Landscape and settlement in southern Mesopotamia: A geo-archaeological analysis

The environment and landscape of southern Mesopotamia provide the crucial context in which the first urban centers arose. It has long been held that "complex civilized societies depended upon a subsistence base that is sufficiently intensive and reliable to permit sedentary, nucleated settlements" (Adams 1981: 38). A fundamental part of this subsistence base is irrigation agriculture systems. Relict irrigation systems leave a clear trace on the alluvial plain. Despite their obvious remains, the nature and pattern of successive agricultural systems over this broad plain through time remain elusive. In order to reconstruct the ancient economy and settlement pattern, it is necessary to describe the topographic features such as archaeological mounds and canals, but in order to understand these features, it is first necessary to analyze the geomorphological and human processes which transform the landscape context. Using new data sources such as satellite imagery and newly available topographic data, it is possible to describe the physical and cultural transformations of the alluvial plain. A re-analysis and incorporation of past archaeological survey works allows for the elaboration of the regional landscape of southern Mesopotamia. In the most basic sense, the plain can be viewed as a regional system. By outlining the principles of landscape transformations, we can understand the significance of physical and cultural transformations. Understanding the generalities of landscape transformation processes in the region provides a conceptual basis from which to analyze historical and socio-cultural concerns.