Search

The middle Holocene (8200-4200 cal BP) on California's northern Channel Islands (NCI) was a period of important population change, including the elaboration of settlement and subsistence systems during periods of environmental stress. On Santa Rosa Island (SRI), there is evidence for intensive settlement associated with greater sedentism along the relatively wet and productive northwest coast. We use faunal, chronological, and stable oxygen isotopic (δ18O) data from middle Holocene interior residential base sites to reconstruct patterns of mobility between the coast and the interior of the island. Most of the interior sites on SRI dating to this period are oriented toward the northwest coast and previous isotopic studies have indicated they were used seasonally to access terrestrial plant resources and fresh water from fog. This is supported by the faunal record from CA-SRI-50, which was occupied during the summer and fall and has a low-diversity faunal record associated with field processing prior to transporting marine foods to the site. CA-SRI-152 and -229, however, are two sites oriented toward the southwest coast, an area that is drier and less productive overall, but contained a high abundance of red abalone (Haliotis rufescens). These sites appear to have additional roles, including as stopover locations, reflected by a lower density but more diverse faunal record with settlement focused on the spring. This study indicates that the structure of interior residential bases on the NCI during the middle Holocene was not monolithic and that people traveled to the interior for different purposes. By understanding the diversity of sites in the context of environmental variability during the middle Holocene, we can better reconstruct patterns of seasonal mobility and site use during an important period of change that contributed to the eventual development of coastal hunter-gatherer-fisher social complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using targeted survey, excavation, and radiocarbon dating, we assess the extent to which human settlement patterns on California’s northern Channel Islands fit predictions arising from the ideal free distribution (IFD): (1) people first established and expanded permanent settlements in the regions ranked high for environmental resource suitability; (2) as population grew, they settled in progressively lower ranked habitats; and (3) changes in the archaeological record associated with high population levels such as increases in faunal diversity and evenness in high-ranked habitats are coinci- dent with the expansion to other areas. On Santa Rosa Island, the early permanent settlements were located in both high- and middle-ranked locations, with the most extensive settlement at the highest ranked locations and only isolated sites elsewhere. Settlement at a low-ranked habitat was confined to the late Holocene (after 3600 cal BP). Drought influenced the relative rank of different locations, which is an example of climate adding a temporal dimension to the model that episodically stimulated popu- lation movement and habitat abandonment. Because the IFD includes a wide range of cultural and environmental variables, it has the potential to be a central model for guiding archaeological analysis and targeted field research.

This paper offers a new numerical approach to model the effects of archaeological site placement and population density on environmental suitability using two ecological models, the Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) and Ideal Despotic Distribution (IDD), treating the Oued Loukkos in northern Morocco as an example. This method incorporates local resource depletion with increasing population density consistent with the predictions of the IFD. It also incorporates the potential for the exclusion of part of the population from certain productive areas consistent with the IDD. In this study, we propose a dynamic approach to the impact of site placement on habitat suitability and therefore broader application for understanding changes in settlement distribution with population density through time. Furthermore, resulting settlements can be parameterized by a Zipf-Mandelbrot distribution, entailing a direct relationship between the ecological, demographic, and political factors and the resulting rank-size distribution of sites. This approach allows for a broader range of applications among foraging and agricultural economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is an application of the ideal free distribution (IFD) model to understand settlement patterns during the Mauretanian and Roman periods in northwest Morocco. We use proxies for potential agricultural productivity and distance from a viable harbor for each of the locations of known settlement sites. There is a clear relationship between the distance from harbors and habitat suitability, with sites that were established earliest all on or close to a point of access to the ocean. This is consistent with a focus on maritime trade and a connection with the Mediterranean Sea. Agricultural potential is also an important factor influencing settlement, although to a lesser extent, with earlier, low-density settlement more focused on trade potential. Consistent with predictions of the IFD, there is an expansion through time to progressively lower ranked habitats, with persistent settlement at the highest ranked habitats, including at Lixus, which is generally considered to be the earliest city in northwest Africa. During the Roman period, there is a focus of interior settlement near Volubilis. Subsidiary sites likely benefit from their proximity to this important political site, despite their relatively low rank within the IFD, perhaps reflecting patterns consistent with an ideal despotic distribution. This study demonstrates how the IFD can be used in a simple context with limited available survey data to assess the important environmental variables influencing settlement decisions. It has broad implications for understanding the formation of urban centers prior to and during the Roman period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we model patterns of expansion and contraction of settlement in Bronze Age Messenia (ca. 3100–1050 BCE) using the ideal free distribution (IFD). We rank potential settlement locations on the landscape using environmental and cultural variables, including watershed size, which is a proxy for fresh water availability, net primary productivity, and the distance to the location of the Palace of Nestor at Pylos, a central site of political importance throughout most of the Bronze Age. The settlement chronology for the region is derived from an existing database of survey data and conforms to the predictions of the IFD. The highest-ranked habitats were settled first and the population expanded to lower-ranked habitats as population density increased. The data also conforms to the IFD prediction that important political centers should follow the same pattern, expanding from higher- to lower-ranked habitats. This model helps to provide an understanding of the effects of the unique environmental and cultural landscape of the region on settlement prior to the rise of the major Mycenaean centers in mainland Greece. The application of the IFD to a sociopolitically complex case demonstrates its broad potential for understanding historical trajectories in settlement patterns throughout the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]