Analysis of the Settlement Pattern of Historical Sites in Rumeshgan County, Lorestan Province

Romeshgan is a newly established city in the southwestern part of Lorestan province. In the author’s archeological study in 2016, 79 sites related to the historical period were identified in Romeshgan, a large number of which were introduced for the first time. The present study, which is based on field study, library studies and preparation and interpretation of GIS maps of the study area, examines the pattern of establishment of historical sites in the Romeshgan area based on characteristics such as height, slope, access to resources. Deals with water, soil type, topography, access roads, etc. The fundamental question of this study is how important and determining environmental factors have played a role in the formation and distribution of Romanesque historical sites and the main purpose of this study is to obtain an appropriate answer to this question through analysis and Summary of collected data. For this purpose, maps have been prepared based on the available information. The result of this study shows that the Romeshgan area is divided into three parts in terms of geographical features: northern plain, central heights and southern strip. Areas of the northern slope of Romeshgan plain are in the majority in terms of number and according to determining factors such as soil type, altitude, slope, land use and other influential factors, the areas of this section are most likely monogamous. There has been more emphasis on rainfed agriculture. In the central highlands, there are only a small number of sites or historical monuments with special uses such as defensive forts, which are fully compatible with the environmental and geographical features of this section. In the southern part, a number of historical sites have been identified, which due to the rangeland of the region and the lack of suitable soil for agriculture, it can be assumed that these areas were herding and livestock settlements.
Keywords: Rumeshgan, Archeology, Historical Period, Settlement Pattern.
 
Introduction
The geography and type of landscape of each area is the most important factor in how the areas of that area are distributed. Iran is a land with diverse geography in each region. Few regions of Iran can be found that have exactly the same landscape. For this reason, the type of distribution of the works of each plain and valley is different from the valleys and adjacent plains. In recent years, the study and analysis of the pattern of settlement of archaeological sites has become one of the main topics in archaeological research and studies, Whereas before, archaeologists who studied and identified historical monuments in different parts of the country, only introduced the sites and their location on the maps of 1.25000. But in recent years, comprehensive GIS maps have been prepared from the distribution of antiquities, which by studying and analyzing them and the resulting statistical charts, extract comprehensive information that can never be found in their location on 1.25000 maps. is not. The present study is dedicated to the study of the pattern of settlement in the historical period of Romeshgan. We assume that some important geographical and environmental factors such as plain or mountainous region, soil type, access to water resources and distance or proximity to major roads, have played an important role in the pattern of distribution of historical sites in this region.
Some of the main questions that this study seeks to answer are:
1. Which geographical and environmental factors play a key role in the formation and distribution of Romeshgan historical sites?
2. Considering the influential factors in question, what will be the pattern of distribution of Romeshgan historical sites?
3. What are the effects of environmental and geographical determinants on the sites of the historical period of the Romeshgan, in comparison with the prehistoric, Islamic and even contemporary sites?
The purpose of this study is to obtain an appropriate answer to the above questions and finally to draw a good picture of the settlement pattern of the historical sites of Romeshgan. To achieve this goal, first all parts of the city were surveyed archaeologically for two months. In the next stage, by studying the pottery pieces collected from different areas of Romeshgan, it became possible to date them. Then, with the help of GIS maps, we studied the historical sites of Romeshgan and the factors influencing their distribution pattern.
 
Identified Traces
As a result of the author’s archeological study in Romeshgan city in 2016, 111 sites from prehistoric, historical and Islamic periods were identified. The number of areas related to each of the mentioned groups is as follows:
1. Group I (prehistoric): Out of 111 sites identified, 42 sites have prehistoric settlement layers (including periods of copper, stone and bronze and their various phases).
2. The second group (historical): A total of 79 sites related to the historical period were identified in Romeshgan area. This group was divided into four more detailed periods including 1. Iron Age-Achaemenid, 2. Parthian, 3. Sassanid and 4. Historical with an indefinite period. Due to their proximity in time and space to historical sites in the lands of Elam and Mesopotamia, the Roman Iron Age sites were included in this group. Historical sites with an indefinite period also mainly include some special sites and works such as castles and paved roads that belong to the historical period, for stylistic reasons, for the author, but due to lack of sufficient evidence of It was not possible to date the pottery sentence more accurately. The study of the pattern of settlement of the historical sites of Romeshgan in particular is the subject of this article.
3. Third group (Islamic): Out of 111 identified sites, 51 sites have settlement layers related to the Islamic period (mainly the first to middle centuries of the Islamic period).
Most of the identified monuments of the city belong to the historical period (79 sites). Of these, according to the identification of surface pottery, 13 sites belong to the Iron Age and Achaemenid periods, 24 sites belong to the Parthian period and 58 sites belong to the Sassanid period, and in 2 areas no specific historical period can be suggested. Appearance.
 
Conclusion
Romeshgan is a small city in the southwest of Lorestan province, which is of great archeological importance due to its location in the middle of the ancient lands of Elam and Media on the one hand and Mesopotamia and the central plateau of Iran on the other. Is. In general, the scope of the author’s study in Romeshgan city has three completely different landscapes. These three different landscapes should be the basis of any issue related to the pattern of settlement of ancient sites (in this study, historical sites) in this area.
The results of this study show that the distribution pattern of today’s villages is very similar to the settlements of the historical period. For example, there are only seven sites from the prehistoric period that have been considered again in the Islamic period, while 42 sites that have historical settlements have been re-introduced in the Islamic period. This remarkable statistic indicates that during the Sassanid-Islamic period, this region has grown significantly due to its proximity to important centers such as Seymareh and Sirvan, and there have been no significant changes in population movement during this period.