APPLICATION OF MORAN’S I STATISTICS IN SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES OF THE SARFIROUZABAD PLAIN, CENTRAL ZAGROS, IRAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14795/j.v10i4.921Keywords:
Environmental factors, chalcolithic sites, Moran’s I, Sarfirouzabad plain, Central Zagros, IranAbstract
The emergence of human settlements has always been based on natural factors; Factors such as altitude, water resources, communication routes, slope, temperature, and rainfall are the natural etiologies affecting the distribution of human settlements, which of course, some of them play a more effective role in this regard. This study investigates the correlation between the chalcolithic sites of Sarfirouzabad plain and environmental factors according to natural criteria. Sarfirouzabad plain is one of the environs of Firouzabad district, located 35 km southeast of Kermanshah province, along the natural plain of Mahidasht. This plain is extended to the southern and southeastern parts of Mahidasht in terms of natural geography. Six natural variables as affective factors in the establishment of settlements include altitude, distance from rivers and roads, the extent and continuity of periods of the sites, and position in the plains or mountainsides being selected and have been analyzed by using statistical methods and Moran I regional area index by GIS. Exploratory spatial data analysis is a method for studying random and non-random spatial distribution patterns of these variables, and spatial autocorrelation is one of the most practical and substantial analytical tools for research on spatial data. The results show that the archaeological sites are formed in connection with each other in addition to environmental factors. The spatial distribution of the archaeological sites in the area of research is cluster type. Based on hotspot analyses, past humans may have chosen to settle in two regions, namely the plain floor and the southern margin of the Sarfirouzabad plain, to adapt to their environment. These two types of settlements are indicative of two lifestyles and livelihoods.
Downloads
References
ABDI 2002
Abdi, K., Strategies of Herding: Pastoralism in the Middle Chalcolithic Period of the West Central Zagros Mountains, Iran, doctoral dissertation (University of Michigan: microfilms an Arbor).
ABDI 2003
Abdi, K., The Early Development of Pastoralism in the Central Zagros Mountains, Journal of World Prehistory 17/4, 395-448.
ANDY 2005
Andy, M., The ESRI Guide to GIS Analysis (Vol. 2) (Redlands: ESRI Press).
BALMAKI et alii 2013
Balmaki, B./Niknami, K. A./Saeedi Harsini, M. R., Analyzing Typical Characteristics of Central Zagros Potteries during the Chalcolithic Period, Archaeological Discovery 1/2, 23-31.
BRAIDWOOD 1960a
Braidwood, R. J., Seeking the World’s First Farmers in Persian Kurdistan: A Full Scale Investigation of Prehistoric Sites near Kermanshah, Illustrated London News 237, 695- 697.
BRAIDWOOD 1960b
Braidwood, R. J., Preliminary Investigations Concerning the Origins of Food Production in Iranian Kurdistan, British Association for the Advancement of Science 17, 214-18.
BROOKS 1989
Brooks, I., The Physical Geography, geomorphology and late quaternary history of the mahidasht project area, qara su basin, central western Iran, Rom Mahidasht Project Report (Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum).
BROOKS et alii 1982
Brooks, I./Levine, L./Denell, R., Alluvial sequence in central west Iran and implications for archaeological survey, Journal of Field Archaeology 9/3, 285-299.
CHATTERJEE/HADI 2006
Chatterjee, S./Hadi, A. S., Regression Analysis by Example. Vol. 4 (Hoboken: John Wiley& Sons).
FU et alii 2014
Fu, W. J./Jiang, P. K./Zhou, G. M./Zhao, K. L., Using Moran’s I and GIS to study the spatial pattern of forest litter carbon density in a subtropical region of southeastern China, Biogeosciences 11, 2401–2409.
GOFF 1971
Goff, C., Luristan before the Iron Age, Iran 9, 131-152.
GOPNIK 2012
Gopnik, H., History of excavations of Godin Tape: the history of Godin Tepe, Iran. In: Gopnik, H., Rothman, M. (eds.), On the High Road (Tehran: Mazda Publishers in association with Royal Ontario Museum), 5-21.
HENRICKSON 1985
Henrickson, E. F., Early development of Pastoralism in the central Zagros Highlands (Luristan), Iranica Antiqua 12, 1-43.
HESHMATI et alii 2011
Heshmati, M./Arifin, A./Shamshuddin, J./Majid, N. M./Ghaituri, M., Factors affecting landslides occurrence in agro-ecological zones in the Merek catchment, Iran, Journal of Arid Environments 75, 1072-1082.
HEYDARI GURAN 2015
Heydari Guran, S., Tracking upper Pleistocene human dispersals into the Iranian Plateau: a geoarchaeological model. In: Sanz, N (ed.), Human origin sites and the world heritage convention in Eurasia. HEADS 4, vol 1. UNESCO publication (Mexico), 40–53.
HEYDARI DASTENAEI/NIKNAMI 2020
Heydari Dastenaei, M./Niknami, K.A., An Investigation on the Impact of Physical Environment on the Formation and Continuity of Ancient settlements, Case Study the Merek River Catchment, Central Zagros, Iran, Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology 7/4, 79-90.
HODDER/ORTON 1976
Hodder, I./Orton, C., Spatial Analysis in Archaeology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).
JOHNSON 1973
Johnson, G. A., Local Exchange and Early State Development in Southwestern Iran, Museum of Anthropology (Michigan: University of Michigan).
LEVINE 1974
Levine, L.D., Archaeological investigations in the Mahidasht, Western Iran, Paléorient II/2, 487-490.
MAGHSOUDI 2009
Maghsoudi, M., Assessment of Effective Factors on Evolution of Alluvial Fans Case Study: Jajroud Alluvial Fan, Physical Geography Research 1/65, 73-92.
MAGHSOUDI et alii 2015
Maghsoudi, M./Zamanzadeh, S.M./Ehdaei, A./Yousefi Zoshk, R./Yamani, M., Analysis of the role of environmental factors in site selecting of prehistoric settlements in Varamin Plain with usage fuzzy logic, The Journal of Spatial Planning 19/3, 263-261.
MAN 2006
Man, P. S., Comparison of Ordinary Least Square Regression, Spatial Autoregression, and Geographically Weighted Regression for Modeling Forest Structural Attributes Using a Geographical Information System (GIS)/Remote Sensing (RS) Approach, Msc Thesis (Calgary: University of Calgary, Department of Geography).
MANDAL 1989
Mandal, R. B., Systems of Rural Settlements in Developing Countries (New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company).
MASHKOUR/ABDI 2002
Mashkour, M./Abdi, K., The question of nomadic campsites in archaeology: the case of Tuwah Khoshkeh. In: Buitenhuis, H., Choyke, A.M., Mashkour, M., Al-Shiyab, A.H. (eds.), Archaeozoology of the Near East V: Proceedings of the fifth international symposium on the archaeozoology of southwestern Asia and adjacent areas (Groningen: RCG-Groningen), 211-227.
MC DONALD 1979
Mc Donald, M. M., An Examination of Mid- Holocene Settlement Patterns in the Central Zagros Region of Western Iran, Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Anthropology, (Toronto: University of Toronto).
MORTENSEN 1974a
Mortensen, P., A Survey of Early Prehistoric Sites in the Holailan Valley in Luristan. In: Bagherzadeh, F. (ed.), Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Symposium on Archaeological Research in Iran (Tehran: Iranian Center for Archaeological Research), 34-52.
MORTENSEN 1974b
Mortensen, P., A survey of Prehistoric Settlements in Northern Luristan, Acta Archaeologica 45, 1-47.
NIKNAMI/NIKZAD 2012
Niknami, K.A./Nikzad, M., New evidence of the Neolithic period in West Central Zagros: the Sarfirouzabad- Mahidasht Region, Iran, Documenta Praehistorica XXXIX, 453-458.
NIKNAMI/ASKARPOUR 2013
Niknami, K.A./Askarpour, V., A GIS Modeling of Prehistoric Site Distribution in the Sarfirouzabad Plain of Kermanshah, Northwestern Iran, International Journal of Heritage in the Digital Era 2, 343-359.
NIKNAMI/ASKARPOUR 2015
Niknami, K.A./Askarpour, V., Pattern analysis of Chalcolithic settlements in the valley of Sarfirouzabad, Kermanshah, Iran, Archeologia e Calcolatori 26, 131-147.
NIKNAMI/IRANDOUST/TAHMASEBI 2013
Niknami, K.A./Irandoust, H./Tahmasebi, A., Environmental and Cultural Factors Influencing Parthian Archaeological Site Distribution in the Sarfirouzabad Plain of Kermanshah, west of Iran, International Journal of Geosciences 4, 69-77.
NIKNAMI/MIRGHADERI 2019
Niknami, K.A./Mirghaderi, M A., Farmers, herders or tradesmen? Analysing settlement patterns of the middle and late Bronze Age on the sarfirouzabad plain, Kermanshah, Western Iran, Acta Archaeologica 90/1, 155-17.
PEETERS et alii 2015
Peeters, A./Zude, M./Käthner, J./Ünlü, M./Kanber, R./Hetzroni, A./Gebbers, R./Ben-Gal, A., Getis–Ord’s hot-and cold-spot statistics as a basis for multivariate spatial clustering of orchard tree data, Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 111, 140-50.
PLOG et alii 1978
Plog, S./Plog, F./Wait, W., Decision making. In: Schiffer, M.B. (ed.), Modern survey, in advances in Archaeological Method and Theory (New York: Academic Press), 384-421.
POTOSYAN 2017
Potosyan, A.H. Geographical features and development regularities of rural areas and Settlements distribution in mountain countries, Journal Annals of Agrarian Science 15/2, 1-5.
RAEISI/STEVANOVIC 2010
Raeisi, E./Stevanovic Z., Springs of the Zagros mountain range (Iran and Iraq). In: Kresic, N., Stevanovic, Z. (eds.), Groundwater hydrology of spring (London: Elsevier), 500-514.
RASHID 2020
Rashid, M.U., Factors Affecting Location and Siting of Settlements, Journal of Science and Engineering 14/1, 44-53.
REINMANN et alii 2016
Reinmann, A. B./Hutyra, L. R./Trlica, A./Olofsson, P., Assessing the Global Warming Potential of Human Settlement Expansion in a Mesic Temperate Landscape from 2005 to 2050, Science of the Total Environment 545-546, 512–524.
SAEEDI HARSINI 2014
Saeedi Harsini, M.R., Settlement Pattern Study of Chalcolithic Sites in the Gamasb River Basin of Central Zagros, Western Iran, International Journal of Archaeology 2/1, 1-5.
SAIZEN et alii 2010
Saizen, I./Maekawa, A./Yamamura, N., Spatial analysis of time-series changes in livestock distribution by detection of local spatial associations in Mongolia, Applied Geography 30/4, 639-649.
SARFARAZ/SARRAF/YAGHMAEI 1968
Sarfaraz, A. A./Sarraf, M.R./Yaghmaie, E., Surveys of Kermanshah (Tehran: Iranian Centre for Archaeological Research) (In Persian).
SCHMIDT 1940
Schmidt, E., Flights over Ancient Iran (Chicago: University of Chicago).
SCHWARZ/MOUNT 2006
Schwarz, K.R./Mount, J., Integrating spatial Statistics in to Archaeological Data Modeling. In: Mehrer, M., Wescott, K. (eds.), GIS and Archaeological Site Location Modeling (London: Taylor & Francis), 154-175.
SCOTT/GETIS 2008
Scott, L./Getis, A., Spatial statistics. In: Kemp, K. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Geographic Information (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc).
STEIN 1940
Stein, M.A., Old Routes of Western Iran, narrative of an archaeological journey carried out and recorded (London: Macmillan& Co).
TRIGGER, 1967
Trigger, B.G., Settlement archaeology, its goals and promise, American Antiquity 32/2, 149-160.
VOJTKOVA et alii 2019
Vojtekova, J./Vojtek, M./Tirpáková, A./Vlkolinská, I., Spatial Analysis of Pottery Presence at the Former Pobedim Hillfort (an Archeological Site in Slovakia), Sustainability 11/6873, 1-17.
ZHANG et alii 2008
Zhang, Ch./Luo, L./Xu, W./Ledwith, V., Use of local Moran’s I and GIS to identify pollution hotspots of Pb in urban soils of Galway, Ireland, Science of the Total Environment 398, 212-221.
ZHANG et alii 2009.
Zhang, Ch./Tang, Y./Luo, L./Xu, W., Outlier identification and visualization for Pb concentrations in urban soils and its implications for identification of potential contaminated land, Environmental Pollution 157, 3083–3090.
ZHANG et alii 2005
Zhang, L./Gove, J.H./Heath, L.S., Spatial residual analysis of six modeling techniques. Forest Ecology and Management 189, 317–329.
ZHANG et alii 2014
Zhang, R./Jiang, D./Zhang, L./Cui, Y./Li, M./Xiao, L., Distribution of nutrients, heavy metals, and PAHs affected by sediment dredging in the Wujin’gang River basin flowing into Meiliang Bay of Lake Taihu, Environmental Science and Pollution Research 21, 2141–2153.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal, we use CC BY-NC-ND license (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs) wich only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
