Formation and Transformation of Communities in Prehistoric Khorasan

Summary

This paper evaluates the previously proposed sequence of transformations in prehistoric social organization in Northeastern Iran (Khorasan) using geospatial analysis of settlement distributions. The proposed sequence begins with agricultural villages during the Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic, transitions to craft-producing towns during the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, culminates in a process of proto-urbanization and the emergence of state-like structures during the Middle Bronze Age, and subsequently collapses at the end of the Bronze Age, resulting in the ‘abandonment’ of the region until the Middle Iron Age. Several explanations have been invoked to explain the transitions in this sequence, including migrations, shifting long-distance trade routes, the exhaustion of productive resources and climate change. In this paper, I present the results of a settlement pattern analysis of data generated through synthesis of legacy surveys in GIS and visual inspection of satellite imagery. This analysis focuses on several key variables, including measures of site size, morphology, landform correlations, clustering, hydrological potential, estimation of territorial boundaries, and relationships to modeled transportation corridors. The results of this study help us to operationalize the concepts of 'community' and 'social organization' in this region and evaluate the validity of the proposed culture-historical sequence.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15840