چكيده لاتين :
Geographic and environmental attributes of a given region assume a pivotal role in the
formation and persistence of human settlements. Nature confers possibilities and resources on
human, who, as per his understanding of them, employs them in pursuit of his goals, hence the
rise of human–nature interaction. The frequency of and the ways in which human settlements
are established and the type of functions they serve with regard to environmental characteristics
give rise to the ecology, which aims to grasp the scope of the interrelationships between humans
and the environment. The present paper examines the scope of human-environment interactions
in the Parthian period over the geographic extent of the central part of the Kopeh dagh-Aladagh
corridor.
The paper seeks to ascertain the local environment’s influence on the formation and evolution of
Parthian settlements and to find out the pertinent settlement patterns in northern Khorasan.
Given the environmental potentialities, what were the Parthians’ criteria for site location when
establishing their settlements? How did these priorities affect the distribution of sites and their
settlement pattern in the study area? The present paper represents a multifaceted research
drawing upon archaeological survey, ecological studies, information processing in GIS,
examining the relationships between natural and cultural variables and their impact on the
formation of the contemporaneous settlements, and finally archaeological analysis. The study
adopts an ecological and economical approach. In this context, ecological data on the relation
between soil type, geology, flora, fauna, and water table or “biosorption analysis” have been
used. Processual archaeologists use ecological systems as their basic model for observing the
adaptive transformations humans in response to environmental circumstances as even small
environmental alterations will have the potential to affect cultural structures.
The Kopeh dagh-Aladagh corridor stretches from Garmab in western North Khorasan to the
Mashhad plain to the east. For the purposes of this study, the corridor is divided into the
following three separate parts based on geographic features that someway affect cultural
aspects: a) Western part: extending from the beginning of the village of Garmab to the border of
Shirvan County (Reza Abad), this part is characterized by a mountainous terrain with narrow
passes such as Badranlu; b) Central part: in this part, defined by the beginning of Shirvan
County (Reza Abad) and the end of Quchan County, the plains grow wider as the mountains
begin to sit back; c) Eastern part: Chenaran County and the Mashhad plain mark the extreme
boundaries of this part. The focus of the present work is on the central corridor, viz. the stretch
delineated by the counties of Shirvan, Farooj and Quchan (Figure: 1). Geographically, the study
area encompasses the structural valley of Atrak-Kashafrud, an expanse that is bounded by the mountains of Kopeh Dagh/Hezar Masjed to the north and the Aladagh/Binalud mountains to the
south (Figure:2). This plain geomorphological unit exhibits a fairly wide and flat landform, and
is principally affected by the sedimentary process of the flowing water bodies of the Kashafrud
and Atrak rivers and their tributaries. Geomorphology, it consists of three main units of plain,
foothills, and mountains. Its northern and southern sectors are mountainous, its slopes are
characterized by foothills, and its central part consists of plain. Indeed, the mountainous quarters
comprise small, narrow intermontane plains, which fall in the plain sub-class. The regional
heights follow the northwest-southeast trend dictated by the general orientation of the Kopeh
dagh zone. The Atrak and Kashafrud rivers rise from the regional mountains, forming two
drainage basins. The archeological survey of the concerned area recorded more than 500
archaeological mounds and sites spanning the Chalcolithic to the Islamic period. Based on a
comparative analysis of the surface pottery, 20 Parthian sites are distinguishable. It is notable
that due to the lack of adequate knowledge of common Parthian pottery forms in the region, due
caution has been exercised in the identification of these sites. These Parthian sites are divided
between 16 examples lying in the northern half of the plain on the southern slopes of Kopeh
dagh/Hezar Masjed and 4 instances that occur in the southern half on the northern slopes of
Aladagh. As stated, a main objective of this study is to pin down the influential factors of the
region's ecology in the formation of Parthian sites and their distribution in the geographic
setting of the central Kopeh dagh-Aladagh corridor. To this end, such components as geology,
altitude, slope gradient and aspect, climate, water resources and soil are explored. Finally, the
results of the study reveal a close and direct correlation between the site location and the
environmental factors (Figures: 3-10). The central Kopeh dagh/Hezar Masjed corridor on the
north and Aladagh/Binalud on the south form an upland district hemmed in by mountains. Due
to its mountain geomorphology, the area is generally dominated by cold, dry climate. In
mountainous regions, slopes and valleys generally offer more advantageous conditions for
settlement as the altitude variable prompts reduced temperature and increased humidity.
Dropped temperature in warm seasons results in lowered evaporation of water resources,
making water resources more easily accessible throughout the year. The choice of appropriate
altitude as an influential factor in human activities has thus led to the concentration of Parthian
settlements on the slopes dominating the plain. Choosing slopes provided the local populations
with access to montane pastures, but also enabled them to exploit alluvial and fertile plains. The
same strategy is still operative in the region, where, save for the cities that lie in the plain, rural
settlements mostly sit on the slopes overlooking the plain. The distribution of the sites in
reference to the slope gradient and aspect shows that, with the exception of F 0026, the Parthian
sites lie in proper points of terrain ruggedness and slope gradient spectra, and their dominant
slope aspect indicates the maximum use of solar heat in this cold region, with advantageous
impacts on agricultural production and pastures. Given their location on slopes, the hitherto
identified Parthian sites mostly occur on the spring-fed influent streams that flow into the Atrak,
with no instances recognized along the latter. In light of the results from environmental studies,
the altitude, slope gradient, easy access to water resources, and fertile soil served as the
foremost factors governing the distribution of Parthian sites in the region as they were directly
linked with subsistence. It is notable that while our environmental studies drew on the presentday
landscape, the survey of the study area produced about 500 sites dating between the
Chalcolithic to the Islamic period, and presence of this huge number of sites over this protracted
timespan testifies to the fact that advantageous environmental conditions did prevail in the past.
