• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Durham Research Online Deposited in DRO: 13 October 2020 Version of attached le: Published Version Peer-review status of attached le: Peer-reviewed Citation for published item: Hopper, Kristen and Omrani Rekavandi, Hamid (2020) 'Investigating mobile pastoralist landscapes in North East Iran : the contribution of remote sensing.', in New agendas in remote sensing and landscape archaeology in the Near East : studies in honour of Tony J. Wilkinson. Oxford : Archaeopress, pp. 94-108. Further information on publisher's website: https://www.archaeopress.com/ArchaeopressShop/Public/download.asp?id=FD36F5D9-37E7-49B9-9779- 8ECF0920259F Publisher's copyright statement: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Additional information: This book can be downloaded or purchased in a printed edition: http://archaeopress.com/ArchaeopressShop/Public/displayProductDetail.asp?id=111206E6-781F-4D31-B64C- F988A52726F2 Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. Durham University Library, Stockton Road, Durham DH1 3LY, United Kingdom Tel : +44 (0)191 334 3042 | Fax : +44 (0)191 334 2971 https://dro.dur.ac.uk Investigating Mobile Pastoralist Landscapes in North East Iran: The Contribution of Remote Sensing Kristen Hopper and Hamid Omrani Rekavandi Introduction long defensive wall likely built to control trade, facilitate taxation, and deter raids by groups living north of the The Gorgān Plain, located in the province of Golestan wall. Field survey and remote sensing of historical and in northeast Iran, encompasses several different modern satellite imagery carried out by members of the environmental zones. Rainfall averages 800 mm per Gorgān Wall Project (Wilkinson et al. 2013), along with year in the foothills immediately to the north of the data from surveys undertaken between the late 19th Ālborz mountain chain, and decreases significantly century and the present day, have identified hundreds to circa 200 mm per year as one moves north into the of archaeological sites dating from the Neolithic to the steppe near the Ātrak River (Khormali and Kehl 2011: Islamic Periods in this region (Abbasi 2011; Arne 1945; 111). The Gorgān River, dissecting the plain from east de Morgan 1902; Kiani 1982; Schmidt 1940; Shiomi 1976; to west, represents a rough natural boundary between 1978; Wilkinson et al. 2013; see Figures 7.1 and 7.2). the well-watered primarily agricultural landscape of Taken together these surveys have demonstrated the the southern half of the plain, and the increasingly arid intensity of tappehs (mounded sites), fortifications, and steppe in the north. In the Sasanian Period (AD 224–250) irrigation works in the southern portion of the plain, this natural frontier was supplemented by a c. 175 km while reinforcing the lack of sedentary settlement or Figure 7.1. Map of Gorgān Plain — distribution of sites, canals, hollow ways, and other archaeological features from all periods in the Gorgān Plain. Note the density of settlement in the southern half of the plain as compared to the northern half. Base map — SRTM 90 m — data available from the US Geological Survey. New Agendas in Remote Sensing and Landscape Archaeology in the Near East (Archaeopress 2020): 94–108 Investigating Mobile Pastoralist Landscapes in North East Iran agricultural investment in the northern portion of the bearing this in mind, landscapes of preservation offer plain in most periods. This pattern is in part due to the us a view on an important piece of the whole. intensity of survey to the south of the Gorgān River, as compared to the north. However, the few surveys that The contribution of remote sensing have covered the northern portion of the plain, and the remote sensing of the CORONA satellite imagery seem Aerial photography and satellite imagery are useful to indicate that it also reflects a real difference in land- for detecting mobile pastoral activity for several use and settlement patterns. reasons. First, we can benefit from an aerial perspective to elucidate patterning and morphology of often Signature landscapes ephemeral structures that might be missed in ground- based survey (Kennedy 2011: 1287). Second, we can Signature landscapes are defined by a package of more quickly investigate landscapes that would take activities that represent a dominant land-use strategy considerable amounts of time to survey utilising of a coherent time frame (Wilkinson 2003: 11, 214– traditional methods, or which may be difficult to 215). The dominant signatures in the Gorgān Plain, access. We can also use the results of such exercises to characterised by dense sedentary occupation and guide field survey. Thirdly, historical images can offer intensive agriculture, are a landscape of tells in the us a perspective on landscapes that may have been prehistoric periods, and a landscape of dispersal with altered by modern development. This is particularly increasing investment in irrigation systems in the later significant as traces of mobile pastoral activity are often periods. The former signature is represented by the rather ephemeral and are easily erased by more robust sheer number and density of Neolithic, Chalcolithic, activity. For example, an analysis of CORONA imagery and Bronze Age tappehs recorded by archaeological of the Mughan Steppe by Alizadeh and Ur (2007) survey. The latter signature landscape is clearly allowed them to identify Shahsevan mobile pastoralist detectable in the Sasanian Period, and in the more camps through depressions constructed for corralling ill-defined Iron III/IV Period in the Gorgān Plain, animals. The CORONA images had fortuitously caught where absolute and relative dates have established the landscape at a time when the visible signature was relationships between settlements/fortified sites and that left by mobile pastoralism. However, while these massive irrigation systems (Sauer et al. 2013). Along features were visible in different environmental zones with these dominant signatures are the imprints left by on the historical CORONA, they were not as easily land use strategies associated with mobile pastoralism. detectable in arable lowland zones during field survey The traces of these activities are not invisible (for the due to modern agriculture. long running debate on the visibility of nomads in the archaeological record see Cribb 1994: 65–83; Finklestein The archaeological landscape of the southeast 1992; Finkelstein and Perevolotsky 1990; Potts 2014: Caspian coastline 1–46; Rosen 1992), but depending upon the type of activity and the environment could leave a much The usefulness of declassified CORONA spy satellite lighter imprint on the landscape (Wilkinson 2003: 173). photography for detecting archaeological sites and Signature landscapes associated with dense sedentary features has been demonstrated for landscapes occupation, agriculture, and irrigation will generally throughout the Near East (Casana and Cothren 2013; obliterate traces of less robust activity that preceded it. Philip et al. 2002; Ur 2003; 2013a; 2013b). The CORONA satellite images of the Gorgān Plain taken in the Mobile pastoral activity is usually easier to detect in 1960s and 1970s are no exception, with hundreds of more marginal landscapes or landscapes of preservation, archaeological sites and features visible (see Figure 7.2). such as desert, steppe, or highland, which are naturally too arid to support intensive rain-fed cultivation, but Systematic analysis of the CORONA imagery revealed are often exploited for grazing or episodic settlement far fewer archaeological sites, from all periods, to the (Alizadeh and Ur 2007; Wilkinson 2003: 41–43). The north of the Gorgān River than to the south of it. This traces of such activity are characterised by features such is not surprising given the semi-arid nature of the as tent bases, enclosures, and temporary structures, northern plain. This landscape was historically not which can be detected by intensive pedestrian survey intensively cultivated and until the mid-20th century or, increasingly, through the analysis of high resolution had not sustained significant alterations due to modern satellite imagery, as demonstrated in the Negev desert, agriculture. Exploitation of the semi-arid steppe for highland areas of Turkey, and the desert fringes in sedentary settlement and cultivation appears only to Jordan (Hammer 2012; Kennedy 2014; Rosen 2010: have occurred periodically as attested by recent survey 68). While investigating these landscapes is key to and by excavations at Qelich Qoineh. This circa 80 ha finding direct remains of mobile pastoral activity, it is site, located to the north of the Gorgān River, has been important to note that we are only viewing the traces of dated to sometime between the 8th and 5th centuries the exploitation of one kind of environment. However, BC, being occupied for no less than 100, but no more 95 Kristen Hopper and Hamid Omrani Rekavandi Figure 7.2. Archaeological sites and features on the Gorgān Plain visible on CORONA imagery. Imagery available from the US Geological Survey. than 300 years. Morphologically similar sites with clearly representative of known landscape features such pottery contemporary to, or slightly later than Qelich as canals, qanats, or archaeological sites. Others, mainly Qoineh are common in the steppe, but most appear a group of circular and sub-circular features, present a to have fallen out of use by the Sasanian Period (circa new and distinct category. The area over which these 3rd century AD) (Hopper 2017; Wilkinson et al. 2013). features occur is roughly 65 km², and approximately However, the traces of activities one might expect 7 km inland from the modern Caspian coastline.

Load more

  16

Copy Link