the state engaged more than 64% population contributing largely in cotton and cereal production of the country. The discrete pattern of rainfall causes flooding at places, which not only distresses the settlement but also adversely affects the rate of soil erosion resulting elimination of the most fertile layer of surface. The study mainly emphases on the Shirindwad, Kurundwad, Rajapur villages of Shirol taluka of Kolhapur district, where Koyna, Warna, Panchaganga, Tarli, Urmodi, Dudhganga and Hiranyakeshi rivers of Krishna River basin overflowed decade’s water level in August 2019 flooding event. The event put an eternal scar to the inhabitants with pile of flood water over their cotton soil. The devastation of the event would be predicted if spatio-temporal analyses of rainfall and settlement pattern have been done. So, the present study aims to evaluate the impacts of future flooding by the analysis of rainfall pattern and demarcation of settlement clusters under threat. This can be done by scrutinizing ancillary data in GIS (geographical information system) environment with the help of temporal satellite data. The GIS-based multicriteria decision analysis can provide result as demarcation of potential flood risk zones and this can be resourceful for disaster management and town planning practices.

Local Resource Clusters of Southern Transdanubian Settlements

Development goals, priorities and strategies need to be based on available (local) resources, which are identified as either comparative advantages or uniform development goals at certain planning level. Core development policies of the region take centrum-periphery theory as the primary approach in planning allocating development funds. In this paper authors developed four settlement clusters based on their local resources (HCSO, AC, T-STAR database, 44 variables, cross section 2018). Few Strong and capable cities (n=31) are accompanied by mainly Agricultural villages (n=155) and there are settlements (n=170) with Concentrated capacities. But majority of the region’s area (n=299) has Limited resources. The classification of the settlements can be used in gravity models that test the pull effect of central cities on the complex development of the surrounding settlements.

Accessibility Analysis of Cyclone Shelters - A Case Study for Atulia Union, Satkhira, Bangladesh

Cyclone shelters are considered as a solution to reduce cyclone risk in coastal districts of Bangladesh. The location of a shelter plays a crucial part in a potential user’s decisionmaking process. If the perception is that the shelter is too far away, the user may decide not to use it. On the other hand, it would not be financially feasible to construct shelters near every settlement cluster. Therefore, network analysis using GIS has been applied to reveal the optimal location. Apart from distance, there are some other factors (like space, presence of gender segregated rooms and toilets, ramped access way, availability of drinking water, etc.), which affect a user’s affinity to evacuate to a specific shelter. All the shelters in Atulia Union from Satkhira District of Bangladesh were visited to identify these characteristics. Finally, an index was developed to determine the preference of each shelter to its potential users. It was found that there is inadequate number of shelters in the study area and two new shelter locations were recommended.
 Asiat. Soc. Bangladesh, Sci. 46(2): 163-178, December 2020

Ethnobotanical Survey and Habitat Mapping of Medicinal Plants and Its Implication on Conservation Management in Rural Kwara Communities

Background: In Nigeria, medicinal plants are now being threatened due to increased urbanization, land clearing for farming and over-harvesting from their natural habitats. As such, if such trends continue, some of these medicinal plants might increasingly become not available and in the extreme circumstance be faced with extinction. Methods: An epidemiological descriptive field survey that employed a carefully-structured, closed-ended, interviewer-administered, paper-based questionnaire designed to capture information on the use of medicinal plants as antimalarial and for management of other associated illnesses. We also employed Global Positioning System (Garmin etrex 75) to captures the geo-coordinates of previously identified medicinal plants across the footpath transect at 20 m intervals. A total of twenty-one (21) medicinal plant species were surveyed across five communities with varying numbers per locations. Results: Out of the nine (9) identified traditional healers across the communities, all claimed to have used at least one or combinations of these plants for treatment of malaria. An image classification performed through land cover land use map of the study area revealed six classes: swamp /water bodies, river valley, savanna woodland, degraded woodland, grassland and settlements cluster. Most threatened species such as Aristolochia ringes, Mucuna prurins, Azadirachta indica, Kigelia africana, Citrus limon, Ludwigia suffruticosa, Parkia biglobosa, and Picralima nitida are those found in Malete KWASU campus axis in the degraded woodland and settlement cluster classes. This is due to the high level of forest destruction in the area as a result of growing student population and massive constructions of students’ hostel. We reported that about 60% of original plant cover has been lost between 2005 and 2015. It was observed that availability of surface water bodies played a crucial role in influencing the distribution of identified medicinal plants. The nearest neighbour analysis gave a nearest neighbour index of 0.695 at p=0.000003 and z-score of -4.70314. This shows that the observed random distribution of medicinal plants in the study area was statistically significant. It has been observed that random patterns are usually associated with natural occurrences. The random spatial pattern confirms that these plants have not yet been affected by anthropogenic activities and hence need to be conserved there in the wild. Conclusion: There is need to leverage on conservation of medicinal plants for treating malaria in their natural habitats. Also, the need to ensure sustainable harvesting and other socio-ecological process to ensure these are not threatened to the extreme case of extinction in these communities. In the view of the above, we recommend that KWASU-Malete campus axis be monitored, proper urban planning initiatives implemented and ensure cultivation and preservation of these plants are incorporated into the greening efforts of the Kwara state government in this area.

Recent Finds of Islamic Coins from the Old Town and Zawodzie Districts in Kalisz

A settlement cluster around Kalisz first emerged in the Roman Period on a route leading from the south towards the Baltic coast. In the Early Middle Ages, a settlement centre connected with the Kalisz-Zawodzie stronghold developed at the crossroads of trade routes linking Wielkopolska with Silesia, Mazowsze, and Małopolska, with the earliest traces of early medieval occupation dating back to the 8th century. In the 10th century, oriental silver in the form of silver dirhams started to flow into the discussed region. These coins were part of deposits discovered in the sites of Kalisz-Szałe and Kalisz-Rajsków. Many years of research on artisanal settlement Kalisz-Stare Miasto produced a few fragments of Sāmānid dirhams minted between AH 279–343 (892–954). In 2018, during research at the Church of St. Adalbert located within the Kalisz-Zawodzie settlement accompanying the stronghold, a part of what was probably a larger silver deposit was found. In total, 13 dirham fragments were recovered, among which Sāmānid emissions dated to the first half of the 10th century were identified (8 pcs), as well as five pieces of undetermined dynastic attribution. As demonstrated by the stratigraphic analysis, the early medieval hoard had been discovered and dispersed at some point during the period when the church cemetery was used, between the 17th century and second half of the 18th century.

Cluster settlement structure in Toropetsky Uyezd according to the cadastre of 1540

The article is dedicated to the peculiarities of settlement structure in Toropetsky Uyezd of the XVI century. In the XIV – XV centuries Toropets land was the eastern outskirts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and in 1503 joined the Moscow state. The cadastre of 1540 describes the structure of Toropetsky Uyezd as the clusters of settlements, characterized by commonness of names and detected both in state (58 clusters) and local (79 clusters) lands. They differ in size, i.e. the number of settlements and court indicators. Mapping of the clusters of settlements reveals their location in the territory of uyezd, land area, and population density. Geographical reconstruction is carried out via geoinformation technologies. It is demonstrated that most developed part of the uyezd is Toropets Volost and the adjacent territories, such as eastern districts of the uyezd in the basin of the Western Dvina River, developed in the pre-Mongol period, and the basin of tributaries of the Kunya River. The model of settlement structure in Toropetsky Uyezd most likely corresponds to the type of land relations inherent to Syabry community, in which peasants jointly owned land, agricultural and fishery areas. Such settlement structure retained due to the peripheral position of Toropets and its relative autonomy. Common names served as a means for identification of the object of taxation. This settlement model gradually diminishes after Toropets has joined the Moscow State, first and foremost it pertains to the local lands. Common names are preserved as the geographical landmarks; while the individual names are widely used within such clusters, as the court indicators increase.

Sourcing bighorn sheep from the Homol’ovi Settlement Cluster, Northeastern Arizona, through strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis

Archaeologists have recovered bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) remains from villages within the Homol’ovi Settlement Cluster (1260–1400 CE) in the Middle Little Colorado River Valley. Today, there are no extant populations of bighorn sheep in the middle Little Colorado River Valley, and the Grand Canyon is the nearest known living population, over a 100 km away. To determine the most likely procurement location for these animals, we integrated archaeological and ethnohistorical information with strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of bighorn sheep teeth from two sites within the Cluster. We consider four potential procurement locations: The Grand Canyon, San Francisco Peaks, White Mountains, and Black Mesa. The contemporary descendants of these villages, the Hopi, have unique ancestral and religious connections to each of these potential locations, which aids in the interpretation of 87Sr/86Sr values. When these different threads of evidence are examined, they indicate the most likely location of procurement of these animals is the wider Black Mesa area 84 km north, with procurement from the Grand Canyon or a locally extirpated population also being possible candidates.

Fra grænselandet mellem to kulturer

Fra grænselandet mellem to kulturer

The Linear Pottery culture settlement in the upland zone between the Vistula and Bug rivers – current state and perspectives of research

There are 171 sites known from the interfluvial of the Vistula and Bug Rivers that attest to settling it between the Gniechowice and early Želiezovce phases of the Linear Pottery culture (LBK). The earliest finds concentrate only in the south-eastern part of this area, mainly in the Hrubieszów Basin. The intensification of settlement occurred in the music-note phase, along with the colonisation of the whole Lublin region and the emergence of the settlement oecumene proper. It mainly encompassed the loess zones and was a network of clusters located along small and medium rivers. Their development is corroborated, e.g., by traces of far-reaching, multidirectional contacts. The current state of research limits the scope of interpretations concerning the development of individual settlement clusters (especially the chronology and scope of the development of the LBK and the character and scale of colonisation and economic activity). Field research needs to be intensified to obtain new archaeological and environmental data on particular microregions.

The vulnerability of housing on the north coast of Banda Aceh to disasters from the sea

Alue Naga is an example of a coastal village in the northern city of Banda Aceh which was severely damaged during the earthquake and tsunami in 2004, but until now there has been no maximum environmental improvement and mitigation for this coastal settlement. The ideal initial mitigation study to be carried out for coastal settlements is to analyze the physical vulnerability of housing as a physical structure characteristic that determines the potential damage to disasters. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method with data collection through observation, a global positioning system, interviews and questionnaires. Data were analyzed using geographic information system techniques to determine the spatial condition of the area. Assessment of the potential vulnerability of housing in each cluster of Alue Naga settlements is obtained by scoring and weighting methods for variables that contribute to the level of disaster vulnerability, namely the type of building construction, the shape of the ground floor of the building, and the orientation of the building to the coast. The results showed that the potential vulnerability in each cluster was different for each variable being reviewed, there were clusters that were vulnerable, more vulnerable, and very vulnerable to the threat of disasters from the sea. It takes serious action from stakeholders to further improve protection and mitigation against disasters from the sea in the northern coastal settlements of Banda Aceh City with structural mitigation and non-structural mitigation.

Rethinking the Iroquoian Occupation of Northern New York

Recent Bayesian modeling of new high-precision AMS dates has caused a revision of the Iroquoian chronology of northern New York. The Iroquoian occupation is now estimated to date between AD 1425–1520, with no good evidence for developmental precursors in the region. The more than 50 village components in the region must now fit into almost half the temporal span as previously believed. All the settlement clusters now seem to have been contemporary and dual village settlement for some of the clusters now seems likely. For the ceramic seriation to remain true, one of the cluster sequences must be chronologically reversed, having significant implications for its culture history. Finally, while their dispersal from northern New York remains complex, it must be rethought considering the new chronology.

Early medieval island-type lake dwellings in north-western Poland: Western Slavonic crannogs?

In many regions of Europe there are so-called lake-dwellings, which were described in 1890 by Robert Munro, and have a close spatial and functional relation withinland water systems and seas. Settlements of this type are also known from the area of north-western Poland, where the landscape is dominated by lakes. Characteristicamong them are early medieval settlements entirely occupying small islands located within lake basins (Parsęcko, Żółte and Myślibórz in Pomerania – Pomorze; Nowy Dworek, Chycina and Lubniewice in Lubusz Land – ziemia lubuska). In their external appearance, they resemble British crannogs, especially in their size, the anthropogenic structure of the islands, wooden quays, piers and bridge crossings connecting the islands with the nearby mainland. An important feature of the islands where such structures are sited is their characteristic location – directly on the long-distance routes, in the settlement border zone, in the vicinity of the main watersheds of Lubusz Land andPomerania. They were also part of local settlement clusters, which often included contemporary defensive settlements. They were central places, especially important from the point of view of the identity of local territorial communities. Their functions should be considered not only in the social and political dimension, but probably also in the mythical and sacral one.