Changes In Settlement Patterns Research Articles

Building Small, Living Large: A Corpus of South-Eastern Norwegian Settlement Evidence, 2350–500 bc

This study examines settlement evidence from south-eastern Norway during the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age, revealing unique aspects of regional architectural and social organization. Notably, smaller and uniform house sizes suggest a divergence from the monumental power displays seen in southernmost Scandinavia. The uniformity in house sizes and significant spatial distances between contemporary houses imply a social structure akin to segmentary societies with symmetrical power relations, reliant on mobility and mixed subsistence practices. Changes in settlement patterns and house sizes during the Late Bronze Age could have been the result of increased social stratification or responses to population growth. Overall, the settlement patterns and house sizes in south-eastern Norway reflect a society that, while connected to the broader Nordic Bronze Age world, developed distinct social and economic strategies. These findings highlight the importance of considering regional variations and responses to environmental and social challenges in prehistoric societies.

Ancient DNA reveals diverse community organizations in the 5th millennium BCE Carpathian Basin.

We present a comprehensive genetic investigation of Late Neolithic (LN) and Early Copper Age (ECA) populations living in the Carpathian Basin, leveraging whole genome data from 125 previously unreported individuals. Using population genetics, kinship analyses and the study of networks of identity-by-descent haplotype segment sharing, we elucidate the social and genetic dynamics of these communities between 4800-3900 cal BCE. Despite changes in settlement patterns, burial practices, and material culture, we document a high degree of genetic continuity. While one set of individuals we analyzed from a large community cemetery was genetically diverse, another site was more homogenous and closed, with numerous consanguineous relationships and evidence of patrilineality and patrilocality. These results document radically different kinship systems in contemporaneous ECA communities using similar material culture and living only about 100 km apart.

Climate Change, Coastal Heritage Digitization, and Local Community Engagement at the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage Site, Tanzania

ABSTRACT Kilwa Kisiwani is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the coast of Tanzania. Monuments such as the Great Mosque and Husuni Kubwa, along with shipwrecks, ceramics, and beads, testify to the growth of Swahili culture and commerce from the late 1st millennium a.d. until the 19th century a.d. This heritage is threatened by climate change involving rising sea levels, increased vegetation growth, and tropical cyclones causing erosion, flooding, altering marine ecosystems and resources, and saltwater intrusion into freshwater wells. Archaeological and paleoenvironmental evidence suggests previous climatic changes led to changing settlement patterns. Projects have been initiated, linked to a National Monument Record database, to digitize and record endangered intangible and tangible heritage, including training in drone surveys, underwater shipwreck recording, a mobile app, and excavation of water wells. These projects have a local community input that link with a museum, festivals, cultural tours, music videos, and local products to bring economic benefit and sustainable living.

The Settlement Pattern Changes of Nam-Gang River Area in the Late Bronze Age

The Settlement Pattern Changes of Nam-Gang River Area in the Late Bronze Age

Prehistoric Cultural Migration in the Middle–Lower Lishui Catchment of Central China in Response to Environmental Changes

Climate change and geological shifts were pivotal in the survival and development of ancient human societies, especially in densely populated regions like the middle and lower Lishui River Basin. This study explored the dynamic interactions between ancient human cultures and the region’s natural environment, using field research alongside geological, geomorphological, and archaeological data spanning from the late Paleolithic to the Neolithic periods. Our findings showed that prehistoric sites in the middle and lower Lishui River Basin were primarily located in the low hilly areas surrounding the lower basin during the Paleolithic era, a pattern shaped by the region’s geomorphology. Early human settlements were strategically positioned near the Lishui River, offering access to vital resources while minimizing flood risk. These locations provided flat terrain, abundant vegetation, and materials for tool-making, factors that supported a hunting and gathering lifestyle. As the coldest phase of the last glacial period approached, the transition from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic eras marked a period of significant behavioral adaptation. In response to the harsher environment, humans began settling on lower terraces and miniaturizing their stone tools, signaling a shift to more specialized hunting techniques. This adaptability and resilience marked the refinement of hunting economies during this period. With the onset of the Holocene epoch and a warmer climate, conditions for human habitation became more favorable. Societies began migrating from the hills to the fertile lower Lishui River Basin, heralding the Neolithic period. This era saw the emergence of settlements and the onset of early rice cultivation, marking the transition from a hunting–gathering economy to one centered on agriculture. By the Daxi period, these settlements had expanded, extending their influence throughout the region. In conclusion, this study underscores the critical roles of climate change and geological features in shaping human settlement patterns, economic activities, and cultural evolution in the middle and lower Lishui River Basin. Our findings offer valuable insights into the evolutionary processes of ancient human cultures in the region and provide a foundation to understand future challenges in sustainable development.

Prehistoric communities in the Bayuda Desert, Sudan

Abstract Large-scale field research is providing extensive data on the prehistoric settlement history of the Bayuda Desert in Sudan. The authors briefly examine notable outputs from the project, including some of the more than 100 radiocarbon dates that permit a more nuanced understanding of the chronology of settlement pattern changes.

Urban Expansion and Changing Settlement Patterns of Hyderabad City After 1990s

This paper examines the urban expansion and evolving settlement patterns of Hyderabad city since the 1990s, a period marked by rapid growth and transformation in response to economic liberalization, population influx, and infrastructural developments. The study employs spatial analysis techniques, including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to map changes in land use, density shifts, and the expansion of urban peripheries. Key factors such as migration, industrial growth, and policy shifts are analyzed to understand their role in reshaping the city's morphology. Findings reveal significant spatial reorganization, with traditional central areas experiencing densification and peripheral zones undergoing rapid development

The 4.2 ka BP event in western Anatolia: Tracing the impact of climatic change

Climatic change has been called for as an explanation on many occasions of societal change. The way climatic deterioration affects societies appears to be straightforward; it causes such alterations in the environment that critical subsistence resources are not anymore available in sufficient abundance. Nevertheless, it is not clear how these alterations can be identified and verified in the archeological record, and there is not an easy way to clarify if modifications observed in subsistence patterns are the consequences of climatic change or other agents. Additionally, there is a number of problems related to paleoenvironmental data that measure the climatic fluctuations, mostly concerning the exact timing of events and their intensity which may not have been the same universally. In this research, we examine the 4.2 ka BP climatic event and its possible effects on western Anatolian societies through a set of published data. We discuss the information we have about the event from available paleoenvironmental data and the gaps in this kind of research. We examine the agropastoral economy from Troy, Küllüoba, Kanlıgeçit, and Karataş-Semayük for possible changes according to a set of criteria that we consider as indicators of responses to aridification. We found diverging strategies that may relate to the different local environments or varying societal structures unique to each site. We consider a partial turn to nomadic pastoralism as an adaptation strategy based on changes in settlement patterns. Finally, we evaluate our findings against other possible explanations since the observed patterns could have had multiple explanations.

Tracing adaptive cycles and resilience strategies within the Sagalassos settlement record, SW Türkiye

Three decades of interdisciplinary research within the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project has provided extensive archaeological, environmental and geoarchaeological datasets. This paper seeks to bring together these datasets to explore diachronic socio-ecological dynamics within the Sagalassos Study Area, SW Türkiye. For this, we will use the Adaptive Cycles and Resilience Theory framework to explore socio-cultural development during changing climatic and environmental conditions. The paper aims to serve as an in-depth case study of these frameworks, integrating archaeological and environmental data, which – despite the increasing popularity of resilience theory – remains underdeveloped within the field of archaeology, especially within Mediterranean and Anatolian archaeology. We will explore the utility of the adaptive cycle framework for reconstructing diachronic human-environment interactions through changing settlement patterns documented during surveys conducted by the Sagalassos Project. Critical phases within the settlement record can be identified during the last 8000 years including apparent periods of ‘rupture’ during the Middle Chalcolithic, Middle-Late Bronze Age, Hellenistic and Middle-Byzantine periods; representing times of serious upheaval in ‘normal’ cultural traditions and lifeways. The adaptive cycle framework will help distinguish between the effects of environmental changes and social dynamics, as well as their potential interrelations in causing long-term social transformation in the Sagalassos Study Area.

Barriers to primary care among immigrants and refugees in Peterborough, Ontario: a qualitative study of provider perspectives

BackgroundCanada’s immigrants and refugees have often settled in large Canadian cities, but this is changing with rising costs of living and rural settlement initiatives. However, little consideration is made regarding systemic changes needed to accommodate this distribution, particularly in healthcare in medium-sized cities or smaller communities. For most Canadians, primary care is an entry point into the healthcare system but immigrants and refugees face unique barriers to accessing care compared to the general Canadian population. This project aimed to better understand the barriers to accessing primary care among newcomers in Peterborough, Ontario from the perspective of newcomer service providers.MethodologyParticipants were recruited from community organizations identified by the local settlement agency, the New Canadians Centre, as having regular interactions with newcomer clients including clinics, not-for-profit organizations, and volunteer groups. Four focus groups were completed, each with three participants (n=12). A coding grid was deductively developed to guide thematic analysis by adapting Levesque et al.’s conceptual framework defining access to healthcare with five specific dimensions: approachability, acceptability, availability and accommodation, affordability, and appropriateness.ResultsParticipants identified lack of awareness of the healthcare system, stigma, competing priorities, and direct costs as some of the barriers for newcomers. Participants highlighted barriers unique to Peterborough including proximity to services, social isolation, and a shortage of family physicians. The results also highlighted strengths in the community such as its maternal-child health programming.ConclusionThe results provide a glimpse of the challenges to accessing primary care among newcomers in medium-sized communities and identify opportunities to prepare for changing settlement patterns.

Population change, racial settlement patterns, and the newest southern electorate

ABSTRACT Recent scholarship on the American South emphasizes how changing settlement patterns affect party politics. Specifically, places with high population growth are shifting toward the Democratic Party whereas localities shedding residents favor Republicans. This insight is important but also in need of empirical refinement. In this study, we examine settlement patterns and changes in the racial composition of the southern electorate at three different units of analysis: states, counties, and individuals with an original survey of respondents residing in the South. We include place-specific variables indicating where respondents grew up and where they currently live to gain a more accurate picture of how settlement patterns are altering the southern electorate.

Land use land cover simulations using integrated CA-Markov model in the Tawi Basin of Jammu and Kashmir India

Land use and land cover (LULC) changes are important indicators of environmental and socio-economic changes made by the natural and anthropogenic sources. The present study is based on the Cellular Automata (CA) Markov model for predicting the LULC changes in the Tawi Basin. To decipher the spatio-temporal distributions of LULC, the Landsat images of 2010 and 2020 were used to analyse the LULC classification. Further, CA Markov model simulations of various scenarios of eight decades (2030 to 2100) were generated based on LULC of 2010 and 2020 data to know the LULC perspective changes in the Tawi Basin, which has witnessed the enormous developmental activities such as growth in settlement, population, and agriculture sector over the years. The model predicts that a population explosion leading to rapid urbanization and rural expansions.Settlement is expected to increase from 5.29% of the total area in 2020 to 13.975% in the year 2100. The CA–Markov model results paint a picture of significant changes in land use and settlement patterns in the Tawi Basin. The study serves as a crucial tool for guiding future planning efforts, urging environmentalists, planners, and decision-makers to prioritize sustainable practices and make informed decisions for the well-being of the region.

The Gebelein Region in the Third Intermediate and Late Periods

While relatively much is known of Gebelein in the second and third millennia BCE, as well as the Ptolemaic times, the role of the town of Per-Hathor and its surrounding in the Third Intermediate (c. 1076–747 BCE) and Late (c. 747–332 BCE) periods remains largely obscure. The aim of this paper is to examine the existing sources pertaining to the history of Gebelein with the particular focus on state activities in the area, diachronic changes in settlement pattern and sacral topography, as well as funerary landscape in the first three-quarters of first millennium BCE and analyse the available information in a regional context. For this, published and unpublished records are utilised, together with the results of the current field prospection in Gebelein.

The paleoclimate of the Gediz Graben (Western Türkiye) and archaeological settlement patterns during the Holocene

The Gediz Graben is one of the highly sensitive areas in the Anatolian Peninsula to climatic changes as the climatic patterns in the region have been controlled by both polar and tropical circulation systems. We used readily available results from the CHELSA paleoclimate model and ran the MCM to obtain the paleo-precipitation and paleo-temperature patterns for the research area. This research aims to reconstruct the past climatic conditions of the Gediz Graben during the last 12 ka years through the paleoclimate model results and existing multiple proxy records in the eastern Mediterranean, to contextualize the long-term changes in archaeological settlement patterns in the region. Although we compare the model results here, we base our interpretations of paleoclimate reconstructions on the results of the MCM and the proxy records. The paleoclimatic conditions of the Graben were wetter and colder during the Early Holocene. The Middle and Late Holocene climate was generally stable and near-modern patterns prevailed around 7 ka in the Graben. However, the climatic shifts occurred at smaller amplitudes for shorter periods in comparison to the Early Holocene. These patterns are supported by local and regional proxy records in the eastern Mediterranean. The archaeological settlements in the Plain increased from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age; gathered around large bodies of water. The results suggest that the paleoenvironmental processes (the paleo-lakes, paleoclimatic conditions) contributed to decisions concerning the locales of archaeological settlements on the Gediz Plain.

What drives densification and sprawl in cities? A spatially explicit assessment for Vienna, between 1984 and 2018

The spatial arrangement of settlements constitutes a long-lasting legacy and shapes the prospects for transformations toward sustainability. Thus, understanding the drivers of changes in settlement patterns is essential. In this article, we present a spatially explicit, geostatistical analysis of settlement dynamics, and a qualitative investigation of its regulative, demographic, and economic drivers, using the example of Vienna, Austria between 1984 and 2018. Combining spatially explicit metrics of urban sprawl and cluster analysis, we analyzed high-resolution maps of buildings, population, and jobs to identify distinct settlement trajectories. Societal drivers of more or less sprawled settlement dynamics are analyzed with desk research and expert interviews. We distinguish five types of settlement dynamics: persistently dense areas with increasing use intensity, re-densification of dense areas, persistently sprawled areas, redensification of sprawled areas, and persistently isolated buildings. Urban renewal schemes have fostered the re-densification of dense areas in response to population growth and urban economic restructuring. The combination of urban renewal schemes and green space policies has successfully limited urban expansion. Challenges arise from the demand for single-family housing and corresponding zoning regulations. These factors solidify existing sprawled settlements, posing obstacles to the efficient re-densification of such areas crucial for sustainable urban development.

Re-thinking Chalcolithic landscapes in southeast Iberia: the case of the Middle Antas river (Almeria, Spain)

Our understanding of Chalcolithic settlements in southern Iberia (c. 3200–2200 bce) has changed dramatically in recent decades. Instead of clearly bounded and dense settlements, archaeology is establishing a range of site types, some sparsely settled, some quite large. Such varied settlement typology is now understood as being part of a thriving period of development, which included monumental tombs, high-quality craft organisation and highly dynamic exchange networks. This article presents recent work around the River Antas in Almeria, Spain, which has revealed a complex settlement network along the river for the period in question. This new evidence challenges our understanding of prehistoric habitation in the area and poses new questions about major settlement pattern changes in the prehistory of the region.

Опорный каркас как основа формирования эффективного пространства социального развития северного региона (на примере Республики Коми)

This article aims to articulate and empirically substantiate the concept of an efficient space for regional social development utilizing the creative potential inherent in settlement patterns. The study is built upon the author's concept of space as a set of conditions for placing material objects and that of spatial development as the region's transformation through changes in settlement patterns. An efficient space is understood as a multilayered space with smooth connections between layers forming a structure that fosters activity and intraregional connectivity. The research represents a novel perspective on the concept of intraregional connectivity and contributes to its advancement. The article describes elements, characteristics, and trends in settlement patterns, healthcare, education infrastructure, and production locations in the Komi Republic. It identifies flaws in intraregional connectivity and their root causes and uses maps to illustrate the compression of the settlement area resulting from a decrease in the number of settlements and a population outflow in the north of the region. Challenges associated with accessibility to medical institutions and lack of access to essential medical services in some areas create a risk zone for public health. The study emphasizes the transformative impact of resettlement challenges on general education institutions, necessitating adjustments in the interface between transport and social service layers. The article explores the evolving city-forming and spatial functions within such areas as Fuel-Based Arctic, Traditional North, Energy-Based Center, and Timber-Based South. It highlights the limited role of corporations and the burgeoning potential of locally focused socially-oriented companies. The findings suggest that future research areas may include the digital transformation of healthcare and education, as well as an exploration of the territorial structure of social cohesion.

Urbanicity and child health in 26 sub-Saharan African countries: Settlement type and its association with mortality and morbidity

Urbanization and changing settlement patterns have affected health environments in African countries. A profound understanding of the intricate association between urbanicity and health is imperative for formulating effective interventions. This study aims to classify settlement types based on urbanicity and assess their effects on child health in 26 African countries, utilizing data from the Demographic and Health Survey and the Global Human Settlements Layer. The advanced settlement classification incorporates a multidimensional urbanicity scale and globally standardized urban extents, along with identifying urban slums. This approach derives six distinct settlement types: urban center, urban cluster, deprived urban settlement, rural town, rural cluster, and rural village. A multilevel logistic regression model examines the relationship between settlement types and health outcomes, encompassing mortality, fever, anemia, diarrhea, and cough in children under five. The analysis reveals that children living in rural villages and deprived urban settlements face a high burden of adverse health conditions. However, the size and direction of urbanicity's effects vary depending on the specific outcome. These findings highlight the significance of tailored interventions acknowledging health environments within each settlement to promote health equity.

Fragments from Ottoman Zagori: continuity and change in a montane landscape through a local perspective

This article discusses elite continuity and settlement pattern change in Zagori (NW Greece) from the late fourteenth to the nineteenth century. The peaceful assimilation of the regional and local elites into the Ottoman Empire (1430) led to adaptations in the montane landscape. Imperial and local archival research, ethnography, and landscape archaeology reveal that the Ottoman administration divided large decentralized settlements into smaller villages to accommodate local elites and new timariots. This topography of division (fifteenth to sixteenth centuries) gave way to a topography of adaptation (seventeenth to nineteenth centuries) when local elites influenced settlement patterns in forming the administrative unit the Zagorisian League.

GIS-Based Analysis of Wildlife Habitat Suitability and Conservation Strategies in Maasai Mara Reserve

The significance of conducting an animal habitats suitability analysis is to enhance sustainable management in the face of land use modification, population growth, and changing settlement patterns, thereby safeguarding Kenya's natural resources, tourism, biodiversity, resource utilization, and community livelihoods. This paper establishes a habitat suitability analysis of specific animal habitats based on GIS technology. Firstly, key indicators were identified and subjected to the single factor analysis. Secondly, the AHP model was employed to calculate the weights of the indicators. A comprehensive evaluation was then carried out to visualize the animal habitat suitability map. Finally, the results of the animal habitat suitability analysis were overlaid with the spatial data of the road network. Overall, the results show that the suitable habitat for wildlife habitat is concentrated in the eastern and western corners of the Masai Mara Reserve, evenly distributed in the south-eastern corner, with a small amount in the north. The impact of lost opportunities for people living near the reserve will be significantly reduced. A kernel density estimation model was introduced to make predictions based on the first law of geography. The visualized predictions show that the habitable range of animals is relatively close to the results of model 1, which proves that animal populations and the quality of human life are secure.