Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) Approach in Landscape Archaeological Studies (Case Study: The Distribution of Middle Paleolithic Open-air Sites in Miankouh Region; Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran)

Authors

1 Ph.D. in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Human Science, University of Tehran, Tehran. Iran. (Corresponding Author).

2 Associate Professor, Department of Archeology, Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran.

3 M.A. in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Literature and Human Science, University of Tehran, Tehran. Iran.

10.22084/nb.2023.25893.2463

Abstract

Today, Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) is one of the most important methods used to illustrate the influence of most important factors (ecotopes) on the distribution of archaeological sites at the local landscape scale. Geographic Information System (GIS), as a core analytical tool, plays a key role in identifying task-specific locations. GIS, in combination with MATLAB toolboxes, topologically enhances our understanding of how environmental factors influenced the resource exploitation patterns of past societies. Focusing on the Middle Paleolithic (MP) statistical dataset, this paper underscores the analytical value of KDE in studying MP open-air sites and localities that were identified during three seasons of archaeological survey in the Miankouh region, located in western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari (ChB) Province. An analysis of the available dataset (177 points with recorded latitude and longitude coordinates, XY) reveals two probable environmental factors that appear to have contributed to the formation of four major MP open-air site clusters across the Miankouh landscape. The highest concentration of sites occurs on river terraces near the Khersun and Bazoft rivers (Kernel 1), where suitable riverine chert raw materials were available for tool production in the Low Altitude Zone (LAZ). Another significant cluster (Kernel 2) is in the High-Altitude Zone (HAZ), around two natural seasonal pools and the Pootak spring.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Archaeological Research of Iran
Volume 15, Issue 45
English Issue
2025
Pages 7-23

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