تعامل انسان و محیط در دشت خوزستان طی عصر هولوسن
محورهای موضوعی : باستانشناسیرحیم سلامتی گول قشلاقی 1 , عبدالحمید رضایی 2
1 - دانشجوی دکتری باستان‌شناسی، گروه باستان‌شناسی، دانشکده علوم انسانی، واحد ابهر، دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، استان زنجان، ایران.
2 - پژوهشکده باستان‌شناسی، تهران، ایران.
کلید واژه: خوزستان, هولوسن, جغرافیا, محیط, اقلیم.,
چکیده مقاله :
دشت خوزستان به‌عنوان یکی از مناطق کلیدی در پژوهش‌های باستان‌شناسی ایران، بینش‌های مهمی درباره شکل‌گیری نخستین سکونتگاه‌های انسانی در عصر هولوسن و تغییرات نظام زیستی و استقراری جوامع از دوره نوسنگی تا دوران تاریخی ارائه می‌دهد. این پژوهش به بررسی تأثیر عوامل محیطی و اقلیمی بر الگوهای استقراری جوامع باستانی در این منطقه می‌پردازد. هدف اصلی، تحلیل نقش ظرفیت‌ها و دگرگونی‌های زیست‌محیطی در شکل‌گیری و تحولات فرهنگی ـ معیشتی جوامع است. پرسش‌های اصلی شامل تأثیر تغییرات اقلیمی و جغرافیایی بر استقرارهای انسانی و ارتباط بین دگرگونی‌های زیست‌بوم‌شناختی و روندهای فرهنگی است. روش‌شناسی تحقیق مبتنی بر تحلیل عوامل مؤثر بر مکان‌گزینی سکونتگاه‌ها و تغییر الگوهای استقراری است. نتایج نشان می‌دهد که در هولوسن قدیم، استقرارهای انسانی در مناطق مرتفع‌تر شکل گرفتند، در حالی که در هولوسن میانه، گسترش مرداب‌ها و دریاچه‌ها منجر به جابجایی استقرارها به مناطق پست‌تر شد. در هولوسن جدید، تغییرات اقلیمی و افت تراز آب‌های سطحی و زیرزمینی، توسعه سامانه‌های مهندسی آبی و تغییر شیوه‌های معیشتی را به دنبال داشت. یافته‌ها حاکی از آن است که تعامل بین تغییرات محیطی و نوآوری‌های انسانی، نقش کلیدی در تکامل فرهنگی و پایداری استقرارهای بلندمدت در دشت خوزستان داشته است. این مطالعه با تأکید بر اهمیت رویکردهای میان‌رشته‌ای، درک عمیق‌تری از رابطه بین عوامل زیست‌بوم‌شناختی و توسعه تمدن‌های باستانی ارائه می‌دهد.
The Khuzestan Plain, as one of the key regions in Iranian archaeological research, provides significant insights into the formation of early human settlements during the Holocene and the changes in subsistence and settlement patterns from the Neolithic to historical periods. This study examines the impact of environmental and climatic factors on the settlement patterns of ancient communities in this region. The primary objective is to analyze the role of environmental capacities and transformations in shaping cultural and subsistence developments. Key research questions include the influence of climatic and geographical changes on human settlements and the relationship between ecological transformations and cultural trends. The methodology is based on analyzing factors affecting settlement location and changes in settlement patterns. The results indicate that during the early Holocene, human settlements were established in higher elevations, while in the middle Holocene, the expansion of marshes and lakes led to the relocation of settlements to lower areas. In the late Holocene, climatic changes and the decline in surface and groundwater levels prompted the development of hydraulic engineering systems and shifts in subsistence strategies. The findings suggest that the interaction between environmental changes and human innovations played a crucial role in cultural evolution and the long-term sustainability of settlements in the Khuzestan Plain. This study, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between ecological factors and the development of ancient civilizations.
Introduction
The Khuzestan Plain, located in southwestern Iran, presents one of the most significant archaeological landscapes for exploring the dynamics of human-environment interaction during the Holocene epoch. Due to its strategic geographical position near the Persian Gulf and unique environmental diversity, ranging from mountainous terrains to alluvial lowlands, it has served as a focal point for human settlement and cultural evolution over millennia. This study aims to examine the interplay between environmental transformations and socio-cultural developments in ancient communities inhabiting the region from the early Holocene to historical times. Drawing from theoretical paradigms in archaeology, particularly those integrating low-level empirical observations with high-level interpretative frameworks, the research seeks to uncover how climatic shifts, geomorphological processes, and hydrological patterns influenced the establishment, migration, and sustainability of human settlements.
By exploring geoarchaeological, hydrological, and paleoenvironmental evidence, the paper situates Khuzestan as a dynamic cultural and ecological zone. Past studies have shown that episodes of climate fluctuation—including periods of increased precipitation or aridification—correspond with significant transitions in subsistence strategies and spatial distribution of communities. For instance, during the early Holocene, settlements were predominantly established in upland zones, whereas the middle Holocene saw a transition to lower marshlands due to the expansion of water bodies. In later phases, declining groundwater and surface water levels prompted the emergence of hydraulic innovations, such as irrigation canals and reservoirs, enabling prolonged human occupation.
The study is particularly concerned with how ancient populations perceived and responded to environmental variability, utilizing adaptive strategies that included seasonal transhumance, mixed subsistence economies, and settlement relocation. It emphasizes the relevance of interdisciplinary approaches combining archaeology, environmental science, and remote sensing to reconstruct historical landscapes. Ultimately, understanding the feedback loop between ecological change and human agency in Khuzestan offers broader implications for interpreting the resilience and transformation of early civilizations across the ancient Near East.
Methodology
This research employed an interdisciplinary methodological framework combining archaeological analysis, geomorphological assessment, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Primary data sources included satellite imagery, archaeological survey reports, climatic and hydrological records, and sedimentological studies. The goal was to trace the spatial and chronological evolution of settlement patterns across the Holocene in the Khuzestan Plain.
By synthesizing evidence from environmental archaeology, hydrological modeling, and geographical information systems (GIS), the study reconstructed past ecological conditions and identified their impacts on human settlement dynamics. Particular emphasis was placed on the role of rivers, floodplains, and alluvial deposits in influencing settlement location. Radiocarbon dating and luminescence chronology were also used to determine the timing of habitation layers. Moreover, archaeological evidence of water management systems and changes in material culture was analyzed to correlate technological responses with environmental pressures. This integrative approach enabled a nuanced understanding of how ancient communities adapted to shifting environmental parameters across different periods of the Holocene.
Discussion
The Holocene epoch witnessed profound climatic and environmental changes that reshaped the landscape of the Khuzestan Plain and directly influenced the lifeways of its ancient inhabitants. During the early Holocene, rising temperatures and increased rainfall led to expanded vegetation cover and the formation of early agricultural systems. Communities tended to settle in elevated areas with access to seasonal rivers and fertile soils. These upland zones offered relative security from floods and allowed for diversified subsistence strategies, including early cultivation and limited animal domestication.
By the middle Holocene (ca. 8200–4200 BP), there was a marked shift in settlement patterns. Enhanced rainfall and changes in river courses resulted in the formation of extensive wetlands and shallow lakes, particularly in lower elevation areas. Consequently, human settlements gradually migrated toward these lowland regions to capitalize on newly formed aquatic ecosystems. These areas, rich in biodiversity and fertile sediments, supported fishing, seasonal foraging, and wetland agriculture. Sites such as Chogha Mish and Chogha Bonut illustrate the complexity of these adaptive strategies, displaying mixed economies and advanced water-use technologies.
Climatic data from paleoenvironmental studies show that around 4200 BP, a major aridification event occurred, corresponding with the so-called "4.2 kiloyear event." This climatic downturn, marked by declining rainfall and falling groundwater levels, compelled communities to innovate new subsistence and settlement strategies. The introduction of hydraulic engineering—irrigation canals, diversion dams, and underground qanats—became pivotal in sustaining agriculture and urban development. Archaeological remains from this period, including the Gargar Canal system and Shapur I’s dam, highlight the sophistication of water management during the Elamite and Sassanian periods.
Geomorphological changes also played a decisive role in shaping the human-environment interaction in the region. The ongoing deposition of alluvial sediments, influenced by tectonic uplift and erosion in the Zagros Mountains, periodically altered the landscape of the plain. As floodplains expanded or contracted, communities had to relocate or modify their land use practices. The archaeological stratigraphy of sites like Susiana shows alternating phases of occupation and abandonment closely tied to fluvial dynamics.
Seasonal transhumance emerged as a resilient response to environmental variability. Nomadic and semi-nomadic pastoralists migrated between highland summer pastures in the Zagros and lowland winter settlements in Khuzestan, a practice that dates back to the Neolithic. This mobility ensured flexible access to ecological zones with different resource bases and mitigated risks associated with localized climatic stress. Evidence from isotopic analysis of faunal remains confirms the vertical movement of herds and supports the notion of integrated highland-lowland economic systems.
River systems such as the Karun, Dez, and Karkheh were instrumental in shaping settlement patterns. Their natural courses, avulsions, and sedimentation regimes created fertile floodplains, but also posed challenges through unpredictable floods and salinization. Human interventions, including the rerouting of river branches and construction of embankments, were common in response to these dynamics. The geoarchaeological study of oxbow lakes and abandoned channels offers insights into how societies negotiated the risks and benefits of riverine environments.
The Khuzestan Plain’s archaeological record reveals not only the vulnerabilities of ancient communities to environmental stress but also their capacity for resilience through technological innovation and social adaptation. Cultural responses to environmental pressures were not uniform; they varied according to community size, social organization, resource access, and historical context. For example, large urban centers like Susa developed centralized water infrastructure, while smaller rural communities adapted through seasonal mobility or crop diversification.
Moreover, the study underscores the importance of environmental determinism being tempered by human agency. While environmental changes set the parameters of possibility, it was human ingenuity—manifested in engineering, mobility, and political organization—that shaped the trajectory of cultural development. The interaction between ecological constraints and cultural responses in Khuzestan offers a compelling model for understanding long-term human resilience.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that the formation and evolution of human settlements in the Khuzestan Plain during the Holocene were closely tied to environmental and climatic dynamics. Archaeological, geomorphological, and paleoenvironmental evidence reveals that communities consistently adapted their strategies in response to shifting river systems, sediment deposition, climate fluctuations, and hydrological transformations. From early upland settlements to lowland marsh adaptations, and from rain-fed agriculture to complex irrigation networks, the trajectory of habitation illustrates a profound entanglement between humans and their environment.
Notably, the development of hydraulic systems and the continuation of transhumant pastoralism were key strategies that enabled sustained occupation despite environmental challenges. The study affirms that while ecological factors influenced settlement location and subsistence options, human agency played a critical role in mediating these forces. Technological innovations, flexible economies, and adaptive mobility allowed ancient communities to persist and flourish under diverse conditions.
By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this research enriches our understanding of ancient human-environment interactions and offers a framework for interpreting cultural resilience. It also highlights the broader relevance of Khuzestan as a case study for investigating how early civilizations responded to and shaped their ecological contexts—insights that are increasingly pertinent in the face of modern environmental challenges.
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