Analysis Of Settlement Patterns Research Articles

The Maya Landscape of El Infiernito, Chiapas, Mexico: Comparison of Occupied and Unoccupied Airborne LiDAR Mapping Systems

Landscape-oriented approaches in archaeology have moved beyond site-based research to interpret how people have engaged with, modified, and constructed the environment and how the legacies of these activities continue to influence land use. In the Maya Lowlands, landscape archaeology is related to the analysis of settlement patterns, households, agricultural intensification, and water management. The increasing availability of LiDAR data has revolutionized the mapping of archaeological landscapes under vegetation, especially in tropical environments like the Maya Lowlands, but researchers still emphasize site-oriented settlement densities and infrastructure. Furthermore, the accessibility of drone-based LiDAR platforms has the potential to collect data across several seasons or years to facilitate change detection. In this paper, we compare three LiDAR datasets collected from 2018 to 2023, using both occupied and unoccupied airborne systems. The landscape surrounding the archaeological site of El Infiernito, Chiapas, Mexico near the Classic period (AD 250–800) dynastic capital of Piedras Negras, Guatemala was selected to compare these LiDAR datasets in the context of prior, extensive ground-based fieldwork. These data were used to interpret the built environment, land use, hydrology, landscapes of movement, and other infrastructure constructed and modified by several communities beginning in the Late Preclassic period (400 BC–AD 250) to the present. When used alongside systematic survey and ground verification, the combination of several LiDAR platforms to collect data across different seasons at El Infiernito enhanced the understanding of the spatial distribution of archaeological sites and features across the karst landscape.

Integration of RS and GIS for Tracing the Rural Settlement Pattern and Household Characteristics Analysis of Mirokhan Town, District Kamber Shahdadkot, Sindh

Integration of RS and GIS for Tracing the Rural Settlement Pattern and Household Characteristics Analysis of Mirokhan Town, District Kamber Shahdadkot, Sindh

Spatial Analysis of Settlement Pattern based on Topography of Pokhara Metropolitan City

Spatial Analysis of Settlement Pattern based on Topography of Pokhara Metropolitan City

Theory and methods of settlement archaeology – the Chinese contribution

ABSTRACT On the international stage, discussions on theoretical and methodological aspects of settlement archaeology tend to be dominated by Anglo-American scholarship associated with the emergence of the New Archaeology’s systemic view of culture and its ecological outlook in which settlement pattern analysis became a crucial approach. Few people are aware that a scholar of Chinese origin, K.C. Chang, contributed substantially to these debates already since the 1950s and introduced western practices of settlement archaeology to China in the 1980s. Since then, numerous international collaborative projects in China have provided a fruitful basis for an exchange of ideas between different scholarly traditions and providing opportunities for methods developed in the West to be tested in a different cultural and environmental context. The present paper traces these developments, highlighting the extent of the Chinese contributions and concluding with some thoughts on the standing of Chinese archaeology within the field of archaeology worldwide.

Sacred Spaces and Liminal Behavior in Levantine Temples in Antis

Abstract Temples in antis provide clearly defined liminal spaces for ritual behaviors that are readily recognizable both textually and archaeologically. This architectural form and the religious tradition it embodied were remarkably widespread geographically and temporally, spanning the Levant and Greater Syria from the end of the Early Bronze Age until the early Iron Age. Although the Southern Levant has been characterized as highly urbanized during the Middle Bronze Age, settlement pattern analysis suggests that it was fragmented into numerous polities, as documented subsequently in the Late Bronze Age Amarna Letters. In contrast, Levantine towns and villages shared a common religious tradition marked by ritual behaviors within clearly marked liminal spaces. These behaviors are readily recognizable archaeologically at Tell el-Hayyat, Jordan, where they are framed in temple enclosures by distinct architecturally-defined boundaries, and signaled by feasting on sheep and goat, and deposition of copper-alloy figurines, tools and metallurgical remains. These lines of material and architectural evidence, and the liminal behaviors they reflect, linked villages and towns in localized Levantine polities, as exemplified among a cluster of settlements in the northern Jordan Valley. Parallel sequences of four temples in antis at Tell el-Hayyat and nearby Pella (ancient Piḫilu in the Amarna Letters) developed in tandem through the Middle Bronze Age, suggesting that temple construction and rebuilding was coordinated between town and village communities. Further examples of temples in antis and patterns of material deposition and liminal behavior suggest that this temple form and its associated ritual tradition were spread throughout the Southern Levant as part of a much larger and longer-lived cultural tradition extending across Greater Syria, which has been characterized as a Middle Bronze Age cultural koinè. Thus, despite its fractious local political environment, Middle Bronze Age Levantine society was grounded in a remarkably broad cultural tradition marked by the sacred spaces and liminal behaviors associated with temples in antis.

Numerical Analysis of Ground Settlement Patterns Resulting from Tunnel Excavation in Composite Strata

Cross-river twin tunnels are prone to deformation and uneven settlement of the surrounding soil due to the complexity of the strata crossed, which has a negative impact on the tunnel structure. A numerical calculation model was established using the COMSOL Multiphysics to study the effects of twin tunnel excavation in composite strata on the ground settlement and the ground settlement pattern. The results indicated that after the construction of the twin tunnels is completed, the ground settlement above the first tunnel is slightly larger than the ground settlement above the second tunnel. The further the spacing between the two tunnels before and after excavation, the smaller the amount of ground settlement and the impact on the surrounding soil. The ground settlement value increases with the increase in burial depth, and the ground settlement curve gradually changes from a W-shaped curve to a V-shaped curve. As the distance between the two tunnels increases, the maximum settlement value of the settlement curve gradually decreases, and the ground lateral settlement curve changes from V-shaped to W-shaped. The higher the water level on the riverbed side, the greater the settlement value of the ground.

Behind the Ice: The Archaeology of Nunatarsuaq, Southwest Greenland

Here we present the results of archaeological surveys carried out 2012–2019 in Nunatarsuaq, a remote and little investigated region bordered by glaciers and the Kangersuneq ice-fjord at the head of Nuup Kangerlua, Southwest Greenland. We provide a detail analysis of Nunatarsuaq's medieval Norse sites and settlement patterns, clarify previous site identification inconsistencies, and outline the character of subsequent Thule culture/historic Inuit activities. The long-term historical ecology of Nunatarsuaq and Kangersuneq informed by this evidence contradicts an existing notion of the region's marginality. In fact, we find that the Norse settlement included three sizable farms practicing transhumance, a set of new 14C-dates implying that activities were part of first colonization (ca. AD 1000) of the Norse Western Settlement, and continued into the 14th century. We find no evidence that Little Ice Age climatic deterioration, possibly setting in as early as AD 1200, had an immediate impact on Norse settlement in Nunatarsuaq. Successful Norse adaptation strategies probably involved heavy reliance on the locally abundant wild marine and terrestrial species that also attracted and sustained the subsequent Thule culture and later Inuit groups.

The Crusader Lordship of Transjordan (1100–1189): settlement forms, dynamics and significance

This paper presents the results of a study of the 12th-century Crusader Lordship of Transjordan and discusses the traditional view that the principal role of this region was that of frontier of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The possibility of applying the concept of frontier to Transjordan is discussed in the context of a debate on the relationship between frontiers and castles, and of the conclusions obtained from the analysis of settlement patterns of this case study. On the basis of the documentary and archaeological data reviewed here, it is argued that the lordship had several roles, including military, political, economic and social, that were of crucial importance for the entire kingdom, to which it was tightly connected. Simply seeing the lordship and its castles as defining a frontier is not only incorrect, but also fails to reflect this region’s complexity and identity. Additionally, it is demonstrated that the common understanding that Transjordan was an isolated and peripheral region needs to be modified; instead, the elements of continuity with the rest of the kingdom were numerous and significant, to the point that several important socio-economic, military and strategic aspects of the kingdom depended largely on the existence of the Lordship of Transjordan. 1 1 The present study is based on a PhD thesis defended at Cardiff University, School of History, Archaeology and Religion, under the supervision of Prof. Denys Pringle, with the title: 'Settlement in Crusader Transjordan (1100–1189). A Historical and Archaeological Study' and published open access by Cardiff University (Sinibaldi 2014). The thesis presents a comprehensive overview of the available historical and archaeological sources on Crusader-period Transjordan; its publication is currently in progress for Archaeopress.

Challenges and Shortcomings of “Settlement Patterns Analysis” Studies in the Archaeology of Iran: A Critical Evaluation and Some Suggestions

The purpose of the settlement pattern analysis in archaeology is to study the relationship between settlements and analyze the impact of environmental and cultural variables on the distribution, displacement, and evolution of the settlements and population changes over time. These studies have been developed by using combined and interdisciplinary methods. But there are some criticisms regarding the published research works on the mentioned subject in Iran, including inaccuracy of the field survey methods, focusing only on relative chronology, total ignoring of interdisciplinary sciences, satellite and aerial photos, remote sensing methods, the size of sites, taphonomic processes, statistical analysis methods, theories and methods of spatial analysis, and economic factors. Accordingly, it is suggested here that the data collection and analysis could be done by using the combined method that considers the following items: the study of historical texts, full coverage survey of the region, and attention to off-site archaeology especially in Neolithic studies, regarding absolute chronologies before going through the settlement pattern analysis, analysis of animal and plant remains, soil analysis and geophysical methods, statistical analysis, use of models and analysis of economic relations between settlements, and finally, the spatial analysis of settlements based on up-to-date theories and models.

Machine Learning Algorithms for Urban Land Use Planning: A Review

Urbanization is persistent globally and has increasingly significant spatial and environmental consequences. It is especially challenging in developing countries due to the increasing pressure on the limited resources, and damage to the bio-physical environment. Traditional analytical methods of studying the urban land use dynamics associated with urbanization are static and tend to rely on top-down approaches, such as linear and mathematical modeling. These traditional approaches do not capture the nonlinear properties of land use change. New technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have made it possible to model and predict the nonlinear aspects of urban land dynamics. AI and ML are programmed to recognize patterns and carry out predictions, decision making and perform operations with speed and accuracy. Classification, analysis and modeling using earth observation-based data forms the basis for the geospatial support for land use planning. In the process of achieving higher accuracies in the classification of spatial data, ML algorithms are being developed and being improved to enhance the decision-making process. The purpose of the research is to bring out the various ML algorithms and statistical models that have been applied to study aspects of land use planning using earth observation-based data (EO). It intends to review their performance, functional requirements, interoperability requirements and for which research problems can they be applied best. The literature review revealed that random forest (RF), deep learning like convolutional neural network (CNN) and support vector machine (SVM) algorithms are best suited for classification and pattern analysis of earth observation-based data. GANs (generative adversarial networks) have been used to simulate urban patterns. Algorithms like cellular automata, spatial logistic regression and agent-based modeling have been used for studying urban growth, land use change and settlement pattern analysis. Most of the papers reviewed applied ML algorithms for classification of EO data and to study urban growth and land use change. It is observed that hybrid approaches have better performance in terms of accuracies, efficiency and computational cost.

A Spatial Analysis Of Settlement Pattern Of Jakham River Basin In Pratapgarh District, Rajasthan

In the recent era, in geographical studies, the spatial analysis of settlement has an essential place of research. The focus of the study, to relate settlements to their locational arrangement and their connection with each other. The evolution of settlement patterns in an area is governed by several factors, i.e. physical, cultural, etc. Hence, varied ways in the spatial distribution of settlement are found. In this research paper, the author uses the Nearest Neighbourhood Analysis technique for study. Generally, concentration is located in and around the city centre, and concentration continuously decreases as we go away from the city centre. But in this case of the above research of the Jakham river basin in Pratapgarh district, the situation is reverted. It noticed that uniformity is found in the concentration level and distribution pattern all over the district except in the North-western plain. 

An Explorative Application of Random Forest Algorithm for Archaeological Predictive Modeling. A Swiss Case Study

The present work proposes an innovative approach to surveys and demonstrates the effectiveness of bringing together traditional archaeological questions, such as the exploration and the analysis of settlement patterns, with the most innovative technologies related to Machine Learning. Namely, we applied Random Forest, an ensemble learning method based on decision trees, to perform archaeological predictive modeling (APM) for the Canton of Zurich, in Switzerland. This was done based on a dataset of known archaeological sites dating back to the Roman Age. The APM represents an automated decision-making and probabilistic reasoning tool that is relevant for archaeological risk assessment and cultural heritage management. Machine learning-based approaches can learn from data and make predictions, starting from the acquired knowledge, through the modeling of the hidden relationships between a set of observations, representing the dependent variable (i.e. the archeological sites), and the independent variables (i.e. the geo-environmental features prone to influence the site locations). The main objective of the present study is to assess the spatial probability of presence for Roman settlements within the study area. As results, we produced: 1) a probability map, expressing the likelihood of finding a Roman site at different locations; 2) the importance ranking of the geo-environmental features influencing the presence of the archeological sites. These outputs in our results are of paramount importance, not only in verifying the reliability of the data, but also in stimulating experts in different ways. Also, these results help evaluate the benefits and constraints of using such innovative techniques and, ultimately, help explore the performance of machine learning-based models in processing archaeological information.

Social Lives of Monumental Walls: Hunting along the Upper Tigris

ABSTRACT On the left bank of the Tigris in northern Iraq, in an area today partially flooded by the Mosul Dam reservoir, lies an enigmatic monumental enclosure known in the literature as the “Tigris Wall.” Before its partial submersion under the waters of the modern lake, the large L-shaped embankment, about 4 × 4 km long, enclosed an area of ca. 1600 ha, overlooking the Tigris and its alluvial plain. By means of a holistic strategy that includes different levels of analysis (remote sensing, pedestrian and UAV photogrammetric surveys, excavation, and settlement pattern analysis), this paper addresses the structure, its context, and its environment. Relying on the results of this multi-disciplinary approach, we present an updated and detailed discussion of the structure’s possible functions and interpretations. Parallels from northern Mesopotamia and neighboring regions are used to suggest that the Tigris Wall may be the first archaeologically known hunting park in the region, probably dating to the Late Sasanian or Early Islamic epoch.

The Analysis of Settlement Patterns of Parthian Period Sites in the City Qorveh

The Analysis of Settlement Patterns of Parthian Period Sites in the City Qorveh

How to access ancient landscapes? Field survey and legacy data integration for research on Greek and Roman settlement patterns in Eastern Sicily

The integration of field survey data from Eastern Sicily (the Plain of Catania) with legacy data available for the region will expand our knowledge on Mediterranean ancient rural landscapes. With an extent of 430 km2, the area is a perfect case study due to its geographical characteristics and the number of archaeological projects (both excavations and surveys) carried out within it in recent decades. Indeed, combining archaeological data from earlier research projects with new survey data allows us to conduct a settlement pattern analysis of the project’s study area. Heterogenous datasets have been integrated through their implementation into a geo-database, featuring the management and integration of topographical units and archaeological entities through semantic relations. Through geospatial data analysis based on the complete gazetteer of archaeological sites (whether sherd scatters, ruins, caves dwellings, tombs or tracks), a new image of rural landscapes for this area of Eastern Sicily from the Greek Archaic to the Late Roman Age can be visualized, beyond the traditional Sicilia frumentaria narrative.

Modeling variability in Classic Maya intermediate elite political strategies through multivariate analysis of settlement patterns

Intermediate elites played pivotal roles in the political dynamics of ancient complex societies across the world. In the Classic period (CE 250–900/1000) Maya lowlands, intermediate elites acted as mediators between apical rulers and lower status commoners. These individuals and the political strategies they employed, however, have rarely taken center stage in reconstructions of Classic Maya politics. In this paper, we evaluate the role of intermediate elites who occupied the middle level of the settlement hierarchy of the Belize River Valley of west-central Belize. Multivariate statistical analyses of architectural variables (n = 24) across 35 sites identified five hierarchically arranged groups of settlement types. Groups 2 and 3 are associated with intermediate elites, with Group 2 being large specialized centers with ballcourts, causeways, terminus groups and multiple plazas. In contrast, Group 3 were smaller residential and ceremonial centers focused around a single plaza. Investigation of patterned variability in the middle tier of the settlement hierarchy provides evidence for five political strategies which intermediate elites used to gain and maintain power and authority: (1) ancestor veneration, (2) ceremonial integration of commoners, (3) acting as neighborhood heads, (4) apical elite emulation, and (5) pursuing a ‘frontier’ role. Elucidating the variability in intermediate elite decision-making provides a new avenue for understanding the dynamics of integration and autonomy across the Classic Maya political landscape.

Geospatial Sciences and Space Law: Legal Aspects of Earth Observation, Remote Sensing and Geoscientific Ground Investigations in Africa

Geospatial sciences play crucial roles in and have effects on the socioeconomic, political and security fortunes of states. Earth observation, remote sensing and geoscientific ground investigation increasingly occupy vantage positions in the legal order of states, particularly in evidential terms and in the verification of facts under international law. How then do these aspects of space law and space sciences affect contemporary Africa and the commercial fortunes, as well as international relations among some African states? What impact do they have in relation to: (a) international boundaries disputes and demarcation activities; (b) management and the preservation of the African heritage; (c) disaster and conservation management? The paper will test the hypothesis that it is crucial for the development of the continent especially in the areas mentioned above that states should sustain and increase investment in the following areas: archaeological prospection, condition assessment of heritage assets; Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis of spatial settlement patterns in modern landscapes and assessment of natural or human-induced threats to conservation.

GIS-based analysis of settlement patterns for the central Baraba Lowland (Western Siberia, Russia) in relation to climatic conditions of the Middle – Late Holocene

An analysis of settlement patterns for the cultural complexes of Eneolithic – Middle Ages in the central Baraba Lowland (Western Siberia) is presented. GIS technologies were employed to understand the spatiotemporal features for different cultural stages, with their particular kinds of economy. Geomorphological positions of 92 selected habitation sites, consisting of 101 cultural layers, were identified. The morphometric parameters and the Geomorphological Index invented by the author were calculated for each site. The general paleoclimatic trend was established in accordance with data obtained from a sediment core of the Lake Bolshye Toroki. The sites with common spatial features are combined into four groups according to their geomorphological position, morphometric parameters, and the GeoInd values. Localization of sites belonging to these groups is connected to climate of the region in the Middle – Late Holocene, and environmental conditions (mainly the amount of precipitation and landscape types) to some extent determined the choice of ancient humans to select places for settlements. Dry conditions are observed for the Eneolithic – early Bronze Age (Ust-Tartas and Bairyk Cultures). There was an alternation of dry and moderate conditions for the early – middle Bronze Age (Odino and Krotovo cultural complexes) and the late Bronze Age (Irmen complex). During the Andronovo occupation (the middle Bronze Age), the climate was dry. Moderate and wet conditions were typical for the Bolshaya Rechka and Sargat complexes (the Early Iron Age) as well as the Baraba Tatars Culture (the middle – late Medieval periods). The wettest conditions (alternation of wet and very wet conditions) correspond to the end of the Early Iron Age and early Middle Ages (Potchevash Culture).

On Craft Production and the Settlement Pattern of the Jinsha Site Cluster on the Chengdu Plain

Analysis of settlement pattern and production organization of the Jinsha settlement suggests that it was less strictly organized than the Sanxingdui settlement and that it was inhabited by heterogeneous social groups during the early Bronze Age. Measuring and evaluating the standardization of two types of pottery vessels (i.e., jars with small bases [xiaopingdi guan 小平底罐] and saucers with pointed bottoms [jiandizhan 尖底盞]) reveal that potters employed different patterns for products to be used in different contexts. Vessels are more standardized at loci close to the sacrificial zone (where ritual paraphernalia were buried), while vessels used as burial goods tend to be smaller. Pottery production was loosely organized, ranging between individual and nucleated workshops, and widely distributed across loci both near the sacrificial zone and on the periphery of Jinsha. The sacrificial zone at the center of the settlement apparently created needs that promoted production activities. The presentation of multiple types of production in the Jinsha core, together with religious activities and public buildings, suggests not only multiple chaînes opératoires for objects but also communal activities and entangled social relations. Such gatherings and driving forces enabled different social groups to redress social tensions while promoting consensus. Crafters might have cooperated when necessary, but they were otherwise organized in a flexible manner, maintaining at most a loose network of production.

Local-Dis-Connection: The Influence of Semarang-Solo Toll Road to Socio-Spatial Disintegration

Development of a toll road infrastructure serves as a hub for growth centers and global connections, on the other side, this infrastructure development will instead break local connections and further marginalize lower-class society. Trying to prove the thought, this paper aims to analyze the impact of Semarang - Solo toll road construction on socio-spatial communities in Kandangan Village. This research utilizes livelihood asset variables in the form of social capital, human capital, financial capital, natural resource capital, and physical capital. The method used in this research is the analysis of settlement patterns utilizing GIS, and regression analysis that served to know the size of the socio-spatial disintegration that occurred after construction. The results show that the spatial impacts caused by toll road construction resulted in the physical changes of settlements in Kandangan Village which can be seen from the changes in settlement patterns between the period of 2011 and 2017. Meanwhile, the social impacts show the characteristics of the five livelihood assets that change after the construction of the toll road. The findings of this study indicate that Kandangan village experiences socio-spatial disintegration with moderate levels. Although Kandangan Village has a moderate socio-spatial disintegration level, it doesn’t cause social conflict.